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Base Camp
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- Statistics:
- Date Hiked: January 29, 2005
- Miles Hiked: 5.4
- Elevation Gain: 3,430'
- Hiking Partner(s): Brian Kooienga
- Description:
- After missing the mild weather from the previous weekend and then
reading multiple trip reports of what a great time everyone had in the
mountains, I was determined to get out again. I contacted several
friends and initially found significant interest. When the rubber
met the road, it was down to Brian and myself. We considered an
easy hike in the Front Range to Square Top Mountain, but shifted our
attention to a more difficult Colorado Centennial Peak at the last
minute. Mount Silverheels is the 96th tallest peak in Colorado and
is located in the Ten Mile-Mosquito Range north of Fairplay, CO.
- Brian and I met at The Fort Restaurant parking lot in Morrison, CO at
5:30 am and were hiking by 7:35 am. We identified Silverheels from Highway 285 on the drive
and thought we were going to be in for a terrific day. It started
out fine, but weather conditions deteriorated as we approached Beaver
Ridge, and this turned into a very difficult hike for me.
- It took approximately an hour and fifteen minutes to reach the saddle
on Beaver Ridge. After dropping approximately 400' and crossing
Beaver Creek, the long ascent began. Gerry Roach comments in
"Colorado's Thirteeners" that "the size of Siverheel's
upper slopes may fool you", and that is exactly what it did.
Add in the fact that visibility was limited made for the longest 2.7
miles I think I have ever hiked. I certainly underestimated this
climb because of the apparent short distance required to hike it.
Because of our inability to ever see the actual summit when hiking, we
inappropriately assumed every rise was the top. This ended up
being very demoralizing, and at one point Brian even said that it was
becoming comical.
- I accepted the first couple of "false summits" without too
much trouble, but as they continued I started to doubt whether I would
even summit because of the cold, snow, and winds. I was having difficulty with my hands, and Brian generously
borrowed me his over mitts. On top of all of this, I was nauseated
and getting a headache. Although I have never had problems at
altitude, I blamed it on the elevation. We pressed on as the upper
end of the west ridge eases a bit and finally made the summit at 11:00
am. Our digital camera batteries lasted long enough in the cold to
get a couple of summit photos. Because there were essentially no
views, this didn't really matter much. We quickly ate something
and hydrated.
- My head continued to bother me on the descent when it dawned on me
that my blood sugar level was likely very low. I asked Brian to accommodate
multiple breaks so I could munch on some sweets and treat my
reaction. He of course obliged and by the time we returned to the
trailhead at 1:35 pm, I was feeling better. Despite the weather,
we were happy with gaining approximately 1,000' an hour on the
ascent. I slowed us down on the way out and we only gained an hour
(3.5 hrs. vs. 2.5 hrs.) from on the way to the top.
- And now for the information people may actually want to know. We carried our snowshoes to Beaver Ridge where we cached them.
The only significant post-holing and trail breaking we encountered was crossing Beaver Creek
and some below tree line. There were three other people in the
area that retreated well short of the summit of Mount Silverheels.
This is a good candidate for a winter hike with excellent trailhead accessibility.
- Maps:
- Click here
to view a 2D
map of the area where this hike is located.
- Photographs:
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