Old Man Bull

La Plata is Spanish for "the plata"  Date:   July 28, 2012 Climbing Party:   Aaron Dover & Amanda Harnden Elevation Gain:  4,500' Distance:  9.75 mi RT RT Time: 7:00 (4hrs up, 3hrs down) Difficulty:   Difficult, shared summit with a handful off others Summit Marker On the way up to Leadville this morning, we talked about the weather up at La Plata. The NOAA weather site had predicted a 60% chance of thunderstorm activity beginning at around 11:00 am. We had hoped to be done by then, but there are no guarantees. We had talked about the possibility of having to abort if things weren't looking good, and that we had to be on the same page about this before we got going. Our 3am departure from Denver got us on the trail by 5:40. Should have been plenty of time to bag the Plata! It's Spanish for "Silver" as this mountain was in an area known for silver mining. Out of the gates, we had three stream crossings. Not too shabby for the fir...

The Only Mountain in Colorado! Date:   July 21, 2012 Climbing Party:   Aaron Dover, Amanda Harnden, Sue Harnden, Andrea Bielecki, Brian Bielecki Elevation Gain:  2,850' Distance:  7mi Roundtrip RT Time: 7:00 (3hrs up, 4hrs down) Difficulty:   Easy, trail was crowded like a mall We had a super early start from Denver leaving at about 4:30 am and driving to the Guanella Pass trailhead. This road is now paved 100% and serves as a super highway between I70 and 285. Even after arriving at the trailhead at 6:00am, parking was at a premium and the masses were descending onto the trail. In our party, we had 3 first timers! Amanda's mom,Sue, was visiting from NY, and her aunt and uncle Andrea and Brian, made the drive from Albuquerque! Our goal was to summit, and starting early is a GREAT way to overcome crowds, weather, and when hiking with new climbing partners, it's always good to leave yourself extra time to account for any issues that might ...

Date:   June 30, 2012 Climbing Party:   Aaron Dover, Amanda Harnden, Kelsey Breen, Kathryn Young, Jen Hock, Jason Murray, Sally Webster Elevation Gain:  2,036' Distance:  5 miles RT Time: 3:50 Difficulty:   Easy Most folks will tell you for your first attempt at a 14er, to go try Mt. Bierstadt.  I think I'll start recommending Mt. Sherman.  Sure, Bierstadt is closer to Denver, and the newly paved Guanella Pass Road makes getting there a cinch.  Sherman  is a little farther away from Denver (maybe 2 hours) depending on how much you and your crew need to stop.  No one has heard of Mt. Sherman it seems!  You guys are hiking where? Where's that?  Mt. Sherman? Yes Mt. Sherman.  Just outside of Fairplay off of Rt. 285, you may or may not see Mt. Sherman from the road.  It kind of fits in with the rest of the surroundings...a very nondescript peak on the horizon.    W...