Akos Szaz , VŠVU Bratislava former
July 7, 2007 Seven summits in one day (Scott Patterson photo) 1 = Mount Emmons 2 = "North Emmons" 3 = "Roberts Peak" 4 = "Trail Rider Peak" 5 = "Painter Peak" 6 = South Kings Peak 7 = Kings Peak The highest peak in Utah is Kings Peak, with an elevation of 13,528. In Utah there are 17 peaks that qualify as 13ers (over 13,000 feet). Utah has no peaks over 14,000 feet. All of these peaks are found in the Uinta Mountain range, one of the few ranges in North America that runs east to west. One thing that makes summiting Utah's 13ers very difficult, is the distances from the nearest roads to the peaks – 20-40 miles round trip. On Friday, as I was contemplating doing a long Saturday run, my thoughts drifted to the Uintas. A one-day summit of Kings Peak is a great run, about 28 miles. I've accomplished that run two times. I recalled an article I read in 2003 about two guys who accomplished a one-day "triple crown," summiting the three highest peaks in Utah (Kings, South Kings,
Phoenix Peak is a 13er and centennial located in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. This hike is about 10-11 miles RT, mostly off trail. Filmed in early Jun...
Pt13,832 and Pt 13,811 sometimes known as Redcloud East and Far East Peaks are a pair of 13ers and centennials located in the San Juan mountains of Colorado....
There's more to climbing mountains than packing a bag and checking weather. Here are 5 alternative tips for climbing a 14er to help you with your summit. Great 14er tips for both beginners and experienced climbers alike, this post will help you have a successful 14er experience.
Join me for this amazing hike to two incredible San Juan Summits! I begin this hike from the 4wd Matterhorn Creek Trailhead and first hike to the summit of W...
Stewart Peak is a centennial 13er, the tallest 100 peaks in the state. It's a beautiful class 2 climb in the San Juans. Here's my guide for hiking Stewart Peak
Praksis Arkitekter, Sydbank, Odense, 2017 www.praksisarkitekter.dk/
Colorado 13er Matterhorn Peak to Colorado 14er Wetterhorn Peak - A Sketch Fest- ThorGift.com - If you like it please buy some from ThorGift.com
#backpacking #colorado #camping #ouray This is a 2 day Backpacking trip to the Uncompahgre Wilderness in Southern Colorado to climb both Matterhorn (13er) an...
Reach the summit and hike a Colorado 13er with this local list of the best Colorado 13ers within two hours of Denver. Adventures for all abilities.
Square Top Lakes via South Park 600 Trail, located at the summit of Guanella Pass, is a high alpine wonder! The setting is sensational, beginning above the tree line with two lakes and the option to keep going to 13er Square Top Mountia
Distance: 11 miles round trip (starting from Perry Peak Campground) Elevation: 9,300 ft - 12,600 ft Elevation Gain: 3,181 ft Date Hiked: 19 August 2011 Dogs: Off leash The majestic view from Hope Pass (12,600 ft) A hike to Hope Pass near Twin Lakes is a long and arduous journey to one of the most majestic views in Colorado. I cheated on this hike, truth be told, because I stayed over several nights below the pass, assisting the Hopeless Aid Station and working the Leadville 100 Ultra Marathon. As you hike this trail just remember there are folks who run up, over, down the other side and back up as part of a much longer and harder journey. Makes you feel a little substandard doesn't it? Starting out at the Perry Peak Campground Passing a nice Beaver pond with lodge Looking down into Lake Creek For the past several years, the normal trailhead for Hope Pass has been closed because the bridge over Lake Creek was washed away. The new bridge is sitting in the sands near Twin Lakes so perhaps someday soon they'll get it in place. Junction between Upper Twin Lake (left) and the Willis drainages (right) Initial segment in Lodgepoles and rocks Heading into the Aspens We had a train of fully loaded llamas, carrying tents, food, oxygen etc up to the aid station, so we had to start our journey at the Perry Peak campground. This route cuts through a short 0.5 mile swampy section of trail before joining the real route and makes my description longer than published. The first real milestone is the trail junction between the Willis drainages and a trail back to Upper Twin Lake at 0.68 miles. Looking down into the Aspens Crossing the bridge at 1.7 miles Willis Creek From this point, the route travels across a broad slope filled with young Aspens. The trail is narrow, steep and rocky and over the 20 years that folks have been using llamas to gear up the aid station, more than one has tumbled off the side. For people though, the trail is perfectly fine unless of course you are as wide a fully loaded llama, in which case you should consider a different form of exercise. Heading up the steep segment to the left of the creek. The candy cane tape on the shrub marks the route for the runners. Junction between the Little and Big Willis routes Past the switchbacks, the trail begins to level out After a continuous uphill slog, the route intersects, at 1.36 miles, a small drainage ditch, probably used in mining. This short flat segment is a nice break, for both llamas and humans. At this point we had climbed 528 ft. Passing a relatively intact cabin The grave in llama rest meadow Before breaking out of treeline, the route gets wetter, weaving back and forth across the creek and through willows. At 1.7 miles, we reached the bridge over Little Willis Creek and transitioned into a damp, primeval-feeling mixed Spruce/Fir biome. Another trail, Interlaken comes in from the left to join the route just past the bridge. This is where the runners come in as well. Finally breaking out of the trees Mt. Hope The cook and medical tents. More will go up the next day. After watering the llamas, we turned right and headed straight up the hill in another unrelentless climb. At 2.2 miles is the split between the Little and Big Willis drainages. Hope Pass is to the left up the Little Willis drainage. At 2.6 miles begins a series of 4 lengthly switchbacks. At the top of this segment, the trail flattens out appreciably. I could practically hear the llamas give a sigh of relief. Sunrise on Mt. Hope the next day. Llamas graze in the meadow. Starting up the final pitch to Hope Pass From this point on the trail angles slightly upwards through a series of open meadows. We stopped at one at 3.4 miles to let the llamas rest some more. I don't think their wranglers were too upset about this either. There is a large avalanche chute on the left of the is meadow and an interesting grave on the right. Finally, at 4.8 miles we reached the tents of the aid station at roughly 12,000 ft. Fade to black... A series of switchbacks head up the slope Mt. Hope The next morning, we continued our route to the Pass. The aid station is located right at treeline on the broad slope overlooking Little Willis Lake. Mt. Hope, one of the highest 13ers in the state dominates the view. It was a quick 0.75 miles and 600 feet elevation gain to the pass itself. While steep, the views down the valley are stunning, so there are plenty of excuses to stop, breath, and admire the scenery. Looking back down on Little Willis Lake and Leadville in the distance Further up on the pass From the pass at 12,600 ft, the hiker gazes deep into the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. The number of towering 14ers makes this view majestic indeed. From left to right is Mt. Oxford (14,153 ft), Mt. Belford (14,197 ft), Missouri Mountain (14,067 ft), and Huron Peak (14,003 ft). Mt. Hope is to the right and Mt. Quail to the left on the pass itself. The pass itself Heading up the slope of Mt. Quail I decided to try and climb Mt. Quail, the 13er to the left of the pass. There was no trail, so I left my pack below and just took my camera and started bushwhacking up the slope. It was slow going with my camera dangling below my chest as I used both hands and feet to pull myself upwards. I did intersect with a trail and followed that for a bit until it ran into a area of loose gravel and tallus. At this point, I knew getting down was going to be a butt slide, so I decided not to go any further. If I do this again next year, I'll have a better idea of the route. Looking down on the pass from a couple of hundred feet up Mt. Quail Looking into the Collegiates from the slope of Mt. Quail My turn around point on Quail. The summit is up that ridge and to the right. A journey to Hope Pass is a treat to a little visited area of the state. While a leg buster, you can at least feel grateful that you are not running 100 miles and are only hiking 11. The view of Mt. Hope along makes this journey worth it in my book. Being there really made me feel like I was in the mountains.
Distance: 7.6 miles round trip (from 4x4 trailhead) 11.6 miles round trip otherwise Elevation: 10,560 ft - 11,811 ft Elevation Gain: 1,251 ft Date Hiked: 23 June, 2012 Bathroom at Trailhead: No Dogs: On leash, Collegiate Wilderness Area Tags: #hiking, #coloradooutdoors, #mountianlake, #gearguide Nearby Hikes: Ptarmigan Lake The aqua shaded waters of Lake Ann just below the Continental Divide in the Collegiate Wilderness Lake Ann in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness located between Leadville and Buena Vista is a spectacular alpine lake surrounded by peaks, peaks, and more peaks. It is not the easiest place to get to but if you don't mind slogging an extra 2 miles each way, you can do it without a high clearance 4x4. I recommend begging a friend with a jeep to take you there, however so you can spend more time at the lake and less time eating dust on a boring dirt road. The parking area Looking back north from the parking area Lake Ann has been on my do list for a long time but ever since I climbed Hope Pass as part of the Leadville's 100 Hopeless Crew, I have wanted to see the Collegiate Peaks area. It was stunning from the pass and no less stunning on the 12 mile dirt road we had to drive to get to the small ghost town of Winfield, where incidentally the runners turn around to run back up to Hope Pass. After seeing that climb from the bottom, I have even more respect for those guys! This road, Hwy 390, is well marked with a sign and is south of Twin Lakes on the way to Buena Vista. This first part of the drive is passable with a passenger car but is still rough and washboardy and will rearrange your internal organs if you go too fast. The trailhead. The route to Huron Peak is to the left and the route to Lake Ann is behind the sign. At 0.9 miles you pass into the Collegiate Wilderness There is a large parking lot with port-o-lets at Winfield for those who can not drive any further. This is one of ways to climb Huron Peak (14,009 ft). To get to Lake Ann however, you need to hike or drive further up the road. Believe me when I say you don't want to take your Acura on this drive. The road undulates with deep ditches and crosses more than one stream. It is not a difficult 4x4 road, but it is tedious and will feel like it is going on forever. The trailhead is obvious, however with a dozen or more like minded 4x4 owners crammed into a small area. This is also the main trailhead for Huron Peak, so expect a crowded parking lot. The route will take us up this valley A typical trail segment for the first flat part of the route At the southern end of the parking area is a large trail sign and gate. The trail up Huron Peak heads to the left while the trail to Lake Ann heads straight ahead. The trail is actually part of the Continental Divide Trail and CD signposts will be found periodically along the route. The day we did this hike it was soul-sucking hot even though the elevation starts out at 10,000 plus feet. So, even though the first 1.7 miles of the route is practically flat, we found ourselves dawdling as we lingered in any shady spot we could find. This initial segment weaves in and out of sun baked meadows or large stands of Fir and Spruce and the meadows were decidedly toasty. The Three Apostles come into view in one of the open meadows The trail junction between the Apostles Trail to the left and the Lake Ann Trail to the right At 1.6 miles is the split between the Lake Ann/CD Trail to the right and the Apostles Trail to the left. A large sign marks this junction, so it is impossible to miss. The Apostles are the three large peaks that dominate the view as you head down the valley. I have never done the Apostles Trail, but need to add that to my list. Note that the lake is not below the Apostles, but an unnamed 13er that can be seen to the right. The South Fork of Clear Creek crossing You can tell by the lush understory of the second half of the trail that this area normally is cooler and wetter than the day we hiked it. Once past the junction, the trail descends briefly to cross over the South Fork of Clear Creek on three somewhat bouncy logs. Not the easiest of crossings but doable. From this point on, the trail starts to climb steadily upwards and stays in the trees as it does so. Even with all the shade, we were still roasting. Finally, we stopped at a creek and dunked our heads and bandanas, which gave us some relief. Climbing upwards helped as well. The waterfall is in the rocks just ahead Huron Peak as the trail begins to break out of the trees At 3.2 miles, the route crosses the creek again at a small waterfall. This crossing might be more difficult in heavy runoff years, but in 2012 was hardly an issue. Shortly after the waterfall the route climbs very steeply up a ridge until it finally breaks out of the trees and begins a series of switchbacks up a tundra face with ever increasing views of the valley below. At 3.7 miles is a fork in the trail. Take the left to the lake which is just ahead and slightly downwards or continue right to reach the Continental Divide, another 800 ft higher. The trail starts to switchback just head. The views are stunning at this point. The trail to the left leads to the lake. The trail to the right heads up to the Continental Divide. Lake Ann itself is a serene destination with its aqua shaded waters and grasses growing along its edges. It was finally cool and all I wanted to do was lounge with my back to a rock and feed. It was a slow, hot, slog up to the lake and I was seriously hungry. Lake Ann Grasses growing along the edge of the lake. Someday the lake will be gone and all that will be left is a meadow. I confess that my favorite part of trip was not the lake itself, but the views back down the valley. Huron Peak is this perfectly cone-shaped mountain and it dominates the view, but the distant views of Mt. Blaurock and Mt. Ervin, both 13ers, was as stunning as the view from a top Hope Pass. The Collegiate Wilderness does live up to its fame as a scenic wonderland. I would love to visit in the fall! While early in the season, a few wildflowers were beginning to pop along the shore. The lake from another angle. If you can get to the trailhead, a trip to Lake Ann a quintessential Colorado experience. The heat we experienced is in fact very unusual and I would normally plan on chillier conditions and a downright chill at the lake. The trip seemed much harder that it normally would be given the distance and elevation gain and I do blame the heat for that. We are just not used to it. On the day we hiked, it was still close to 80 degrees at 6 PM in the evening and must have gotten into the 90s during the day. Denver by contrast was having record heat in the 100s. So don't let my grumblings deter you. Lake Ann is wonderful hike! My favorite view...looking back down the valley. A shot of the author to satisfy her parents who never get to see her in these posts. A parting view of the Three Apostles and the unnamed peak to the right that is our destination. Later in the evening, the light was less harsh, but the temps back down in the valley were still uncomfortable.
