Decent Scrambles near Denver?

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SSC_43
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Decent Scrambles near Denver?

Post by SSC_43 »

Hello all. I'll try to keep this as brief as possible.

I'll be out in CO with my gf the 24th-31st. We have a few hikes locked in and set in stone. We had gotten a wild hair up our butts and were planning on giving Kelso Ridge a shot. (With plenty of research and advice from others, of course.) Well, as it is, I'm now on the upswing from a bout with Mono. I had it the last three weeks, and am just NOW starting to get back into cardio and stuff to keep getting involved.

What I'm wondering is, in case that entire ridge scramble isn't sounding feasible (as in fatigue issues with lower hikes days prior,) are there any other good, solid easier scrambles nearer to Denver?

If possible,

- Anything around the Eisenhower tunnel or closer, but depending on what it is we're not entirely tapping out.

- We've already got Bear Peak covered and would prefer to head west.

- A little bit of air wouldn't be bad, and I can't assume it'd be as exposed as Kelso Ridge. Keep in mind we're no climbing savants don't we don't need anything too brutal.

- Something that could be wrapped up in 6-8 hours (tops.) Don't worry about athleticism and being in shape, we are very much so.

- Height isn't of a drastic concern, though as this is still going to serve as an acclimation hike for Unconpahgre anything pushing 13er area would be preferred.

- If we're over in that area it also wouldn't hurt to have a view of Grey's/Torrey's.

Not sure if all of those requests will fit a peak, but I appreciate any kind of input all the same. Thanks!
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Jay521
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Re: Decent Scrambles near Denver?

Post by Jay521 »

You might consider the Sawtooth. Did it on Saturday and had a fun time. Not too difficult and close to Denver.

Edit: I'd be happy to PM you some pics but there are a lot of good TR's on the route on this site.
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polar
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Re: Decent Scrambles near Denver?

Post by polar »

  • Pettingell East Ridge and/or the Citadel
  • Bierstadt to the Sawtooth traverse to Evans, or better yet, the Tour d'Abyss (Bierstadt East Ridge to Sawtooth to Mt. Evans)
If you aren't feeling your best, the "easiest" way to a class 3 hike may be parking at Mt. Evans summit, do the Sawtooth traverse (in reverse), and see if you have enough gas to hit Bierstadt from the Sawtooth saddle. Return to Mt. Evans via Sawtooth. That would give you minimum mileage and elevation change while giving you maximized class 3 terrain, especially if you play around on the ridge of Mt. Evans to Sawtooth instead of dropping lower to the hiking trail. That basically let you drive to the start of a class 3 scramble, I’m not aware of anywhere else in the front range that allows you to do that.

But if you're feeling strong, I recommend the Tour d'Abyss, basically linking Sawtooth with Bierstadt East Ridge. The initial drop into and climb out off Abyss Lake basin will be rough especially if you're not acclimatized (even if you’re fit), possibly the hardest part of the tour physically.
Last edited by polar on Tue Aug 12, 2014 1:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Jay521
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Re: Decent Scrambles near Denver?

Post by Jay521 »

polar wrote:Pettingell East Ridge and/or the Citadel
+1 on both of these. And you can add Hagar to Citadel. Lots of good TR's on all these.
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Jim Davies
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Re: Decent Scrambles near Denver?

Post by Jim Davies »

East ridge of Father Dyer Peak. Nice solid scramble with about a 2.5 mile approach (shorter with high-clearance 4WD). Can continue on to Crystal and Peak 10 (class 2) and make a big loop, or go straight back down after any of the peaks. It has taken me about 8 hours in the past, so you should be able to do it in 6. :) http://www.13ers.com/routemain.php?rout ... 8101500053" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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SSC_43
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Re: Decent Scrambles near Denver?

Post by SSC_43 »

Excellent, I'm appreciating the responses everybody! Sawtooth has definkty crossed my mind, and I'm keeping that in the backpocket. I'll be studying all of those routes with more focus over the next few weeks.

Re: those about the Citadel and it's neighboring peaks - those look like a lot of fu and maybe just what we need. I'm looking at quite a few trip reports that have some of the peaks combined, but I'm seeing some class 4 scattered in there. I'm definitely not sure if I'm comfortable with that. Would there be a good way to do the Citadel and at least one other and keep it to a class 3?

And thanks Jim, I'll look at that and your TR right now!
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Re: Decent Scrambles near Denver?

Post by Jay521 »

SSC_43 wrote:Would there be a good way to do the Citadel and at least one other and keep it to a class 3?!
You can do Citadel and Hagar and it doesn't go above class 3 - actually, they are both on the easy side of Class 3 IMO.
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polar
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Re: Decent Scrambles near Denver?

Post by polar »

SSC_43 wrote:Sawtooth has definkty crossed my mind, and I'm keeping that in the backpocket.
If you ever decide to do the Sawtooth, do the Tour d’Abyss instead. Personally I’ve never fought the willow monster at the base of Bierstadt, but I’m willing to bet that most people who did the Sawtooth and came down the willows probably wished that they had picked the tour instead. Bierstadt East Ridge is really a fun scramble, and you never have to deal with the willows (and the crowds) of the standard route.
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Re: Decent Scrambles near Denver?

Post by awake »

SSC_43 wrote: Re: those about the Citadel and it's neighboring peaks - those look like a lot of fu and maybe just what we need. I'm looking at quite a few trip reports that have some of the peaks combined, but I'm seeing some class 4 scattered in there. I'm definitely not sure if I'm comfortable with that. Would there be a good way to do the Citadel and at least one other and keep it to a class 3?
When climbing the Citadel, if you are coming from the southeast ridge (the standard way from Herman Gulch), head to the left when you get to the scrambling section rather than trying to climb straight on. You'll find several of the chimneys that you can climb up that are class 3.
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Re: Decent Scrambles near Denver?

Post by SSC_43 »

Terrific, this is all A+ info. Thanks everybody!
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Re: Decent Scrambles near Denver?

Post by k-berger »

Mt Helen to Father Dyer, down the east ridge of dyer makes a great scramble loop right outside of breck.
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