One of many
trip reports under the
SilGro home page for Alan Silverstein and Cathie
Grow.
Email me at
ajs@frii.com.
Last update: June 13, 2024
(Previous trip report: 1985_0420_GreenMountain.htm)
(Originally posted to internal newsgroup:
/* hpfcla:hpnc.general / ajs / 9:12 am May 13, 1985)
Within a month after the previous hike up Green Mountain, Dave Landers and I went back on a Sunday to climb Bear Peak and South Boulder Peak. They were an easy and enjoyable pair once we found the trailhead -- in addition to what I told you in the previous posting, don't turn left on Cougar Drive either...
It only took 50 minutes following a decent, well-marked trail, with steep scrambling at the top, to climb 1020' to Bear Peak. It was a nice pointy little pinnacle with a view just as spectacular as that from Green Mountain, though noticeably further southwest of Boulder, but higher higher than the other mountain. Looking down Bear Canyon (between Green Mountain and Bear Peak) to Boulder was fantastic, too.
No sooner did we arrive than the partly-clouds caught up to us from the west, closing down the view with heavy snow! It was a neat treat watching the snow blow past and down towards town.
After a while we headed down and south across the saddle, dropping 250' and then rising 350' in a total of 45 minutes on a ghost of a trail, with lots of cairns and occasional signs. South Boulder Peak was a little higher than Bear Peak, but directly opposite it from Boulder, so you couldn't see it very well from below, and the view was correspondingly less impressive. Also the top was lower than some nearby treetops.
After lunch it started to corn-snow heavily and get significantly cold, so we started back. Finding the saddle again in the snow and haze was tough but interesting. From there we went on a long, sometimes painful descending traverse through the pretty gully west of the two peaks, back to the trail. Our time returning to the car was only 85 minutes, despite being slightly soggy at the end of it.
This was a nice pair of peaks for a spring or fall day (hopefully one with better weather). Total hiking time was only three hours, and total elevation gain comparable to Horsetooth Mountain. Just going up to Bear Peak and back would be enough to make your day. The area and especially the distant scenery were the best I'd found in the Front Range foothills.
Alan Silverstein
PS: We met some people on Bear Peak who knew the people who owned the dog (mentioned in the previous report), assuming we were talking about the same dog, anyway his name turned out to be Jasmine.
(Next trip report: 1985_0609-16_MLW,StormPeak.htm)