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MISSOURI MOUNTAIN (14,067') IOWA PEAK (13,831') EMERALD PEAK (13,904') MOUNT OXFORD (14,153') MOUNT BELFORD (14,197')
Rank: 36th highest, unranked, 71st highest, 26th highest, 18th highest
Date: 09/21/02
Difficulty: Class 1 and Class 2 trails
Time: 11 hours
Description: A super-long day on good trails with a huge amount of elevation gain
My friends Ben and Rachel along with his dog Hercules headed up to the Missouri Gulch trailhead on Friday evening to hike some peaks. We stopped at Wild Bills's in Leadville for some burgers and fries and made it to the trailhead by 8:30. Our original plan was to sleep at the trailhead and then backpack in and set up camp in the gulch the next day along with climbing Missouri Mountain. We started to roll out our sleeping bags and pack our bags for tomorrow. During this Ben suggested we could pack in tonight due in part to the brightness of the full moon. I vetoed the idea, but after 10 minutes in my sleeping bag staring at the moon I changed my mind and Rachel and Ben kindly agreed to head up the valley.
We set off, our headlamps off, and began our way up the switchbacks that quickly ascend from the valley. The moon cast amazing shadows and fallen yellow aspen leaves dotted our path, reflecting the moons glow. We made good time, led all the while by Hercules, who's white coat gleamed especially bright. We crossed the creek and continued up the hill to the edge of treeline where the remains of a miners cabin sat. We set down our packs and pulled out our sleeping pads and bags. The night was warm, but windy. The night passed quickly although the constant chilling wind kept us from getting much rest. Hercules barked at a few groups who passed our camp before sunrise and we awoke around 7:00.
As we prepared to go, several other groups passed by. We stowed our frame packs in the cabin and readied our daypacks. The skies were clear and blue as we set out on the trail up the gulch. Most of those ahead of us broke off to Belford, but we continued towards Elkhead Pass until reaching the fork in the trail. The right fork went to Missouri and we took this one. This trail has been well-made (probably by the CFI) and is a well designed trail. It swithchbacks its way up the hill and through some glacial moraines and finally cuts its way up to a saddle. The trail is steep and narrow in sections, but is an altogether fun hike. Ben wasn't feeling too motivated, but really turned it on when we got view of the summit. The ridge to the summit involves going around some rock towers, but isn't very difficult.
We shared the summit with a couple of guys who had been 10 minutes ahead the whole hike up, and were joined by a very fun couple soon after reaching the top. On the way up we had discussed our plans after hiking Missouri. My goal was to climb Iowa and Emerald and return to camp. Ben and Rachel were more intent on getting the other 14ers. Our original plan was to climb Missouri, Iowa and Emerald on Saturday and then do Belford and Oxford on Sunday. We felt good though and the thought of getting all 5 had crawled its way into our minds. We decided we'd head to Iowa Peak. The ridge that runs south off Missouri was quickly descended and the ascent to Iowa Peak felt really easy.
I had pushed ahead of Ben and Rachel on the ascent of Iowa and when they caught up, the decision was made to split up. They headed down and then back up to Elkhead Pass to climb Belford and Oxford, while I set out towards Emerald. I knew that if I was to do Emerald AND Belford AND Oxford that it would take about all I had to give and that I would need to pace myself. I set out confidently and made the easy descent to the Emerald/Iowa saddle. The ascent up the north slopes of Emerald was steep and the recent snow caused the rocks to be extremely slippery. I took quite a few breaks on the way up and was greeted by a warm sun on top. I looked off towards far away Oxford. I was only half way done with the day and it was already 12:00!
I ate and drank a little and descended my ascent route back to the saddle. Here's where I made a mistake. Instead of dropping down to the lakes below, I decided it was better to go back over Iowa and then trend around Missouri back to Elkhead Pass at 13,200'. If the re-ascent of Iowa proved to be depressing, the loose slopes I traversed on the east side of Missouri were downright demoralizing. The entire trip back to the pass was a knee-twisting, ankle-wrenching mess and by the time I reached the Pass I had decided to call it a day.
That was until I saw Ben and Hercules high up the slopes on Belford. Knowing I would get to see them soon charged me back up and I headed up the start of the final 2,500' elevation gain. I made surprisingly good time up the trail from Elkhead Pass towards Belford, for it is a very good trail and spreads out the elevation gain nicely. I made the ridgetop and looked around and didn't see signs of Ben or Rachel anywhere, and Oxford still looked a long ways away. Still, I was sure I'd meet Ben and Rachel somewhere along this ridge.
I set my pack down and headed east towards Mount Oxford. The trail down was occassionaly icy and treachourous, but I made it to the saddle in good time thanks to the lightened load. The wind had picked up and was my constant companion. I passed the last people of the day at the saddle and they had not seen a white dog (Hercules). I was alone and quite tired. I had come this far though, so I began my monotonous way up Oxford. Oxford is now on my list of least favorite mountains. The trail up has numerous false summits and the view from the top is less than remarkable. Blah.
The trip back to Belford was LONG! I took numerous breaks on the steep hike up. I was just spent. I got to the top of Belford and enjoyed the solitude on a popular peak. The summit of Belford is distinctive and affords good views, but the sun was falling quickly and so I begun my descent. The CFI has done a good deal of work on these trails on the NW slopes of Belford, but the switchbacks are SO annoying. I suggest the trail from Elkhead Pass to everyone. It's longer, but so much more enjoyable. The switchbacks are endless, but I was a good boy and stayed on the trail (though the evidence suggests many do not). The descent became a simple task of staying awake and avoiding ankle twisting rocks. I made it to the valley bottom almost simultaneously with Missouri Mountain's giant shadow. More a zombie than anything I returned to camp expecting Rachel and Ben to be cooking dinner next to an erected tent. Instead they asked if I preferred to instead pack out right there and then. What the heck, another 1.5 miles ain't going to hurt. I had made it back to camp around 6:15 or so. They had made Belford, but had opted not to summit Oxford. I shouldered the framepack and we trudged downhill. The trip back to Ben's truck was excruciating for me. I had tweaked my back on the slopes of Emerald and the heavy pack only exacerbated the effects. Rachel had blisters on the back of her heels, but moved like she didn't. Soon enough though we were back to the truck. We finished off the trip with dinner at the Leaville Subway and drove home in the dark.
I had pushed myself to my personal limits and had met the challenge. I was extremely happy with my efforts and had thouroughly enjoyed the trip from the moonlit backpack in to the solitary beauty of Belford's summit. A great way to usher in autumn! |
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