First of Four Peak Challenge

The days are getting shorter, the nights cooler, and thoughts of snow begin to dance in our minds.

Many thoughts (at least in CO) are shifting from summer outdoor activities to skiing and snowboarding season but as we enter this first week of October I will be completing 4-5 peaks.

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For those of you that have been reading along for a while, might remember the personal goal of 5 14ers this summer as well as an overall goal of eventually doing every 14er in Colorado.

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I also previously spoke of my Uncle who will be turning 70 at the end of the year and also has a goal of completing as many 14ers as possible (he has done a lot more than me!).

Mount Lincoln: Friday, September 28

Our morning began early…

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The sun popped up quickly though, lighting the way and anticipating bright blue skies for the day’s adventure.

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Trees are beginning to turn, making the towns glow.

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At the same time snow begins to sprinkle the mountain tops.

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After a long drive we arrived to our trail head. From the beginning, it always seems the peak is only a hop, skip and a jump away πŸ™‚

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Last glance at the car in the far distance…we won’t be seeing that again for quite some time.

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We continue forward with snowy peaks in the near future.

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It may be hard to see this small “river” (snow melt) but it made beautiful, calming music.

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If you aren’t looking for the physical challenge but still want to see the breath taking views, there are other options for getting to the top πŸ™‚

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We only saw one of these but I would assume you can rent them and take a trip up but eventually you will reach the point where the journey must be continued by foot.

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The peak continues to get closer and closer…larger and larger.

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Other than the random vehicle that passed us, the trail was all ours…except that made us somewhat worry whether we were hiking to the right peak.

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When we finally saw footprints we felt reassured that we were at least hiking to some peak, whether it was the one of original intentions or not, we were hiking somewhere.

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It turns out that most sane people just don’t hike 14ers once snow has fallen on the trail..oh well, maybe we are a little crazy πŸ˜€ I will say I got it from my dad.

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Dad and I

From the top, Mt. Cameron and Mt. Democrat can be seen. If we had started earlier we would have hiked to Mt. Cameron because it was only a hop away πŸ™‚ We did Mt. Democrat last September.

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Uncle Ed and I

Once we reached the top we enjoyed some Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies πŸ˜€

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Even though we eventually decided to not climb to Mt. Cameron, we walked a little ways to get a better idea of the extent of another peak.

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We walked over to what we called the “ledge.” The red rocks were beautiful but with this less than 2 ft. wide ridge, we felt unsteady and began to head back.

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Before heading back down the mountain, I needed a little Buzz πŸ™‚

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Peanut Toffee Buzz Clif Bar

Coming back down the peak, we got a little disoriented but eventually saw the familiar shack in the distance and found our way.

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This picture amazed me because the pure white snow made the clouds look so dark…those not from Colorado may not realize that the snow is not only blinding but the reflection off the snow will burn you more than the sun.

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Tip of the trip: Don’t forget your sunglasses! Some maybe haven’t heard of this but my eyes literally got burned.

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Trip time: 6 hours
Trip length: 6.5 miles (Quartzville trail head)
Elevation: 14,286

There are a few routes to get to Mt. Lincoln. We went from the Quartzville trail head (long route)…you walk up a jeep trail for most of the way. This is a class 1 route. There is another route from the Quartzville trail head that is class 2 and 4.5 miles.

Last year we hiked to Mt. Democrat from Kite Lake. This same route can be used to reach Mt. Lincoln but we chose to take a different route this year. This trail is class 2 and to reach Lincoln it is 5.5 miles.

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Comments

  1. congratulations–wow on the (breathtaking) views

    • Thank you! It felt like an accomplishment…but these last two, even more so! I will be posting about them later in the week πŸ™‚

  2. What incredible places to visit my friend πŸ™‚

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  3. Congrats on getting Mt. Lincoln under your belt!!! Your pictures are great!

  4. Beautiful, and I love the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies!

    I hope you don’t mind if I reblog this on my reblog tastings page : )

  5. Great photos. Still haven’t worked up to a Fourteener. Perhaps one day. And the snow definitely would’ve had me thinking twice. Kudos!

  6. frontrangescribbles says:

    Great photos. I would love to try a tackle a 14er.

    • They are “fun” lol…well some people may think I am crazy for using that word but they feel great when you are done. The whole process can be a little ridiculous on some of the 14ers…hard to know what to expect until it’s too late too lol

  7. You were my first pin on pinterest!

  8. These pictures are amazing, absolutely stunning!!! Chocolate chip cookies look awesome as well πŸ™‚

  9. Lilli Sue – this is just amazing, thanks for sharing this with us! It’s been too long since I visited, hope you are well!

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