Mt. Bross – Decalibron – Solo Ascent
Date: Aug 24, 2002
Elevation: 14,172′
Rank: 22th
Route: Decalibron, Grade II, Class 2, 7.0 miles, 3600ft vert.
GPS: N 39° 20.116′ W 106° 6.416′
Team: Matt Esser (Toid)
Pre-climb: The Decalibron, need I say more? For those of you that don’t know, the name Decalibron comes from taking parts of the four fourteeners that you can get all in one hike in one day. Mt. DEmocrat, Mt. CAmeron, Mt. LIncolN, Mt. BROss. However, because Mt. Cameron doesn’t rise 200 feet from its connecting saddle, it’s not an official fourteener, however most people climb it anyway.
Climb: When I climbed my first fourteener, (the West Ridge on Quandary), and I finally got to the top, I saw somebody coming up the East Slopes. After talking to him, he pointed out that you could see all four of the Decalibron mountains. He then quickly pointed out that he did them all in one day. I had just got done with the hardest thing I’ve ever done (West Ridge in November), and I couldn’t even fathom what it must be like to do four in one day. They looked so far apart.
Nine months later here I am. Driving to Kite Lake for my attempt at doing the Decalibron. The first thing I noticed (thanks for the headsup, Chris Woodruff, for the trip report on 14erworld.com) is that they now charge $3 to park. I don’t know how long this has been going on, but it wasn’t mentioned in either of the 14er guidebooks. I was flat broke, but managed to find enough change around the house so I could pay the fee. After a tranquil drive to the trailhead, I started hiking around 6:30am with perfect weather.
Going up Democrat is probably the hardest part of the route. It goes up in a hurry! It’s faily easy to find the trail up until the rocks start getting bigger towards the top. Just head to what you think is the summit, only to find out it’s a false summit. From there though, you can see the real deal. It’s not far. Coming back down off Democrat was rather fun, I had a bunch of energy, and the people I talked to were pleasant. However, going up the ridge to Cameron is what wore me down. I kept glancing over to Quandary to see the route where it all started. It’s still there. Hasn’t gone anywhere. Just about to the top of Cameron I got passed by a guy named Rob, and then about 10 minutes after him, a girl named Wendy. I joined up with them on the summit of Cameron, and continued the rest of the route in their company. They were great fun! They lifted my spirits and quickened my pace. My how it helps to have somebody to talk to when you’re up there! The wind really picked up, so we put on more clothes. While we were doing so, we noticed how insignificant Cameron’s summit is. There’s just a cairn of rocks in the middle of this flat space. It seems like you climb and climb and climb, and then when you’re there, all you look at is Lincoln’s summit! Had the cairn not been there, we decided you would almost walk right over it without realizing you were on Cameron’s summit!
Lincoln was a little more exciting, a pretty exciting finish I must say! We didn’t spend too much time here either, and we quickly went over to Bross. It was smooth sailing! The only thing about Bross’ summit is that it is actually kind of big, and it had a summit register! So far we had been unable to find ones on the previous summits. Everybody exchanged high fives, and then the fun really began! The downhill human bobsled run! There were goodtimes to be had going just straight down, but a lot of rocks did get in my shoes. I stopped once to clean them out, but once you hit the main trail again, you know you’re getting close. I said goodbye to my new buddies, and then began the long drive on I-70 home.
Ahhh, the feeling of climbing a few fourteeners first thing in the morning and being home and showered by 3! What a great weekend!
Drive: 2.5h
Ascent: 1.25h
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 1.5h
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 15 min
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 45 min
Summit: 15 min
Descent: 1h
Drive: 2.5h
Total: 5.5h
Mt. Lincoln – Decalibron – Solo Ascent
Date: Aug 24, 2002
Elevation: 14,286′
Rank: 8th
Route: Decalibron, Grade II, Class 2, 7.0 miles, 3600ft vert.
GPS: N 39° 21.083′ W 106° 6.65′
Team: Matt Esser (Toid)
Pre-climb: The Decalibron, need I say more? For those of you that don’t know, the name Decalibron comes from taking parts of the four fourteeners that you can get all in one hike in one day. Mt. DEmocrat, Mt. CAmeron, Mt. LIncolN, Mt. BROss. However, because Mt. Cameron doesn’t rise 200 feet from its connecting saddle, it’s not an official fourteener, however most people climb it anyway.
Climb: When I climbed my first fourteener, (the West Ridge on Quandary), and I finally got to the top, I saw somebody coming up the East Slopes. After talking to him, he pointed out that you could see all four of the Decalibron mountains. He then quickly pointed out that he did them all in one day. I had just got done with the hardest thing I’ve ever done (West Ridge in November), and I couldn’t even fathom what it must be like to do four in one day. They looked so far apart.
Nine months later here I am. Driving to Kite Lake for my attempt at doing the Decalibron. The first thing I noticed (thanks for the headsup, Chris Woodruff, for the trip report on 14erworld.com) is that they now charge $3 to park. I don’t know how long this has been going on, but it wasn’t mentioned in either of the 14er guidebooks. I was flat broke, but managed to find enough change around the house so I could pay the fee. After a tranquil drive to the trailhead, I started hiking around 6:30am with perfect weather.
Going up Democrat is probably the hardest part of the route. It goes up in a hurry! It’s faily easy to find the trail up until the rocks start getting bigger towards the top. Just head to what you think is the summit, only to find out it’s a false summit. From there though, you can see the real deal. It’s not far. Coming back down off Democrat was rather fun, I had a bunch of energy, and the people I talked to were pleasant. However, going up the ridge to Cameron is what wore me down. I kept glancing over to Quandary to see the route where it all started. It’s still there. Hasn’t gone anywhere. Just about to the top of Cameron I got passed by a guy named Rob, and then about 10 minutes after him, a girl named Wendy. I joined up with them on the summit of Cameron, and continued the rest of the route in their company. They were great fun! They lifted my spirits and quickened my pace. My how it helps to have somebody to talk to when you’re up there! The wind really picked up, so we put on more clothes. While we were doing so, we noticed how insignificant Cameron’s summit is. There’s just a cairn of rocks in the middle of this flat space. It seems like you climb and climb and climb, and then when you’re there, all you look at is Lincoln’s summit! Had the cairn not been there, we decided you would almost walk right over it without realizing you were on Cameron’s summit!
Lincoln was a little more exciting, a pretty exciting finish I must say! We didn’t spend too much time here either, and we quickly went over to Bross. It was smooth sailing! The only thing about Bross’ summit is that it is actually kind of big, and it had a summit register! So far we had been unable to find ones on the previous summits. Everybody exchanged high fives, and then the fun really began! The downhill human bobsled run! There were goodtimes to be had going just straight down, but a lot of rocks did get in my shoes. I stopped once to clean them out, but once you hit the main trail again, you know you’re getting close. I said goodbye to my new buddies, and then began the long drive on I-70 home.
Ahhh, the feeling of climbing a few fourteeners first thing in the morning and being home and showered by 3! What a great weekend!
Drive: 2.5h
Ascent: 1.25h
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 1.5h
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 15 min
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 45 min
Summit: 15 min
Descent: 1h
Drive: 2.5h
Total: 5.5h
Mt. Cameron – Decalibron – Solo Ascent
Date: Aug 24, 2002
Elevation: 14,148′
Rank: 29th
Route: Decalibron, Grade II, Class 2, 7.0 miles, 3600ft vert.
GPS: N 39° 20.383′ W 106° 8.366′
Team: Matt Esser (Toid)
Pre-climb: The Decalibron, need I say more? For those of you that don’t know, the name Decalibron comes from taking parts of the four fourteeners that you can get all in one hike in one day. Mt. DEmocrat, Mt. CAmeron, Mt. LIncolN, Mt. BROss. However, because Mt. Cameron doesn’t rise 200 feet from its connecting saddle, it’s not an official fourteener, however most people climb it anyway.
Climb: When I climbed my first fourteener, (the West Ridge on Quandary), and I finally got to the top, I saw somebody coming up the East Slopes. After talking to him, he pointed out that you could see all four of the Decalibron mountains. He then quickly pointed out that he did them all in one day. I had just got done with the hardest thing I’ve ever done (West Ridge in November), and I couldn’t even fathom what it must be like to do four in one day. They looked so far apart.
Nine months later here I am. Driving to Kite Lake for my attempt at doing the Decalibron. The first thing I noticed (thanks for the headsup, Chris Woodruff, for the trip report on 14erworld.com) is that they now charge $3 to park. I don’t know how long this has been going on, but it wasn’t mentioned in either of the 14er guidebooks. I was flat broke, but managed to find enough change around the house so I could pay the fee. After a tranquil drive to the trailhead, I started hiking around 6:30am with perfect weather.
Going up Democrat is probably the hardest part of the route. It goes up in a hurry! It’s faily easy to find the trail up until the rocks start getting bigger towards the top. Just head to what you think is the summit, only to find out it’s a false summit. From there though, you can see the real deal. It’s not far. Coming back down off Democrat was rather fun, I had a bunch of energy, and the people I talked to were pleasant. However, going up the ridge to Cameron is what wore me down. I kept glancing over to Quandary to see the route where it all started. It’s still there. Hasn’t gone anywhere. Just about to the top of Cameron I got passed by a guy named Rob, and then about 10 minutes after him, a girl named Wendy. I joined up with them on the summit of Cameron, and continued the rest of the route in their company. They were great fun! They lifted my spirits and quickened my pace. My how it helps to have somebody to talk to when you’re up there! The wind really picked up, so we put on more clothes. While we were doing so, we noticed how insignificant Cameron’s summit is. There’s just a cairn of rocks in the middle of this flat space. It seems like you climb and climb and climb, and then when you’re there, all you look at is Lincoln’s summit! Had the cairn not been there, we decided you would almost walk right over it without realizing you were on Cameron’s summit!
Lincoln was a little more exciting, a pretty exciting finish I must say! We didn’t spend too much time here either, and we quickly went over to Bross. It was smooth sailing! The only thing about Bross’ summit is that it is actually kind of big, and it had a summit register! So far we had been unable to find ones on the previous summits. Everybody exchanged high fives, and then the fun really began! The downhill human bobsled run! There were goodtimes to be had going just straight down, but a lot of rocks did get in my shoes. I stopped once to clean them out, but once you hit the main trail again, you know you’re getting close. I said goodbye to my new buddies, and then began the long drive on I-70 home.
Ahhh, the feeling of climbing a few fourteeners first thing in the morning and being home and showered by 3! What a great weekend!
Drive: 2.5h
Ascent: 1.25h
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 1.5h
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 15 min
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 45 min
Summit: 15 min
Descent: 1h
Drive: 2.5h
Total: 5.5h
Mt. Democrat – Decalibron – Solo Ascent
Date: Aug 24, 2002
Elevation: 14,148′
Rank: 29th
Route: Decalibron, Grade II, Class 2, 7.0 miles, 3600ft vert.
GPS: N 39° 20.383′ W 106° 8.366′
Team: Matt Esser (Toid)
Pre-climb: The Decalibron, need I say more? For those of you that don’t know, the name Decalibron comes from taking parts of the four fourteeners that you can get all in one hike in one day. Mt. DEmocrat, Mt. CAmeron, Mt. LIncolN, Mt. BROss. However, because Mt. Cameron doesn’t rise 200 feet from its connecting saddle, it’s not an official fourteener, however most people climb it anyway.
Climb: When I climbed my first fourteener, (the West Ridge on Quandary), and I finally got to the top, I saw somebody coming up the East Slopes. After talking to him, he pointed out that you could see all four of the Decalibron mountains. He then quickly pointed out that he did them all in one day. I had just got done with the hardest thing I’ve ever done (West Ridge in November), and I couldn’t even fathom what it must be like to do four in one day. They looked so far apart.
Nine months later here I am. Driving to Kite Lake for my attempt at doing the Decalibron. The first thing I noticed (thanks for the headsup, Chris Woodruff, for the trip report on 14erworld.com) is that they now charge $3 to park. I don’t know how long this has been going on, but it wasn’t mentioned in either of the 14er guidebooks. I was flat broke, but managed to find enough change around the house so I could pay the fee. After a tranquil drive to the trailhead, I started hiking around 6:30am with perfect weather.
Going up Democrat is probably the hardest part of the route. It goes up in a hurry! It’s faily easy to find the trail up until the rocks start getting bigger towards the top. Just head to what you think is the summit, only to find out it’s a false summit. From there though, you can see the real deal. It’s not far. Coming back down off Democrat was rather fun, I had a bunch of energy, and the people I talked to were pleasant. However, going up the ridge to Cameron is what wore me down. I kept glancing over to Quandary to see the route where it all started. It’s still there. Hasn’t gone anywhere. Just about to the top of Cameron I got passed by a guy named Rob, and then about 10 minutes after him, a girl named Wendy. I joined up with them on the summit of Cameron, and continued the rest of the route in their company. They were great fun! They lifted my spirits and quickened my pace. My how it helps to have somebody to talk to when you’re up there! The wind really picked up, so we put on more clothes. While we were doing so, we noticed how insignificant Cameron’s summit is. There’s just a cairn of rocks in the middle of this flat space. It seems like you climb and climb and climb, and then when you’re there, all you look at is Lincoln’s summit! Had the cairn not been there, we decided you would almost walk right over it without realizing you were on Cameron’s summit!
Lincoln was a little more exciting, a pretty exciting finish I must say! We didn’t spend too much time here either, and we quickly went over to Bross. It was smooth sailing! The only thing about Bross’ summit is that it is actually kind of big, and it had a summit register! So far we had been unable to find ones on the previous summits. Everybody exchanged high fives, and then the fun really began! The downhill human bobsled run! There were goodtimes to be had going just straight down, but a lot of rocks did get in my shoes. I stopped once to clean them out, but once you hit the main trail again, you know you’re getting close. I said goodbye to my new buddies, and then began the long drive on I-70 home.
Ahhh, the feeling of climbing a few fourteeners first thing in the morning and being home and showered by 3! What a great weekend!
Drive: 2.5h
Ascent: 1.25h
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 1.5h
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 15 min
Summit: 15 min
Traverse: 45 min
Summit: 15 min
Descent: 1h
Drive: 2.5h
Total: 5.5h
Longs Pk – Keyhole Route – Solo Ascent
Date: Aug 11, 2002
Elevation: 14,255′
Rank: 15th
Route: Keyhole, Grade II, Class 3, 15.0 miles, 5000ft vert.
GPS: N 40° 15.283′ W 105° 36.916′
Team: Matt Esser (Toid)
Pre-climb: A year ago almost to the day, my friend Gugals stopped by for a visit on his way back to college. We wanted to go for a hike, so I mentioned Chasm Lake. We went, and it was rough work, and it was cloudy the entire time, but we got there. We took a few snapshots and came home exhausted. Every so often on that trip, the clouds would part and I could see the summit of Longs. If I’m ever in Denver, driving back on US 36 to my house in Boulder, I most certainly see it. I so badly wanted to climb it, but knew it would take not only everything I had, but a little luck in the weather. Well, this weekend looked good for climbing Longs, and I had been preparing for it all summer, so this was the time to do it. This was the time to rise up to the calling of “the monarch”.
Climb: It was Saturday and I woke up kinda late (3pm) and I was fed up I kept wasting my weekends away. It was just over a month since I last did a 14er, and a few weeks since a serious mountain biking excursion. It was time for something. But what? I thought about Sherman, because it’s easier than most, or maybe the ever-popular Democrat, Lincoln, Bross, which I still haven’t done. That wouldn’t do. I wanted something big. Something close (running out of gas money), Longs Peak was staring back at me in the guide book.
I didn’t get much rest between when I decided I’d do it and when I actually left my house around 1:15am Sunday morning. But that meant I had plenty time to get everything together for this trip. I couldn’t afford to forget anything. It’s amazing how easily a forgotten boot can demoralize a trip. I double-checked everything, it was all there, I was good to go.
I hit the trail at about 2am, and there were already 11 people on the mountain before me in two hours! I simply cannot believe how many people climb Longs. The Perseid meteor shower was supposed to happen the next night, but I still counted 4 “falling stars”! Night climbing is surreal, you really can’t see a world that’s beyond the scope of your headlight. You can practically walk up on somebody (or the group of 7 that left before you!) and not even know they were there until your five feet from them! The views were excellent, I could see thunderstorms in the distance to the south, and some also to the north, but the sky above me was crystal clear. I was making good time, I was at Chasm Lake turnoff in 1hr 30 min, and then at the Keyhole in 3hrs. From here I stayed in the hut and watched the sunrise because I knew I couldn’t make it up to the summit before the sun came up. I also took this chance to put on more layers of clothes because the wind on the other side of the Keyhole sounded like a freight train!
While in the hut, a few other guys joined me to take a snack, layer up and watch the sun before heading over the other side. I partnered up with them and did the rest of the route with them. The ledges weren’t bad at all, the trough is the worst part I think. Because the narrows, while they do have steep dropoff’s and the wind can practically lift you off your feet, aren’t very long and it’s flat. The homestretch wasn’t too bad, but I can easily see how a little water or ice can make this a Slip-and-Slide at 14,200ft. As for the summit itself, you read trip reports about how flat it is and how big it is, but until you get there you just don’t realize how Longs could have such a thing. You circle around the entire mountain, and it always looks like everything is pointed up!
By now the sun was out, it was 8am, and I put on my sunglasses and only spent 15 minutes on the summit. What a great accomplishment! There were only ten of us up there, and we wanted to get down before the wind picked up. Sure enough, just as we were crossing back through the narrows, the wind decided to start. I ran into a couple who were both in shorts that had just gotten past the crux of the climb — the chockstone on the Trough — but didn’t want to go around the corner. Not to mention, the wind was making it near impossible for me to relay beta to the group that was queued up there. The couple in shorts decided to start heading back, the girls words were, “Honey, if I go around that corner, I’ll freeze to death.” She was much warmer as soon as we got back through the Keyhole and back in the sun.
The trip back down for me was interesting. You see all types of people on Longs. I think I saw three people puking, I saw people not adequately dressed, I saw people who just hiked in to Chasm Lake and of course I saw climbers heading for the Diamond. But what I think is so special, not only to Longs, but any long hike or climb are the people you get to know and how they change throughout the hike. As I was hiking under the stars, I would pass people, and the passphrase was “Have a good hike.”, as I think I had three different groups tell me that. It’s almost as if everybody on that mountain is there for that day, and going for different goals, but you all have the same spirit. Everybody climbs or hikes for a reason. Even if that reason is the “just because it’s there” mentality. And whatever that reason is for climbing or hiking, that’s what bonds everybody on the mountain. People change throughout the hike…some get stronger as the day wears on, and some begin to lose hope. One thing is for certain, nobody is the same person after coming back down on Longs, no matter if you made the summit or not.
Drive: 45 min
Ascent: 6h
Summit: 15 min
Descent: 5.75h
Drive: 1h
Total: 12h
