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Peak(s):  Mt. Belford  -  14,202 feet
Date Posted:  08/04/2014
Date Climbed:   07/28/2014
Author:  thebugguy
 Belford Denied: difficult kid camping, no summit   

This is not a description of a successful climb of Belford, nor do I have a lot of detailed data regarding the trip. However, even in "failure" it was a worthwhile experiment and a learning experience, so I thought I would share it here.

Briefly, my kids (7 and 9) and I are from NE Kansas and we enjoy spending time outside together. Last year I brought them to Colorado and we had excellent weather and a blast doing their first 14ers together. We set out again this year to bag a few more peaks, but with slightly different results...

After acclimating for a couple of days near Florissant, we arrived at the Missouri Gulch trail head around 1 PM on Sunday, July 27th. It had been plenty wet over the last few days and, despite the hot sunshine pouring down on us as we packed our bags, the clouds were clearly moving in again. Our plan was to do our first non-"car camping" trip by packing in enough equipment and food for three days in the Gulch: today we'd hike in and set up camp near the old cabin, Monday we'd try Belford (and maybe Oxford), Tuesday we'd rest, Wednesday we'd try Missouri and then drag ourselves and packs back down the gulch to a shower and a restaurant meal.

This plan looked good on paper, but in retrospect would have pushed my kids' (and my) abilities to the limits even under the best of circumstances. I was able to hike in the equipment and food necessary for the three of us, but just barely. I'm 44 and in moderate shape, but I estimated my pack at at least 50 pounds- heavy enough for me to have very seriously courted injury and a much fore-shortened hike in doing so. Also, in retrospect, Belford's long, steep ascent was a formidable task for my kids under the best of circumstances. As it turned out, the weather squelched any thought of completing the hike as planned.

Image
Eager kids, despite distant thunder


We started about 2:30 PM, aiming to snag a campsite near the cabin. I'm not exactly sure how far in it is- somewhere around 1.5 miles by trail. We managed to reach it within about two hours, though as would be the theme for this expedition, it lightly but steadily rained on us for the better part of the hike (and well into that night).

Image
Attractive site just below cabin


Undaunted, we were up by 5:00 AM and hiking by 6:00, again under overcast skies.

Image
Belford under lowering skies


We knew there was a long, steep stretch, but didn't yet know how challenging it would be for us. For now we kept our heads down, wishing the clouds would part and occasionally stopping to view our progress. It was a remarkable hike despite the cold gloom.

Image
A little sunshine... over there


Image
Higher up, looking down Missouri Gulch


I suspect we got to between 13,600' and 13,800', towards the end of the long, steep switchbacks and within a third to a half-mile of the summit, when the cold wind and spitting clouds proved too much for my 7 year old to handle. Physically I'm sure we could have pushed through (and certainly others made it to the peak under those conditions that day), but to do so would've been cruel to my kids and ultimately self-defeating to me. We had a good, long talk about the conditions and, despite the disappointment, decided to turn back. Given how effortless our climbs seemed last year, this "failure" proved to be an excellent learning experience for me and the kids: what my limits were in terms of packing in equipment for three, and what my kids' physical and mental limits were when faced with stressful, adverse conditions on a mountain a long, long walk from civilization.

We stopped for a while down at the bottom of the steep switchbacks, between 11,800' and 12,000', to enjoy what proved to be a very rare hour or two of sunshine before heading back to camp to consider our next move. We climbed back in to the damp tent, napped, and talked about what to do next. Given the forecast of more of the same, rain, and the fact that Missouri would be every bit as difficult for the kids as Belford, we came to the conclusion that the best use of our vacation time and energy would be to break camp, head down, and try our luck elsewhere and else when.

Image
Damp, but not defeated


So, with my damp, cold, but obviously not dispirited kids watching, I took down the tent as I had put it up: in the rain. We started back down the gulch around 2:15 arriving back at the car, soaked but relieved, by 4:30.

Again, even with perfect weather this was an over-reach on my part- I see that clearly now- and with the weather the way it was it was doomed from the start. Still, all of us learned something over the course of those 24 hours and none of us ever complained or cursed our luck. Not once.

cheers,
thebugguy

PS: After a very soggy rest of the week, my kids and I, along with several of my best friends (and one of their kids) made a textbook climb of Huron Peak the following Saturday. Our trip may not have gone exactly the way we planned, but we very happily added one more peak to our list before turning east for the long drive back across Kansas.



Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
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Comments or Questions
CORed
The good news
8/4/2014 9:12pm
As your kids get older, they will be able to take more of the load. I think I was about 9 or 10 when I started backpacking with the family.

Another thing: As the years go by, I find that some of my most memorable trips have been those with less than perfect weather. It may well be that I've just forgotten what a pain it was dealing with the rain.


jeffth5
User
Thanks for Posting
8/4/2014 10:04pm
It seems that not many people have the courage to post about ”failure” - thank you for posting your report! What an awesome opportunity to discuss safety and the factors that go into deciding whether to continue or turn back with your kids. Congrats on your success!


Trotter
User
weather was poor all last week
8/5/2014 12:00am
its too bad


doggler
User
Kids
8/5/2014 9:29am
My son decided to turn around a couple hundred feet short of Elbert's summit a few years back. He's been up a good half dozen peaks since, and has begun to 'get the bug'. Hopefully yours will be excited for another chance to come out here as well!


polar
User
Not a failure
8/5/2014 5:40pm
Any time you spent with your kids hiking and camping is a great time. You're right in not pushing them too hard, let them hike (or retreat) at their own pace. This way you will slowly nurture their love for the outdoors, instead of turning them away.


thebugguy
User
Thanks for the comments, folks
8/5/2014 10:10pm
Yes, it wasn't the most exciting or glamorous or daring outing, but it did provide multiple ”teachable moments” for the kids *and* for myself.

Once we got back to the car I noticed that there was only about 2” of air in the front right tire. My son cheerfully mentioned that ”oh yeah, the tire was like that when we left on the hike!” Sheesh. Had I known at the time I doubt we would've even gotten as far as we did!

As it turns out, the tire held air long enough to get to Buena Vista (after a white-knuckled drive in the pouring rain) and only cost $20 to get fixed the first thing in the morning.

After that, the trip went better (though the rain kept coming down). We goofed off in Breck for a few days and did a fantastic, mostly horizontal hike up past Montgomery Res. just north of Alma. Very nice.

And, most importantly, the kids were not soured or discouraged at all- they were gung-ho to have another chance at a 14er this summer, which came in the form of a beyootiful hike up Huron on Saturday. I tell ya, we were happy campers after that!


mtbmike
User
So nice I read it twice
8/15/2014 4:48am
Really enjoyed this report, I read it before we went to Belford this week for the first time and read it again just now and it's even better. Really appreciate the attitude and willingness to share.



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