Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
Sherman - An enjoyable day on a slightly different route
Hiking Parnters - Eatinhardtack (Zach) and Greenhouseguy (Brian)
Distance - 8.2miles RT
Trail - Fourmile Creek Snow Route
This is not the first Sherman summit for any of us. Each has at least one other summit. However, the other summits were much different for many reasons. One change for this trip was the route. We chose the winter snow route for a different view and challenge.
Our Route
We met at the TH ~ 7:00 am. There were several other cars in the parking area so we figured there would be plenty of company. After gearing up, we headed up the road. As with other TR's, we had a beautiful view of the Horseshoe. After passing the Levick mine, we slowly made a northernly turn giving us our first views of Sherman. Some have called this an unspectacular mountain, but it showed its white beauty against the pristine blue sky.
The Horseshoe
Levick Mine
First Views of Sherman
Visual of our Route - Green is the Standard, red was ours
Sherman - A little closer
About 0.5 miles from the gate, we stopped briefly to take pictures of a little friend.
Our Little Friend
Then we continued up the road stopping just before the gate where we would break from the standard trail and ascend towards Sherman's east ridge. We ate and put on our snowshoes. This route took us up some relatively steep snowfields. At one point, we got temporarily separated as Zach took one approach while Brian and I took another. Zach's route was a bit more direct, but ascended fairly quickly. Brian and I followed a gentler slope that took us a little out of our way. We met back up at 13,100ft.
Hilltop Mine
Eatinhardtack with Sherman
Looking back down Fourmile Creek Valley with Greenhouseguy
dcbates80911 moving on up
Sheridan with snowcovered standard route
Hilltop Mine from 13,100
Sherman is getting closer
The last 900+ feet kept the group together. We ascended to the saddle between Sherman and White Ridge and as the climb began to slowly level we made a left turn toward Sherman's Summit reaching it at 10:55am. The wind along this stretch intensified to about (20-25MPH).
Upon reaching the summit, we put on extra layers and took several pictures. The clear sky gave us some beautiful views of the Front Range, Sawatch, and part of the Sangres. After 15 minutes, we descended to get out of the wind. Zach donned his waterproof pants and we pulled out the ice axes for our glissading adventure.
Summit - Elbert and Massive
Holy Cross in the distance
Leadville
The Lincoln Group
Zach‘s Summit Shot
Summit shot of Greenhouseguy and dcbates80911
Upon reaching the saddle (between Sherman and White Ridge) we took a seat for the quick descent. The glissading was good until we reached just under 13,000ft. Afterwards, the snow became too soft and we sank to a stop. Instead, we walked back the rest of the way.
Overall, it was a great day out with some good partners and awesome conditions. We saw a total of six other people on the mountain or nearby trails, but only encountered two close enough to say "hi". The summit was ours for a brief moment and all of us agreed we liked this route much better.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
I think that a lot of people would enjoy this route - it seemed like an entirely different mountain, which is not a bad thing. I suspect that the route will turn into a scree hell when the snow melts, though. It was great hiking with you guys.
Thanks guy for the info! I‘m excited about getting out there again. And all the ski reports this winter have made me want to start ski decents. I‘m going iowa gultch next week, how did that side look?
Greenhouseguy - I agree, I think many people other than day hikers would like this route, but the scree in the summer will not be fun.
SmoothCruX - Since we didn‘t go up the saddle between Sheridan and Sherman, we really didn‘t get a look down towards Iowa Gulch. I know there was quite a bit of snow around the area, but wouldn‘t want to guess and give you bad information.
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.
