- Home
- Subscribe
- Email Signup
- Online Forms
- Contact Us
- About Us
- RSS Feeds
- Follow us on ... Twitter | Facebook | Emails
- Today's Specials
Travel & Tourism
Culture
Family Fun
Golf
History
Military
Nature
Outdoor Fun
Parks & Lakes
Recreation
Sports Attractions
State Fair
State Parks & Sites
Wineries
Eastern Nebraska
Western Nebraska
Climbing in the Colorado Rockies
Ascending 12,000-foot-plus peaks brings new meaning to “breathtaking views.”
I shuffled like an old man. My chest heaved. My legs quivered. Slowly trudging at 13,800 feet, I questioned why I was doing what I was doing.
Why would I spend my vacation inflicting pain on myself, trying to climb my second 14,000-foot mountain of the morning? Why, after reaching its summit, would I push for two more? Why would a flatlander try to become a mountain climber?
The rocky face of Mount Cameron is a long way from the brick streets of downtown Kearney, Neb., where I grew up.
With every step, sections of my feet burned. With every shuffle, I wanted to stop walking. With every breath, my chest felt like it would explode. But with all that effort, I kept inching close to a summit. From there, I could see the next. From there, the next.
At each point, the ragged Rockies rumbled for miles. Sometimes, clouds filled the valleys below me. Lakes sparkled in the distance. Thin creeks danced through the valleys.
When I finally reached Cameron’s summit, I almost instantly forgot the agony. I couldn’t help but smile, on top of that part of the world.
For that moment, the Rocky Mountain high was all-consuming — especially for a flatlander.
For that feeling, I burned almost all my vacation this summer climbing peaks in Colorado. All told, I was on 12 mountains of 12,000 feet or higher. Each had its appeal, perils and rewards.
Altitude: Roughly 12,500 feet
Location: Near Lake Lamphier, about 20 miles northeast of Gunnison.
Appeal: It’s the closest peak to Lake Lamphier and almost begs to be climbed.Perils: Getting to the top isn’t easy, especially climbing from the lake. There is no defined trail, and it requires scrambling up a field of small rocks. And that’s after you’ve hiked about four miles to the lake.Reward: The summit features breathtaking views of Lamphier. Plus, the peak is technically unnamed because it’s considered part of a nearby mountain. So you can name it yourself. I climbed it with a friend, Leif Sidwell. Stickney + Sidwell = Stickwell.
Altitude: 12,749 feet
Location: Southwest of Lake Lamphier
Appeal: The peak is known for its unusual geology, featuring oddly striped rocks and copper-colored fossils.Perils: The easiest way up is through a boulder field, which in summer is full of huge spiders that make intricate webs.Reward: The relatively flat summit features natural rock trenches that are fun to explore.
Altitude: 12,834 feet
Location: Northeast of Lake Lamphier
Appeal: Broncho is more solitary than the other peaks around the lake. It’s also the furthest east, offering terrific views of the massive Sawatch Range and its Collegiate Peaks.Perils: Pick your poison. Climb from Gunsight Pass and teeter on an incredibly steep spine or climb from closer to the lake and bound up a daunting boulder field.Reward: After the initial climb, Broncho levels out to a grassy meadow that leads to an outcropping of rocks. It’s an unusual experience.
Altitude: 12,985 feet
Location: West of Lake Lamphier
Appeal: The peak consists of a small out-cropping of flat rocks on a wide ridge. It’s the highest visible peak from Lake Lamphier, which makes it a target.Perils: To climb it, you have to scale steep chutes of boulders and scree. Flatlanders should expect frequent stops and heavy breathing.Reward: Lots of wildlife and wildflowers surround Square Top’s summit. We saw a mountain goat, a herd of 72 elk and fields of columbines on our climb.
Altitude: 13,254 feet
Location: Northwest of Lake Lamphier
Appeal: It’s the monarch of the area, and it’s a 13er — both of which make it appealing to mountaineers of all abilities.Perils: It’s a 13er. Being above 13,000 feet certainly isn’t easy, especially for those not used to the thin air. Climbers have to summit Square Top first, then Henry.Reward: Just being at 13,000 feet is something special, but the summit hovers over Henry Lake, perhaps one of the most beautiful hidden lakes in the Rockies.
Altitude: 14,036 feet
Location: About 15 miles west of Fairplay
Appeal: It’s a 14er, and those are the holy grails of Colorado climbing. Plus, it’s one of the easiest 14ers in the state.Perils: Simply, it’s altitude. Even though it’s considered a simple climb, just being that high above sea level can cause headaches, nausea or worse.Reward: Great views of the Sawatch Range to the west, the Mosquito Range to the north and the Front Range to the east.
Altitude: 14,148 feet
Location: 10 miles northwest of Alma
Appeal: It’s has a classic look — solitary and pointed. Plus, it’s the first of four 14ers you can climb on one eight-mile trek.Perils: The trail leading out of Kite Lake is very steep, and it only gets worse.Reward: Regardless of your political views, it’s a nice summit with views of neighboring peaks and ranges many miles away.
Altitude: 14,238 feet
Location: Northeast of Democrat
Appeal: There isn’t much. It’s technically not its own 14er because it’s too close to Mount Lincoln. Perils: The climb to its summit is brutal. It comes immediately after the climb up Democrat and right before a challenging trek to Mount Lincoln. To call it steep is an understatement. This is where I seriously debated turning around.Reward: For me, it was simply shuffling without stop to stand on its summit. The views of Democrat, Lincoln and Mount Bross are amazing, as well.
Altitude: 14,286 feet
Location: Northeast of Cameron
Appeal: It’s the highest peak in its range and one of the prettiest in the state.Perils: Summoning the strength to continue the climb from Cameron takes strong will. A bump just before its summit makes a hard climb even more difficult. Reward: It easily has the best views of any in the range. When you think of rugged, Rocky Mountain beauty, you think of the view from Lincoln.
Altitude: 14,172 feet
Location: Southeast of Mount Lincoln
Appeal: Aside from it being a 14er, there really isn’t any. It’s on private property that’s sometimes open to the public, and its trail is a four-wheel drive road.Perils: The climb over from Lincoln is relatively easy and flat. The descent back to Kite Lake, though, is a killer. It’s a steep, loose rock path that had me uttering phrases that can’t be printed here.Reward: There isn’t much. It’s an ugly mountain with an ugly trail. The views of the peak climbed earlier on the trek are nice, but that’s about all that would make Bross memorable.
Altitude: 14,265 feet
Location: 12 miles south of Breckenridge
Appeal: Quandary is a beautiful peak that can be seen from many prominent spots in the state. Its trail starts below treeline, which adds to the climb’s beauty.Perils: It’s a short but very steep climb. You want to be well acclimated to the altitude and ready for a thigh-burning trek.Reward: Great views of Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross. Cool aerial perspectives on surrounding ski areas like Breckenridge and Keystone.
Altitude: 14,150 feet
Location: Between Telluride and Ouray
Appeal: If there’s a more beautiful mountain in Colorado, I haven’t seen it. The southwestern part of the state very well might be its prettiest.Perils: If there’s no snow, Sneffels is a pretty easy jaunt. If there is some white stuff, look out. Climbing from its east side is doable; the west side is a different story.Reward: It’s the highest peak in the area and provides far-reaching views.
–Dane Stickney
