One of many
trip reports under the
SilGro home page for Alan Silverstein and Cathie
Grow.
Email me at
ajs@frii.com.
Last update: April 2, 2024
(Previous trip report: 1990_0701_YpsilonMtn.htm)
(A
Fourteener
trip report.)
Where better to spend the Fourth of July than on the highest point in Colorado? (Mount Elbert, that is.) Then again, Sherry Perkins and I almost didn't make it till the Fifth! But we did witness fireworks far below in Leadville.
It was my eighth night sleeping on a Fourteener and my third visit up Elbert; her first on both accounts. If not for the wonderful trail, we could never have lugged full packs 3950' to the top of Colorado.
We departed Fort Collins Wednesday morning in my Wagoneer, and many hours later four-wheeled into the trailhead, 10500', 1.8 rough miles from the pavement just beyond the Lakeview Campground north of Twin Lakes (southwest of Leadville and southeast of the peak).
As was so often the case that wet summer -- a monsoon pattern -- the weather was marginal. Nonetheless we assembled our packs and picked up the Colorado Trail through the bushes at 1633, ready for whatever adventures awaited, prepared to camp on the farthest flat spot we could reach. What a memorable evening developed!
At first the trail took us NNE up and down to a well-marked junction. Then the Mount Elbert trail departed west, a fine dirt path but much steeper and more direct than I recalled. Before long we found ourselves on a major ridge approaching timberline, swatting mosquitos, but pleasantly gaining almost 1000' per hour even with the heavy packs.
We hiked up the first 2000' in just two hours while a monster storm drifted south and southeast of us across the Arkansas Valley. It was most impressively dark, foreboding, and decorated with lightning. In its wake, from above timberline, we witnessed a most delicious rainbow arching up from Twin Lakes.
Upon reaching 12400' on the grassy ridge, living, whirling clouds blew up from the valleys on each side to surround us in a cold, damp mist. We found a nice spot and sat out a light rain for an hour and a half.
We got cold and were uncertain about the weather, so it was tempting to stop there for the night. But at 2000, not long before sunset, the clouds lifted to a patchy overcast and we elected to press on for the summit -- slower than before.
Further up the mountainside at 2040, we paused to marvel at an awesome fiery sunset display. Pink glow lit the receding thunderstorm and reflected from the lower Mosquito Range beyond Leadville. Red beams shot past the gray, cloud-wreathed bulk of Mount Massive to our north. As the sun sank the rays seemed to rise until apparently issuing from below the hidden horizon. Incredible!
Of course after the best of sunsets there follows a time of darkness. We pushed on up the trail in the twilight. A nearly full moon gave adequate illumination, even though mostly hidden by a layer of soggy clouds.
Then we experienced another truly unforgettable sight. Leadville put on, and on, a fireworks show... From 13000' and ten miles away, we paused repeatedly to gaze down at the miniature explosions and fireballs above the lights of the town. The bright flashes of the noisemakers lit the hillside around us like lightning, but the popping sounds took about 50 seconds to reach us. Every so often we thought we'd just seen the grand finale, when another round began. Finally it was over.
Then -- it started to rain. Donning ponchos we trod upwards, wondering how it would be when we stopped, and where we would stop. To our relief the rain subsided after about half an hour while we struggled onwards. The last 1000' was not fun, but it was pretty: Clearing skies, moonlight, water running on the trail. The path had led more or less straight to the top, with few switchbacks, but now it curved around the left (south) side for the run to the summit.
We arrived dog-tired at 2338, after 7:05, including over five hours of hiking. There were low puffs of silvery cloud suspended in the surrounding valleys. We set up tarps and sleeping bags -- no tent -- in the flat area just north of the high point. It was too late to cook a hot meal. Sherry was quick to sleep, but I could not let go of the wonder of it all... Nor of my little ham radio, with which I was only able to raise a trucker in Salida before calling it a night.
We awoke at 0510 to watch the sunrise. It was 32 deg F and relatively clear. We witnessed the mountain shadow... Nice colors but not a special dawning, except for the fog west of Massive and suspended over Twin Lakes. La Plata Peak to the southwest was impressive.
Sherry went back to sleep but I couldn't. Because it was so wet, thermals started by 0800. Regretfully I roused her to get packing. A big, noisy, hence obnoxious church group of teenagers from Texas joined us as we got it together and started down at 0930.
With several breaks, in no rush, we reached my Jeep again in only 2:35, at 1205. The morning after was anticlimactic. And then we headed to the Aspen area...
(Next trip report: 1990_0705-08_CastlePeak.htm)