SOTA outings by KØMOS and contributors

Tag: route description

  • WØC/SR-Ø54 (Tremont Mountain) 3160M / 10388 ft

    W0C/SR-054 (Tremont Mountain) 3160M / 10388 ft
    Sep 7, 2013 First Activation

    Tremont Mountain is conveniently located near Gap Road in beautiful Golden Gate Canyon State Park, west of Golden, Colorado. I climbed it from a designated parking spot about ½ mile east of Panorama Point, on the south side of Gap Road. A fee and pass are required to park in the State Park.

    For this trip you need a topo map, compass, and good navigation skills; a GPS is helpful. The hike is moderately strenuous, but it’s only about a mile each way.
    The route appears to be an off-trail bushwhack trip almost 1000 vertical feet all the way up. However, if you’re sharp, you can find old abandoned logging trails that go directly up, almost to the top. I found two of these trails.

    Go south from the parking spot and immediately intersect the hidden Mule Deer Trail. Hike west and climb slightly on this maintained trail about ¼ mile, and find an old trail or trails heading off uphill to the south. I found two of these unmarked trails. If the Mule Deer Trail is descending to the west, you have gone too far. The western of the two routes works pretty well – I descended that way. The route goes up directly, east of the craggy northern ridge of Tremont Mountain. These trails resemble gullies and may have been used decades ago to drag logs down from the mountain. There are old cut stumps near the summits.

    Climb up the old trail, and try to stay with it through occasional thickets of new growth. There are significant trees growing in this trail – but it’s a much better route than the off-trail ascent I did through fallen trees, rocks, and bushes. The old route is an obvious game trail. Stay east of the northern ridge, until you get near the summits.

    The name “Tremont” may mean “three summits”, because that’s what’s up there. The northwestern summit at 10,388 feet is the highest – but I couldn’t see through the trees, so I climbed the southeastern knob first, then the middle one, and then the northwestern summit before knowing which crag was the top. It’s easy scrambling over large rocks up the northeastern side of the northwestern summit. The actual peak is out at the northwestern end of the slightly exposed granite summit ridge. It’s a spectacular place, with views of the high Front Range peaks, Boulder and Gilpin Counties, Thorodin Mountain, Pike’s Peak, Mount Elbert, and the Eastern Plains.

    Despite being included in the Sawatch Range group of SOTA peaks, Tremont is far from the Sawatch area – it’s really in the eastern Front Range.

    Tremont is a fine SOTA peak! There are small trees along the summit ridge, and if you bring an antenna pole, you can just stick it in a tree. Even with no pole, the trees could support a wire 6-8 feet above the granite ridge-top. I used a 66 foot end-fed wire supported by a Black Widow pole at 18 feet above the rock, with the NW end tied to a tree. I got 57 contacts of 40, 20, 17, and 15M CW. The solar flux was only 101, and I still managed to get six S2S contacts on 20M, 42 contacts on 20M, DJ5AV on 17M, and 5 contacts on 15M.

    This eastern peak has nice coverage of much of the Denver Metro Area, and I made good local contacts, as well short and long skip Q’s. This is surely a great VHF/UHF peak.

    Tremont is very prominent and should be avoided if there is any threat of electrical activity! It was nice while I was there, just breezy, but it’s often very windy during the colder months. There are sheltered spots near the ridge-top with some protection from the wind. Since the ascent described here is totally on the cold north side of the mountain, a winter ascent would probably require a strenuous hike on snowshoes. A much longer and stronger south-side ascent might be practical as well.

    I would never have climbed Tremont were it not for SOTA, but it ranks high on my list of fun summits!

    George Carey Fuller
    KX0R

     

     

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • WØC/FR-Ø35 (Meridian Hill) 3495M / 11490 ft

    W0C/FR-035 (Meridian Hill) 3495M / 11490 ft
    Oct 9, 2013 by KX0R

    Meridian Hill is a fine SOTA site located in the Mount Evans Wilderness. Despite its proximity to the Denver metro area, it is rarely climbed. This mountain presents significant physical and navigational challenges; the route detailed here climbs 2500 vertical feet from the trailhead in about 5.5 miles, with about 2.5 miles off-trail. This peak requires preparation, map study, and accurate navigation, but the trip can be a rewarding adventure.

    The climb starts at the Meridian Trailhead east of Harris Park. Start by driving west of Denver on Highway 285. Drive past Conifer and Pine Junction, and turn north on paved County Road 43. Drive about 7 miles up Deer Valley, and then turn right on paved road 47. Drive up over a ridge, descend a little, and turn left on Prospectors Way, road 102. There’s a small sign for the Meridian Trailhead at this key junction. Follow dirt road 102 up Elk Creek about a mile, past private Camp Rosalie, to the small USFS trailhead; road 102 is OK for most cars.

    The Meridian Trail starts by crossing a bridge to the east side of Elk Creek, and then it ascends continuously for about 3 miles, from 9040 feet to the 10,700 foot Pass east of Mount Rosedale. This is a high-quality trail with nice views from meadows below the pass. At the Pass there is a sign at the boundary of the Mount Evans Wilderness. This is a good place to turn on your GPS unit and look carefully at your map.

    Leave the trail and head east into the forest, staying either on the ridge east of the Pass, or just north of that ridge. There are faint trails near the ridge and closer to Mud Lakes. Navigate about 1-1/2 miles through mostly open forest toward the Lakes, and eventually emerge from the forest into a huge marshy basin at about 10,700 feet. There are several shallow lakes in this sub-alpine swamp. It was here that I encountered a surprised moose! Hike around the northwest side of the marsh, and then head southeast along the northern edge of the open area. Old log cabins are hidden in the woods just north of the lakes. This is real wilderness – but the terrain is not difficult – and it’s grand!

    You can see Meridian Hill from the Mud Lakes basin, and the ascent is straightforward. Northeast of the large eastern lake, head up into the forest and climb up the forested slope over rocks and fallen trees. Head for the 11,200’ saddle west of the summit and reach a large, open boulder field. The big rounded rocks are mostly stable and are fun to climb. Head up the boulder-covered ridge to the top. The west summit is the SOTA summit – which is good, because the top of the mountain is about 2/3 of a mile long and covered with granite boulders. There is a register jar on the top, with a few names written on papers inside. Large rocks near the exposed summit provide some shelter from wind. There are a few trees nearby, so it’s not essential to carry an antenna pole. With no higher mountains to the east, Meridian Hill is an excellent radio site for HF, VHF, and UHF. It’s also a grand place, with Rosedale, Mount Rosalie, and Mount Evans to the west, and a panoramic view from Longs Peak to Pikes Peak.

    The trip out is best done by returning to the Pass where the developed trail crosses the Meridian-Rosedale ridge. Heading west from Mud Lakes, avoid descending significantly until you’re on the ridge east of the Pass; remember to head for Rosedale as you approach the Pass, and you’ll meet the trail.

    Meridian Hill is a classic SOTA destination, mostly because of its wilderness location and the interesting off-trail route. Save this trip for a dry day in late summer or fall. The off-trail part of the route is probably a snowy ordeal in winter or spring, and the Mud Lakes area is likely infested with mosquitoes in early summer. Be sure to tell someone of your intended route and return time before you start out.

    If anyone knows anything of the history of the Mud Lakes cabins, please email me…

    George Carey Fuller
    KX0R

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!