{"id":4388,"date":"2015-01-23T21:41:42","date_gmt":"2015-01-24T04:41:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/?p=4388"},"modified":"2015-02-16T16:23:16","modified_gmt":"2015-02-16T23:23:16","slug":"w0cfr032-buffalo-peak-freeman-peak-3525-11589-ft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/sota-trip-report\/w0cfr032-buffalo-peak-freeman-peak-3525-11589-ft\/","title":{"rendered":"W\u00d8C\/FR-\u00d832 (Buffalo Peak \/ Freeman Peak) – 3525 m \/ 11589 ft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buffalo Peak (Freeman Peak)
\nW0C\/FR-032
\n3525 m \/ 11589 ft
\nFirst Activation
\nOct 5, 2014<\/p>\n

by KX0R<\/p>\n

Buffalo Peak<\/a>, also called Freeman Peak<\/a>, is a broad, prominent summit in the Pike National Forest<\/a>, a couple of miles south of Wellington Lake<\/a>. It\u2019s about three miles inside the Lost Peak Wilderness<\/a>, and at 11,589 feet, it\u2019s the highest point in Jefferson County.<\/a> Some time ago I found that it had not yet been \u201cactivated\u201d in the SOTA (Summits on the Air) program. Since I started climbing and activating SOTA peaks in 2013, I\u2019ve particularly enjoyed doing \u201cfirst activations\u201d of local summits. Since the SOTA program has been going for several years, most of the easy, accessible summits have been activated many times, but there are still many peaks in our state that have never been put on the air within the SOTA program.<\/p>\n

\"Buffalo<\/a>

Buffalo Peak from Green Mountain<\/p><\/div>\n

I decided it was time to get up there before the route was buried under snow for the winter. I had seen Buffalo first-hand when I first-activated nearby 10,421\u2019 Green Mountain<\/a>\u00a0W0C\/FR-044. I studied the topo map, which shows no trail up Buffalo; but a reasonable-looking ridge runs 3000 vertical feet in 3 miles up to the summit from Stoney Pass<\/a> at about 8,500 feet. I knew my VW bug could do the road, although it is a \u201cfirst gear grade\u201d part of the way. Sometimes climbing a high forested ridge is not too bad \u2013 there are game trails, and the slopes are reasonable to climb in good weather. Right before I went down there, I read an online trip report<\/a> by two tough young ladies who climbed Buffalo in the snow in late October 2013. They pulled it off with no map or GPS \u2013 why? \u2013 but they posted wonderful photos and clearly “aced it” \u2013 I decided to do it. The ladies warned that it was a steep \u201cbushwhack\u201d route most of the way. I posted my \u201cAlert\u201d on the SOTA page, set the alarm for early, got my stuff ready, slept, and drove to Stoney Pass.<\/p>\n

Even though it was a perfect Indian Summer\u00a0day, there was no one at the pass. I locked my GPS on, headed west, up through the easy woods, and glanced at my map as I started up the huge, steep ridge. Gradually the grade increased, and I tried to stay on the faint game trails, dodging numerous downed trees. In less than an hour my GPS said I\u2019d gained 1000 feet.<\/p>\n

\"Buffalo<\/a>

Buffalo Peak East Slopes Route<\/p><\/div>\n

I noticed than there were more and more aspen trees, and fewer lodgepole pines\u2026for the next mile I climbed through endless thickets of dead and live aspens, often with so many fallen trees and dead standing trees that passage was possible only in zig-zag fashion.<\/p>\n\n\t\t