Peak(s):	Boulder Mountain - 13,530 feet Mt. Mamma - 13,672 feet
Date Posted:	07/17/2016
Modified:	07/18/2016
Date Climbed:	07/16/2016
Author:	rajz06

When Mamma's Lap Beckons
Starting Point: Baldwin Gulch 2WD Trailhead, Elevation: ~9,400' Peaks Climbed in order of ascent: Boulder Mountain (13,528'), Mt. Mamma (13,646') Route: Northeast slopes ascent of Boulder Mtn., ridge traverse to Mt. Mamma and other summit points, northeast ridge descent off Mamma RT Distance: ~9.2 miles Elevation Gain/Loss: ~5,200 feet (per Google Maps) Group: Solo "Lead, follow, or get out of the way!" Today, I was content to follow in the footsteps of others, notably Bergsteigen, to climb Mt. Mamma via Boulder Mountain and complete a rewarding ridge loop. Mt. Mamma had caught my eye on an ascent of Cronin Peak late last summer. Baldwin Gulch trailhead is base camp for the ever-popular Mt. Antero and surrounding 13ers, but Boulder and Mamma seldom get visited even by avid peak baggers. Baldwin Gulch Trailhead While road 277 zigzags up the west slopes of Mt. Antero, a side road 279 climbs the lower northeast ridge of Boulder, drops off the slope and gently meanders its way back to the ridge before petering off around 12,800'. My goal was to leave this road below 10,000' and climb the ridge directly; this would make for a much steeper ascent but would shorten the mileage considerably. Starting out on Road 277 I didn't succeed in leaving the road at the right point. There is a gully that I skipped, which intersects the road below 10,000' and climbs the lower slope; in retrospect this would've been the right choice. I soon found another opportunity to leave the road. Taking the first detour I was farther east of the ridge than I'd hoped so I angled to my right as I weaved through the trees. Considerable deadfall abounded on this slope. Through the trees we go... Even though I'd chosen to hike off trail or more appropriately, off road, I would encounter the road at least half a dozen times on this ascent; and every time, I'd stay on it momentarily until the opportunity presented itself to go bushwhacking again. Taking the next detour Off the beaten road? Treeline on these slopes doesn't come until 12,000' so needless to say, the bushwhacking exercise continued for a bit. Another detour More bushwhacking As the trees got sparser, views behind me opened up. Majestic Princeton The terrain now transitioned into talus and almost immediately, the winds made their presence felt. Talus slope at treeline The wind was expected but along with it came something else that wasn't: the strong smell of smoke. The Hayden fire! Painful as it was to learn about the fire in one of my favorite haunts last spring, I now had to ingest that smoke with every labored breath. Apparently, it was just me as this denizen of the high slopes didn't seem to be bothered! Hey, Mr. Grouse! At this point, I got my first glimpse of the summit of Boulder Mountain. Boulder rears its head As I looked around I realized that this was a special station. The skies were clear and there were views to be had in almost all directions. I could enjoy this station all day But I had not one but two peaks on the agenda, with thirteen hundred vertical feet from my present spot just to get to the first. Slog up the ridge I aimed for the false summit following a faint trail in the rocks. Trail through the rocks And where a trail just won't do, there is the road! Ah, the road again! I was trying to avoid engulfing copious quantities of the smoke-filled air by making my breathing shallower; not a good idea at 13,000' and this slowed my progress for a bit while I struggled over the steep, loose talus. Looking down the ridge Approaching the high point just below 13,300', I skirted below the ridge, angling directly toward the summit. Aiming for the summit My pace had slowed but the final pitch was thankfully gentler than the ridge below; two hours and fifty minutes after leaving the trailhead, I was on a brutally wind-scoured summit. Wind or not, it was time to enjoy the views! Cronin and the southernmost Sawatch 14ers Surrounded by mountains - this ain't half bad! I was alone on Boulder's summit but a zoomed view of Antero revealed a healthy dose of humanity on its lofty peak. "Them" 14ers get all the attention, don't they? That was alright by me - for I was set to enjoy Mamma's embrace all by myself! Ants on Antero? No,those are people! I estimated the winds at a sustained 30+ mph, making this perch an uncomfortable place despite the warm weather. I eyed the ridge route to Mamma's summit and decided to go for it. Ridge route to Mt. Mamma The point of no return would be the saddle; beyond that, I would essentially be committed to the traverse. Descending to the saddle The saddle between the two peaks is deceptively long and the ridge features bumps that I would normally have climbed directly. The brutal wind, however, blowing west to east, made the crest an unpleasant place and I chose to take shelter by staying to climber's left and allowing the ridge to shield me to whatever extent it did. Largest tower en route Baldwin Lake looked tantalizingly inviting and I almost toyed with the idea of bailing from the winds to the comfort of this alpine retreat. Beautiful Baldwin Lake Approaching the saddle, I took one last look at Boulder Mtn. To go for the loop or not - it was decision time! Looking back at Boulder Mtn. I don't know of any direct routes to Mt. Mamma's summit and this is as close I've ever been. No one said that the mountains were a comfortable place. Come hell or gale force winds, I was looping this loop! The final pitch from the grassy saddle to Mt. Mamma's summit is a direct 500 foot climb in under half a mile of terrain that transitions from tundra to talus - easier than any part of the ridge traverse so far. Nearing the final pitch to Mt. Mamma Not only was the talus more stable on this section, the winds had now simmered down to more bearable pace. The gods must be rewarding the brave today. Or the foolish... Some ninety minutes after leaving Boulder Mtn., I was on Mamma's lap, I mean... summit, enjoying views from a slightly different perspective. Pomeroy Lakes Grizzly Lake Peaks Ahoy! I was only a little past the halfway point on the loop, and I didn't know what difficulties the descent off Mamma's lower northeast ridge had in store, so I decided to press on. Mamma's north ridge is narrower and actually has some airy bits that I enjoyed by staying on the crest, especially since the wind was no longer threatening to dislodge me off the ridge. Airy ridge fun Looking back toward Boulder Then it mellows out reaching another crest that is incorrectly marked on google maps as the summit. Just off Mamma's 2nd summit In fact, the north ridge is over a mile long and there is actually a third summit at the northern end which I knew I'd have to climb before starting my descent. Third summit Which brings me to the descent. This was the part of the loop that I had not researched adequately and it proved to be a sore point today. The first part of the ridge descent to treeline features a 1,300 foot drop over half a mile! Don't drop anything here! In all, over 4,100 vertical feet will be lost from Mamma's third summit to Chalk Creek down the northeast ridge in a scant 2.8 miles. Mamma's north ridge and the descent When I got below treeline, I strayed too far west (climber's left) and hit cliffs a couple of times, requiring sidehilling around steep slopes on uncertain terrain. Cliffed Out! Sidehilling across a boulder field It was a bit like solving a puzzle and I eventually found the path of least resistance down the steep ridge and through the trees to make it down in one piece. A twin peaks venture to Mamma's lap with a treasure hunt feel on the finish - any wonder then why we do this! I could sit here all day My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload): Login required to view this map... Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

When Mamma's Lap Beckons

Starting Point: Baldwin Gulch 2WD Trailhead, Elevation: ~9,400'
Peaks Climbed in order of ascent: Boulder Mountain (13,528'), Mt. Mamma (13,646')
Route: Northeast slopes ascent of Boulder Mtn., ridge traverse to Mt. Mamma and other summit points, northeast ridge descent off Mamma
RT Distance: ~9.2 miles
Elevation Gain/Loss: ~5,200 feet (per Google Maps)
Group: Solo

"Lead, follow, or get out of the way!" Today, I was content to follow in the footsteps of others, notably Bergsteigen, to climb Mt. Mamma via Boulder Mountain and complete a rewarding ridge loop. Mt. Mamma had caught my eye on an ascent of Cronin Peak late last summer.

Baldwin Gulch trailhead is base camp for the ever-popular Mt. Antero and surrounding 13ers, but Boulder and Mamma seldom get visited even by avid peak baggers.

While road 277 zigzags up the west slopes of Mt. Antero, a side road 279 climbs the lower northeast ridge of Boulder, drops off the slope and gently meanders its way back to the ridge before petering off around 12,800'.

My goal was to leave this road below 10,000' and climb the ridge directly; this would make for a much steeper ascent but would shorten the mileage considerably.

I didn't succeed in leaving the road at the right point. There is a gully that I skipped, which intersects the road below 10,000' and climbs the lower slope; in retrospect this would've been the right choice. I soon found another opportunity to leave the road.

I was farther east of the ridge than I'd hoped so I angled to my right as I weaved through the trees. Considerable deadfall abounded on this slope.

Even though I'd chosen to hike off trail or more appropriately, off road, I would encounter the road at least half a dozen times on this ascent; and every time, I'd stay on it momentarily until the opportunity presented itself to go bushwhacking again.

Treeline on these slopes doesn't come until 12,000' so needless to say, the bushwhacking exercise continued for a bit.

As the trees got sparser, views behind me opened up.

The terrain now transitioned into talus and almost immediately, the winds made their presence felt.

The wind was expected but along with it came something else that wasn't: the strong smell of smoke. The Hayden fire! Painful as it was to learn about the fire in one of my favorite haunts last spring, I now had to ingest that smoke with every labored breath. Apparently, it was just me as this denizen of the high slopes didn't seem to be bothered!

At this point, I got my first glimpse of the summit of Boulder Mountain.

As I looked around I realized that this was a special station. The skies were clear and there were views to be had in almost all directions.

But I had not one but two peaks on the agenda, with thirteen hundred vertical feet from my present spot just to get to the first.

I aimed for the false summit following a faint trail in the rocks.

And where a trail just won't do, there is the road!

I was trying to avoid engulfing copious quantities of the smoke-filled air by making my breathing shallower; not a good idea at 13,000' and this slowed my progress for a bit while I struggled over the steep, loose talus.

Approaching the high point just below 13,300', I skirted below the ridge, angling directly toward the summit.

My pace had slowed but the final pitch was thankfully gentler than the ridge below; two hours and fifty minutes after leaving the trailhead, I was on a brutally wind-scoured summit. Wind or not, it was time to enjoy the views!

Cronin and the southernmost Sawatch 14ers

Surrounded by mountains - this ain't half bad!

I was alone on Boulder's summit but a zoomed view of Antero revealed a healthy dose of humanity on its lofty peak. "Them" 14ers get all the attention, don't they? That was alright by me - for I was set to enjoy Mamma's embrace all by myself!

I estimated the winds at a sustained 30+ mph, making this perch an uncomfortable place despite the warm weather. I eyed the ridge route to Mamma's summit and decided to go for it.

The point of no return would be the saddle; beyond that, I would essentially be committed to the traverse.

The saddle between the two peaks is deceptively long and the ridge features bumps that I would normally have climbed directly. The brutal wind, however, blowing west to east, made the crest an unpleasant place and I chose to take shelter by staying to climber's left and allowing the ridge to shield me to whatever extent it did.

Baldwin Lake looked tantalizingly inviting and I almost toyed with the idea of bailing from the winds to the comfort of this alpine retreat.

Approaching the saddle, I took one last look at Boulder Mtn. To go for the loop or not - it was decision time!

I don't know of any direct routes to Mt. Mamma's summit and this is as close I've ever been. No one said that the mountains were a comfortable place. Come hell or gale force winds, I was looping this loop!

The final pitch from the grassy saddle to Mt. Mamma's summit is a direct 500 foot climb in under half a mile of terrain that transitions from tundra to talus - easier than any part of the ridge traverse so far.

Not only was the talus more stable on this section, the winds had now simmered down to more bearable pace. The gods must be rewarding the brave today. Or the foolish...

Some ninety minutes after leaving Boulder Mtn., I was on Mamma's lap, I mean... summit, enjoying views from a slightly different perspective.

I was only a little past the halfway point on the loop, and I didn't know what difficulties the descent off Mamma's lower northeast ridge had in store, so I decided to press on. Mamma's north ridge is narrower and actually has some airy bits that I enjoyed by staying on the crest, especially since the wind was no longer threatening to dislodge me off the ridge.

Then it mellows out reaching another crest that is incorrectly marked on google maps as the summit.

In fact, the north ridge is over a mile long and there is actually a third summit at the northern end which I knew I'd have to climb before starting my descent.

Which brings me to the descent. This was the part of the loop that I had not researched adequately and it proved to be a sore point today. The first part of the ridge descent to treeline features a 1,300 foot drop over half a mile!

In all, over 4,100 vertical feet will be lost from Mamma's third summit to Chalk Creek down the northeast ridge in a scant 2.8 miles.

When I got below treeline, I strayed too far west (climber's left) and hit cliffs a couple of times, requiring sidehilling around steep slopes on uncertain terrain.

It was a bit like solving a puzzle and I eventually found the path of least resistance down the steep ridge and through the trees to make it down in one piece.

A twin peaks venture to Mamma's lap with a treasure hunt feel on the finish - any wonder then why we do this!

My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

mattpayne11

Awesome man
7/18/2016 11:47am

I did something similar in 2010 in the fall where I basically bushwhacked up from upper Baldwin Gulch and knocked off like 6 in one day - Mamma, etc. That area is really awesome and the ridges make for a nice stroll at elevation!

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