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Base Camp
Up
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- Statistics:
- Date Hiked: December 27, 2010
- Miles Hiked: 11.0
- Elevation Gain: 5,200'
- Hiking Partner(s): Jeff Shafer,
Greg, and Alan
- Description:
- Jeff, Greg, and Alan allowed me to tag along on their winter attempt
of Mount Antero in the Sawatch Range. We left the Denver metro
area around 4:00 am and were hiking from the 2WD trailhead at 6:40 am.
We wore snowshoes from the trailhead to within approximately 1,500' of
the summit where the terrain became loose talus with moderate snow
coverage. We opted for a nonstandard route which was a slight variation of
the one I did in April 2006.
- The snowshoeing on the road was relatively easy with a ski track
ahead of us to help with floatation. Once we reached the junction
for Baldwin Gulch, the going got much slower. We took turns
breaking trail in the snow which ranged from 6 to 18 inches. I had
difficulty all day keeping my feet warm and luckily Greg had some
warmers I used, otherwise I'm certain I would have had to turn around.
As we approached tree line where the road makes a slight turn southwest,
we started directly up the west gully north of the switch-backing road
above us. Instead of continuing up the gully and turning right to
the saddle south of Antero as I did 4 years ago, Greg led us left to the
west rib of Antero.
- Once the snow coverage became less, we dropped our snowshoes and
began a somewhat annoying ascent up loose, snow-filled talus. We
all picked our line sometimes following each other and sometimes veering
slightly left or right. The day was starting to wear on me and I
continually had to remind myself to take small steps and deep breaths.
In talking on the ride home, everyone stated the altitude, cold weather,
distance, and elevation gain was challenging. We topped out after
6 hours and quickly started working our way back down the annoying talus
slope to our snowshoes.
- After we got back to our snowshoes, we hydrated and refueled for the
long hike out. Jeff and I turned on our iPods for some extra
motivation on the descent. Fortunately, we had already put in a
solid track and it was all downhill. We all kept a pretty fast
pace on the way out and completed the climb in 9 hours car-to-car.
It was a good effort with a strong team.
- Maps:
-
Click here
to view a 2D
map of the area where this hike is located.
- Photographs:
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