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THREE 14ers! Mt. Democrat, Cameron Point*, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Bross!
(Pictures of Seven Hour Loop Hike - July 11, 2004)
Mount Democrat - Altitude 14,148 Feet
| I began my ascent at 6:15 a.m., with a serene view of
Kite Lake and the campground. You can do all four of
these peaks within six to eight hours in a loop, which is what I did here. |
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| With the exception of the very beginning (the base is around 12,000 feet elevation),
the trails go through rocky terrain like this. |
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| Up the slope of Mount Democrat we go! |
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| The sun broke within the hour ... Hooray!
(Looking back down the valley.) |
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I reached reach the saddle between Mt. Democrat and Cameron Point
with my first view of other mountain ranges.
TOP: Platte Gulch,
with the immediate range (Traver Peak, Mc Namee Peak, Clinton Peak) partaking
in the Continental Divide.
BOTTOM: Zoom-in of mountains. |
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| There is one false peak, but I did not fret.
This relatively flat area (with snow!) was short. |
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| Grand views of the Mosquito Range looking to the south! |
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| Check this out! There were people mining way up here at 13,500+ feet!
And to think of the long and grueling ascent it is to this spot, notwithstanding the extreme
weather! |
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Arrival!
Mount Democrat was my second fourteener (with Pikes Peak as my first).
Let me tell you, it is like another world being at 14,000+ feet in the heart of
Colorado! |
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Scenery from atop Mount Democrat! :)
TOP LEFT: Looking west toward the Climax Mine and Fremont Pass (north of
Leadville) on Highway 91.
TOP RIGHT: Looking southeast, straight at the valley which leads into
Alma.
BOTTOM: Looking northeast,
we've got the other three fourteeners I'll be hiking in plain view.
Mount Cameron to the left, Mt. Bross to the right and Mt. Lincoln peaking its head way in the back left. |
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| Wowwee! The scenery! |
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Mount Lincoln - Altitude 14,286 Feet
| The hike from Cameron Point to Mt. Lincoln is a short hike of
maybe a half mile, with very little descent and ascent.
(Thus, denying Cameron Point's membership as a legitimate 14er.) |
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| Oh the view! Looking north, the immediate range
(including Wheeler Mountain, alt. 13,690 feet) partakes in the Continental Divide. Wheeler Lake
sits enticingly at the foot. If I can obtain a good 4-wheel drive vehicle, I might drive up
the dirt road to get to that lake sometime! ;) |
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| Mount Lincoln has a very steep eastern face. |
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The Summit of Mt. Lincoln
I even had this mountain all to myself for about ten minutes! |
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The views from Mount Lincoln:
TOP: Mount Bross, where I'm heading next.
You can notice some roads up there that were used for mining purposes.
SECOND LEFT:
Another shot of Wheeler Lake, Wheeler Peak & Quandary Peak.
SECOND RIGHT: Looking east towards Highway 9, which connects
Breckenridge and Alma via Hoosier Pass. (Montgomery Reservoir & Mount Silverheels, alt. 13,000 feet?)
THIRD DOWN: Cameron Point ... Wow!
BOTTOM:
There were so many mountains it was hard to keep track of them all! Looking NEE, those farthest peaks have got
to consist of Grays Peak, Torreys Peak, Mt. Bierstadt and Mt. Evans, all fourteeners closest to
Denver. |
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| Check this out! Old mining equipment on quite a
slippery and rocky slope! |
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Mount Bross - Altitude 14,172 Feet
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Onto Mount Bross! |
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A nice and clear shot of Mount Democrat. |
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The trail runs along a beautiful ridge of the Kite Lake area. |
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Wowwee! What beautiful flowers at such a high altitude! |
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Oooooooh! I love those deep, 1970's San Diego Padres brown shades on Mount Lincoln! ;) |
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Near the top of Mount Bross, looking way out east,
I could see Pikes Peak way out there. |
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At the summit! :)
There were some cool people already up there, and for
the official summit photo, I decided to frolick on the desolate-looking rocks.
That made it three official 14ers in one day, a lifetime total of four.
I'm very excited about doing some more this summer! |
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A few views from the summit!
TOP: Wonderful
rusty shades on Cameron Point.
MIDDLE: Not sure. I lost track of
all these mountains! ;)
BOTTOM: Mt. Democrat to the right. |
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On the way down...
The main trail heading down was quite hairy! It really appears to be heading off
a ridge with cliffs on each side (see photo), with steep stretches on loose scree is the only practical
way to trek down. Hang in there ... it does get better! |
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The trail heads into a steep ravine ... not for
the faint-hearted but doable nonetheless.
NOTE:
It was somewhere around this point, that I gave thanks to God for this amazing adventure.
I was filled with emotion and gratitude to my Lord ... This was indeed a very special day!
And so I dedicate this pictorial to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
King of the universe and Savior of humanity. |
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A beautiful waterfall near the very bottom.
Some of my waterfall pictures:
Dorothy Falls (Colorado Springs)
Cascade Falls (Ouray)
Zapata Falls (San Luis Valley)
Rainbow Falls (Manitou Springs)
Bridal Veil Falls (Telluride)
Bear Creek Falls (Ouray)
Agnes Vaille Falls (Nathrop) |
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I am not sure if my camera quite grasped it,
but there were bright flowers near the base. |
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