Mt. Cameron Trip Report 08/22/2012

Peak(s):	Mt. Cameron - 14,248 feet Mt. Lincoln - 14,293 feet Mt. Bross - 14,178 feet
Date Posted:	08/22/2012
Date Climbed:	08/20/2012
Author:	kentbuzard

Flat-landers Trip from Kite lake
Bob and I are longtime friends that plan a Colorado climbing trip every year as an incentive to get and stay in shape. Since we are both 56 and have only three to our credit, Elbert, Massive, and Longs, (Bob has also summated Rainer and Kilimanjaro) we were looking for a more target rich environment so we can complete all 53 before we turn 100! Bob is a former URI decathlete from Connecticut, and I am Colorado native that has lived in the Carolina's for the past 30 years. We have found that we need about three days to acclimatize before attempting a 14er so we hiked in the Gore range wilderness near another friends house in Silverthorne. We usually leave two days for summit days so we can adjust for weather but the schedule was tight on this trip which left Monday the 20th as the day. We chose the Kite Lake trailhead as it gave us a chance at up to four 14ers from a relatively high starting point. Sunday afternoon we drove to the trailhead on an absolute bluebird day and talked to several that had climbed all four, Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross. Kite Lake Trailhead the day before. You ascend the saddle in the center with Mt. Democrat to the left, ridge to Cameron and Monday dawned cool and gray, with a low pressure system approaching and a chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms. The perfect weather the day before had fooled us into thinking Monday would be the same and we got a later start than we should have. Arriving at the trailhead a little before 8 we decided to eliminate Democrat to give us a better chance at the other three. The trail from kite lake ascends slowly but gets steeper fairly quick. Looking back on the appropriately named Kite Lake Upon reaching the saddle, the trail to Democrat goes left (naturally!) and to Cameron to the right. Bob climbing above the saddle, Mt. Democrat in the background The trail to Cameron is well defined through talus and scree rock. Kent heading up Mt. Cameron The summit of Cameron is somewhat anti-climatic as it is broad and flat. We reached it at 10:30 after two and half hours Summit of Cameron with snow and sleet arriving Dropping into the saddle the snow picked up as the wind funneled between the peaks. Bob in the snow looking back at Cameron The Lincoln summit is capped with a cone of rocks The rocky summit of Mt. Lincoln After some simple scrambling up the last few feet we got a break from the snow and had a good view of the kite lake valley to the west and Hoosier pass to the east. Bob on Lincoln summit You descend Lincoln's summit cone the way you came but take a trail to the left that crosses another saddle southwest to Mt. Bross. Bob and I were feeling like quite the mountain men having summited two fourteeners by 11 am when this couple comes running by in their gym shorts javascript:emoticon('') They stopped long enough for us to learn the girl had finished 9th overall in the Pikes Peak marathon two days earlier. Colorado sure has some uber fit people. Trail runners in snow on the Lincoln/Bross traverse The snow picked up again on the way over to Bross which we quickly summited Bross summit in blowing snow On the descent from Bross we passed a sign that said "Bross Summit Closed". We inquired at the trailhead and someone said the actual summit is on private land and their are negotiations going on for the rights for climbers to use it. Opps. The descent from Bross is fairly steep with lots of scree made slick from rain and snow. Scree on Bross descent As we gave the trekking polls a work out trying not to fall, we were passed by a bolder hopping girl and her siberian husky. We saw her finish at least a half an hour before we reached the bottom. We had left a couple Dales on ice and celebrated the finish. The finish line is at the bottom! Back to the flatlands in the morning. Till next year, Kent Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Flat-landers Trip from Kite lake

Bob and I are longtime friends that plan a Colorado climbing trip every year as an incentive to get and stay in shape. Since we are both 56 and have only three to our credit, Elbert, Massive, and Longs, (Bob has also summated Rainer and Kilimanjaro) we were looking for a more target rich environment so we can complete all 53 before we turn 100! Bob is a former URI decathlete from Connecticut, and I am Colorado native that has lived in the Carolina's for the past 30 years. We have found that we need about three days to acclimatize before attempting a 14er so we hiked in the Gore range wilderness near another friends house in Silverthorne. We usually leave two days for summit days so we can adjust for weather but the schedule was tight on this trip which left Monday the 20th as the day. We chose the Kite Lake trailhead as it gave us a chance at up to four 14ers from a relatively high starting point. Sunday afternoon we drove to the trailhead on an absolute bluebird day and talked to several that had climbed all four, Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross.

Kite Lake Trailhead the day before. You ascend the saddle in the center with Mt. Democrat to the left, ridge to Cameron and

Monday dawned cool and gray, with a low pressure system approaching and a chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms. The perfect weather the day before had fooled us into thinking Monday would be the same and we got a later start than we should have. Arriving at the trailhead a little before 8 we decided to eliminate Democrat to give us a better chance at the other three. The trail from kite lake ascends slowly but gets steeper fairly quick.

Looking back on the appropriately named Kite Lake

Upon reaching the saddle, the trail to Democrat goes left (naturally!) and to Cameron to the right.

Bob climbing above the saddle, Mt. Democrat in the background

The trail to Cameron is well defined through talus and scree rock.

The summit of Cameron is somewhat anti-climatic as it is broad and flat. We reached it at 10:30 after two and half hours

Summit of Cameron with snow and sleet arriving

Dropping into the saddle the snow picked up as the wind funneled between the peaks.

The Lincoln summit is capped with a cone of rocks

After some simple scrambling up the last few feet we got a break from the snow and had a good view of the kite lake valley to the west and Hoosier pass to the east.

You descend Lincoln's summit cone the way you came but take a trail to the left that crosses another saddle southwest to Mt. Bross. Bob and I were feeling like quite the mountain men having summited two fourteeners by 11 am when this couple comes running by in their gym shorts javascript:emoticon('

') They stopped long enough for us to learn the girl had finished 9th overall in the Pikes Peak marathon two days earlier. Colorado sure has some uber fit people.

Trail runners in snow on the Lincoln/Bross traverse

The snow picked up again on the way over to Bross which we quickly summited

On the descent from Bross we passed a sign that said "Bross Summit Closed". We inquired at the trailhead and someone said the actual summit is on private land and their are negotiations going on for the rights for climbers to use it. Opps.
The descent from Bross is fairly steep with lots of scree made slick from rain and snow.

As we gave the trekking polls a work out trying not to fall, we were passed by a bolder hopping girl and her siberian husky. We saw her finish at least a half an hour before we reached the bottom. We had left a couple Dales on ice and celebrated the finish.

Back to the flatlands in the morning. Till next year, Kent

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

painless4u2	Always good... 8/22/2012 6:47pm to see fellow aging flatlanders staying in shape with 14ers. Too bad you skipped Democrat and went for Cameron and especially Bross. Now you're likely to be branded a trespassing criminal.
kentbuzard	Aging Flatlander 8/22/2012 7:08pm Leaving one means we have to go back! Air feels particularly oxygen rich down here in Charlotte!
SurfNTurf	Carolinas 8/23/2012 5:10pm Go Panthers!

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