Trip Report: Mt. Sherman

Date: July 19, 2015

Ryan and I only have a few more 14ers left that are within a 2 hour drive of home. Mt. Sherman is one of the easier 14ers, so we decided to finally summit it. Since one of us (ahem, Ryan) isn't a morning person, we decided to drive up and camp Saturday night, rather than waking up super early to drive to the trailhead. We also convinced our friends Liz and Ashley to join us!

The road up to Sherman goes through a lot of private land, but we were still able to find an amazing camping spot. And yes-  we TENT camped!!

After sleeping in until 7AM, we hit the 4WD drive road that heads up Sherman. This time, all of our watches died, so we really aren't sure how high we started or how long the route was.

The first part of the trail went past some really interesting abandoned mines. It is amazing how much work it must have been to mine this high- and how much of the sites are just left here, in the middle of the mountain!

The views back down the valley were really pretty in the morning- we had just a bit of sunlight to enjoy

The trail itself was pretty easy for the first half. It got more rocky as we climbed higher, but the grade was really gradual the entire way.

Once you get to the top of the climb, the rest of the trail is mostly a ridgline until the summit. It doesn't feel as exposed as other ridge lines, but that may be because there was virtually no wind while we were climbing.

There was still a lot of snow on the trail- I couldn't believe that it hadn't melted- it's almost August!

We had a really nice, relaxed pace headed to the summit. For once, I almost felt like I could breath!

Just as we made it to the summit, the clouds really rolled in, making for a rather unremarkable summit shot. However- we did manage to get all the people AND the dogs into one frame, so I call that a win!

The trail was only slightly technical, but the grade was so gradual that it was perfect to run down. As we were flying by all of the other hikers, we overheard a comment from a group that was headed down while we were still 500feet from the summit 'They must've turned around…'. Heh. nope- we just fly like the wind down the side of the mountain!

Another perfect day in Colorado.

Trip Report: Mt. Princeton

Date: July 12, 2015

The snow has finally melted in the high country- it's time for some 14ers!! This is a late start for us this summer, but June was a super busy month for us. The previous day, we hiked up/ran down Mt. Massive with a few friends, so our legs were a bit pounded from 7 miles of downhill running.

The drive up to the Mt. Princeton trailhead was much scarier than I expected- it is a very narrow 1 lane road, with a sheer drop on one side. The road is in pretty rough shape- I was a little worried that my 4Runner would bottom out on a few sections.

We parked slightly lower than the actual parking lot because we were sick of driving. The first part of the hike is to continue up past the parking lot on this 4WD road. The views are pretty, but it's still about a mile of road hiking.

The actual trail that heads up the mountain comes up on your right and is easy to miss. There are a few steps that come down from the side of the road- and that's the trail. Luckily someone was coming down as we were at that point so we didn't miss it!

The trail goes up for a bit on a dirt path through the meadow. Shortly thereafter, the boulder hopping begins, and continues all the way up the summit! The boulder hopping was all quite easy, but if you aren't feeling very balanced, it could be a challenge.

The only other tricky thing about getting to the summit is that the trail you are on for the first part of the hike doesn't actually head to the summit- it goes to a mine. You have to find a trail that heads up a switch back part on your left. I would tell you the elevation and mileage, but my Garmin Fenix2 has decided to completely die :( That part of the trail goes up fairly quickly, where you get to the first ridge line with amazing views

Overall, Princeton was harder than I expected it to be. It may have been the beating my legs took the day before, but I felt like we really earned the summit of Princeton- there were a lot of times I was using my hands to make it up. It was fun!!

There was only one small patch of snow left on the mountain, and obviously, Cody found it! Without this patch of snow, there was no other water on the trail for dogs. I actually had Cody drink from my hydration pack twice- on most other 14ers she can usually find water. So- bring lots of water for this one- it was hot!

This was Cody's 26th 14er, and as usual, she killed it!

Despite the fact that the route was very bouldery/rocky, we still did our best to run down as best we could!

Our overall time was probably about 4 hours, but we don't have any idea because we actually ran watchless (probably like the first time, ever)!

If you are prone to falling, I would recommend trekking poles on this route. Also be sure to have your stickiest/most stable shoes- lots of lose rock and gravel. 

Backcountry Skiing at Butler Gulch

Butler Gulch is a popular place to backcountry ski in the front range. It is a great place to get a very solid workout and make some turns.

Driving:

To get there, take I-70 West from Denver and take the Empire exit (route 40). Drive almost 10 miles through Empire, into the bitty town of Berthoud Falls. There is a left hand turn here for Jones Pass/Henderson Road. If you go around a huge switchback, you've gone too far. Take the Henderson Mine Road for 1.8 miles until you see a small road to your right. If you miss it, don't worry- you have to immediately turn around because the Henderson mine won't let you in. The parking lot is at the end of this road (about 800 feet), and most vehicles should be OK- however it does get a bit icy.

There are actually 2 parking lots at Butler Gulch- one for skiers and the other for snowmobilers- or people towing a Scamp!

Skinning:

Once your skis and skins are on, the approach starts at the other end of the parking lot. Head up the trail/road (it's a road in the summer). After 0.25 there is a turn to go to Butler Gulch on your left. Go around the gate and continue on. The other option at that juncture is to go up Jones Pass (that would be if you go straight/right instead of towards Butler). This is where the snowmobilers go, but there is some skiing options that way, too.

The skin is a gorgeous track through a deep forest. The first 1.5 miles are relatively flat, with a few downhill sections which are always interesting on skins. Remember those spots for your ski back to gain enough momentum! The first real climb starts around 1.5 miles.

After climbing this not too steep section for a bit, you finally come to a section where you can see the lines you will be skiing down (around 2 miles). When we ski, we typically stop at this point and head back up for another lap. The trail continues to your left up a few switch backs, until you reach the top (ish). There are still mountains above you, but this top basin area is where most of the ski lines are. You can continue skinning across this section until you pick your line. Enjoy the views!

The more or less top of the skin track

Skiing:

Getting ready to ski down!

Cody requests that you please take this ridiculous snow suit off

There are 3 different faces to ski down from the top of the skin track. None are terribly long, but they are fun! If you stop at the switch back section of the skin track, it's easy to do multiple laps on these runs. There is also a fun little gully on skiers left- just watch out for rocks!

Top of the gully

Wheee!

There is another section that climbs a bit more in elevation, with a nice face that is far skiers right- but we haven't skied this yet. I think there may also be runs in the trees, since I've seen people in them, but we haven't quite figured out the best line.

After doing as many laps as possible, take the fast skin track all the way back down to the car!

Butler Gulch is a great place to get in a solid workout while finding fresh stashes of powder. It is very popular though, and like most places, can be susceptible to wind crust.

And here is a Garmin file for map references:

Christmas Ski Adventure

When Ryan and I first started dating, some of our earliest adventures together were ski trips to east coast resorts such as Mt. Snow, Mad River Glen, Killington and White Face- sometimes with friends and sometimes as a couple. Those trips were always the highlight of a dreary east coast winter. We never did get around to living the ski bum lifestyle though- until this winter!

Since we were unable to visit family during the Holidays this year, we decided to set off on a winter ski adventure. Rather than make reservations at cheap hotels, we now have the means to bring our home with us- our Scamp!

Day 1: A-Basin Resort. 12 runs, 13,000 feet elevation loss.

We woke up early and eager to ski, getting to A-basin well before anyone else. We had some time to throw the disc with Cody on the slopes for a bit, but couldn't skin up with her since they were doing avalanche control work.

Cody climbing the snow dunes

With Cody safely tucked away in the Scamp, we hit the slopes hard- skiing almost every run off the Pallavicini lift. We took 1 break to have some food and check in on Cody- she was perfectly happy in her little house! The skiing was great- a lot more coverage than last time, and some soft snow in a few places. We spent a lot more time waiting in a lift line today than we have ever had to, so that's why we were only able to ski 12 runs.

Steep!

Day 2: Vail

After an amazing day of skiing at A-Basin, we headed out to Vail while there was still daylight in order to find a place to park the Scamp. Our first potential parking spot had 'no overnight parking' signs listed everywhere, but that worked out in our favor because the next spot was gorgeous- and legal.

Views from our camping spot overlooking Vail

The next morning we woke up to a frozen scamp. After spending a while warming up (even our contacts were frozen solid!) we got to the Gondola right when the lifts were opening. Since it was Christmas Eve day there was almost no one at the resort. So much for Vail being crowded!

This was our first time skiing Vail, and we both went into the resort with minimal expectations. Wow. What a place. I really have never skied anywhere quite like it.

The place is absolutely gigantic. It seemed like you could ski a new run every time- for a week!

The views were stunning and we were treated to a spectacular blue bird day!

There is just so much terrain. The back bowls- despite not being a perfect powder day- were still incredible to ski. We even found patches of powder left over from the 2 day old storm. 

Cody was happily sleeping in the 4runner in the heated, covered parking garage while we skied. We checked in on her and took her for a walk after eating lunch at La Cantina (an amazing burrito place IN the parking garage. $7 carne asada, 'nuff said). After a wonderful day of skiing, we settled into our cozy Scamp and watched this youtube video over and over again: http://youtu.be/35sfp9k5avI

Day 3: Vail

Christmas day. We finally got up early enough to make it to the mountain in time to skin uphill with Cody. What a blast!! After taking the lifts for the last few ski outings it was a bit of a surprise to work so hard, but it felt great. The morning was perfect and Cody had a blast running with us uphill.

When we got to the top, she started getting excited to head down. She knows the whole routine we do when we switch from uphill to downhill, and if she's really excited, she'll start barking at us.

On the way down Cody ran faster than I've ever seen her run- she LOVES the groomers (that makes one of us)!! We also skied a mogul run, but that was a lot trickier with Cody- she got in the way of some of the tighter turns because she was so happy that her parents were turning like maniacs!

Here is Cody skiing at Vail with us:

After dropping Cody back off at the car, we were ready to hit the lifts again. This time we spent most of the day at Blue Sky Basin area. Another amazing spot to ski at Vail!

Day 4: Backcountry skiing at Hoosier Pass

Our epic local pass has blackout dates at Vail starting the day after Christmas, so we decided to head to the Breckenridge/Keystone area in hopes that some of the snow storm that was hitting Vail would follow us. When we woke up the next morning to no new snow, we decided to venture away from the resorts and find our own powder. The closest backcountry ski spot was at Hoosier pass. The scenery was absolutely stunning and there was a TON of fresh snow, however the slopes weren't quite steep enough to actually make it through most of the powder. We still had an excellent time touring around in the backcountry. Nearly all of the mountains surrounding us were 14ers that we had climbed- so that was cool!

There was so much snow that Cody kept getting stuck!

After living out of the Scamp for 4 days and 3 nights, we decided to head back to our house for real heat, running water and a shower! We also determined that the best snow was actually in the front range, and had a new backcountry spot we couldn't wait to check out.

Day 5: Jenny Lind. 9.3 miles, 5 hours, 51 minutes, 4,900 feet of elevation gain

After sleeping in our big, comfy bed and taking as many showers as possible, we headed out to Jenny Lind Gulch to earn our turns in the backcountry (with Jon). We had scoped this spot earlier in the year, but it didn't have enough coverage for good skiing. Based on the newest storm, we were hopeful that there would be plenty of coverage + fresh powder. We were right!!

The sweet rewards of earning your turns!

Well earned skin track

The day was so perfect- and we got it on video!!

Day 6: Rocky Mountain National Park

We desperately wanted a repeat of Saturday's awesome powder, so we headed up to Hidden Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a lot colder and windier than we had expected, and the coverage wasn't great. The snow was super wind crusted, and the only runs that looked good also had the potential for wind slab avalanches. We finally hit a good run twice, then called it a day. The skinning at Hidden Valley is a lot farther than the other places we go!

And with that, our 6 day skiing adventure was done!! We had an amazing time, and are incredibly lucky to live in such an amazing place and be able to go on whatever adventure we choose! At the end of this adventure, we have skied 17 days so far this season :)