My 100th 13er/14er summit - Clinton/McNamee/Traver Peaks - July 2024

 Starting on Longs Peak in college, it's taken me about 20 years to reach 100 differently named summits of peaks over 13,000 ft.  The hiking partner that I've done the most mountains with is my good buddy Brad.  He and I went for a hazy day triple this time up by Breckenridge.  All the haziness was due to the wildfires  from Canada.  We hiked a few miles up to Wheeler lake.  From that point on, it was all off trail on tundra and talus.  The steep climb up Clinton was work, but the rest of the loop was pretty easy going. 

Mt. Democrat

Heading up Clinton

Quandary Peak from Clinton's summit

Looking down on Climax Mine from Clinton's summit

McNamee (right) and Trevor (left)

100th Summit - McNamee Peak

Traver Peak

Old junk left all over the place on these peaks from mining activity

Once we reached the summit of our third and final peak of the loop hike, I realized I forgot my camera on the McNamee peak's summit.  Doh!  Guess we have to repeat that one!  

There it is!

Not excited to hike to the top of Traver again for our 5th summit, we figured out a way to bail between the saddle between Traver and McNamee.  Then the long talus stroll back to Wheeler lake. 

Looking back

Wheeler Lake

Near the lake, there are some falls that we decided to call "Paradise Falls".  They may have an official name, but we don't care.  We will forever call them by our renamed name. 

Sunrise from Handies Peak - July, 2020

Sunrise from Colorado 14er Handies Peak - Prints available

This weekend, was kind of a cool 14er reunion for James, Brad and I.  The three of us used to hike 14ers together often when we were in our 20's.  So it was cool to catch up and relive a little of those experiences.  Jimmy and Lindsey joined us this time for a hike in the dark to catch the sunrise from the top.  We started at 2AM on the trail.  Yes... waking up is the hardest part.  In the dark, we lost the trail a couple times near Sloan Lake and had to backtrack using our GPS, but had just enough time to reach the ideal height to see the show.  The sunrise was cloudless, but the sky turned all colorful.  We were wondering if we'd be able to see the NEOWISE comet, but I think it was on the horizon behind the mountains while we were on our way up.

Mt. Sneffels in the distance

The Vermilion Group in the distance

Half Peak left of center (I think)

Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn

Surprisingly, there were a few other parties up there for the sunrise.  I suppose even the more remote 14ers are gaining popularity.  The hike down was leisurely and we got to "frolic" in the wildflowers which American Basin is known for.  The flowers weren't as lush this year as I've seen in the past, but still good. 

Sloan Lake

Jimmy decided that he's not a fan of heights on this hike, especially as we drove along the shelf road with hoards of 4-wheelers passing us along the way.  We stopped in Lake City for the best burger ever at the American Elk Grill and Inn before our long drive back home.  It was a lot of driving and hiking and not a lot of sleeping.  Man, that seemed like it was a lot easier on your body a decade ago. 

Mt. Lady Washington - July, 2019

Lady Washington is that "little" bump of a hill to the right of the famous 14er, Longs Peak.  It sees little traffic due to it's elevation being only in the low 13,000's.  Longs is a physically and mentally challenging peak to climb.  When you finish, you have a sense of accomplishment, but you just want to sleep afterward.  For about half the distance and a thousand feet of of elevation gain less, you get to enjoy your day a bit more and have one of the coolest views from the summit of any mountain in Colorado.

The hike was pretty fun and there was a bit of scrambling up large boulders toward the top.  Tim has been running marathons and pushes me on the trail sections of our hikes, but slows down closer to my pace when we start scrambling up or down.  Overall, I think it took us about 6 hours of hiking time from car to car with the true reward being the airy view of the east face of Longs Peak!

The Diamond - Prints available

The Diamond reflected in Tim's sunglasses