Arriving at the already crowded Kite Lake parking area, where I began hiking about 10 minutes before a small army, as can be seen looking back in the 2nd pic...
Mt Democrat (14,148'), Mt Cameron (14,238'), Mt Lincoln (14,288'), and Mt Bross (14,177'), can all be bagged on a 7.25 mile, 3700' gain hike. Since Wendy had an ultimate frisbee tourney in Breckenridge this past weekend, I decided to join in on a condo with some of her teammates, taking advantage of the nearby location of these peaks. It was great sleeping in a comfy bed the night before a 14er, and sleeping in til 4:30am (yes, that's sleeping in for 14ers for me), with just a 45 minute drive to the Kite Lake trailhead.
After missing the turn in Alma (the Kite Lake sign is really small, and right below the street sign), I made the 6 mile drive up the decent dirt road, glad to have Wendy's Honda CRV, as my VW GTI would have been much slower over the bumpy road. I passed several people camping, and stopped just prior to the parking fee area at Kite Lake. I hit the trail at ~5:45am, no headlamp needed, since sunrise was at 6am. In .1 miles, I arrived at the extremely crowded Kite Lake parking lot, where the line to the latrine was 7 people long, and a swarm of hikers were gathered amongst the cars. It was probably an organized group outing for 6am. I decided to pass on a visit to the latrine, and get started ahead of the crowd.
Arriving at the already crowded Kite Lake parking area, where I began hiking about 10 minutes before a small army, as can be seen looking back in the 2nd pic...
A look up towards the false summit of Democrat on the left. The grassy terrain would give way to rocks shortly. Ran into a couple of ptarmigan's on the way...
I had gained 1000' in 35 minutes, at which time I took this pic looking across the broad ridge under Mt Bross...
10 minutes later, I had almost reached the saddle between Democrat (on the left) and Cameron (on the right)...
A few people were resting at the saddle when I arrived at 6:40am. A look up towards Democrat, and a look north over the saddle, with Quandary off on the right...
The true summit of Democrat began to appear, to the right of the false summit, as I climbed the well built rocky trail...
At the top of the false summit, there was a small snow patch to cross. The weather today was splendid. A single layer long sleeve suited me, and some people were in shorts. No wind...
The snow was frozen and packed solid. I found my first time hiking a 14er with poles to be advantageous, both on the smooth rocky ascents, and pleasantly helpful to gain traction across the snow. I summited Democrat at 7:05am, and had the entire summit to myself(!!!) for a couple minutes...
As I put on sunscreen, and ate a bar, a few others arrived. These peaks are notorious for heavy crowds, but you can still avoid the mall if you summit early. A look east shows Cameron and Lincoln on the other side of the saddle...
I didn't stay on the summit long, determined to stay ahead of the crowds for the next peaks. A look down the valley at the road leading to Kite Lake. As I descended I passed many hikers on their way up...
After the descent to the saddle, my leg muscles shifted gears, and went into ascent mode up towards Cameron (1st pic). A look back at my pack, and Democrat in the distance...
The trail to Lincoln was well built and steady. Hikers were few on this stretch, at this time. I haven't hiked solo much in the past years, and was enjoying my pace, and challenging myself to make the summits by certain times. A look up towards Cameron, with a hiker standing above the snow...
I reached the round, broad, summit of Cameron an hour after summiting Democrat, again, solo. Lincoln was perched further to the east on another pleasant looking trail. I was enjoying these "easy" 14ers, under great weather conditions...
I reached the summit of Lincoln 15 minutes after Cameron, at 8:20am. A few others were around, who were planning to bag Bross as well. Mt Bross is the tan, flat-topped, mountain right of center...
A look back at the trail coming from Cameron, with Democrat further beyond. Bross on the left...
Me on Lincoln, Cameron to the left...
I hauled up my 1.75lb telephoto lens, so I better put it to use. A zoomed in pic of Quandary to the north. 2nd pic is of Democrat with hikers on the summit and ridge...
A stitched shot of people coming from Cameron towards Lincoln, with Democrat beyond (in the center of pic). The side road leading to Bross is visible on the near side of Cameron...
A look northwest from the summit of Lincoln. I ate some Twizzlers and left Lincoln at 8:30am, heading back towards Cameron...
At the saddle between Cameron and Lincoln, I took the side path leading to the ridge to Bross. A runner from Lincoln had started ahead of me, and a group of 3 girls started right after me. We looked to be the 1st people heading to Bross from Lincoln today. Since the summit of Bross is "officially" closed, it was nice to know I wasn't the only one planning to make a quick visit. The trail to Bross was like a road. Perfect for trail running, which I managed briefly at times...
A short way from the top, I passed a sign saying something about the Bross trail restrictions (couldn't quite comprehend the details ;-), and smelled smoke as I reached the summit at 9am. Some people must have camped up here and had a fire last night. In this pic from the summit of Bross, Democrat is on the left, Cameron in the center, and Lincoln to the right...
A look back at the trail cutting across the side of Cameron. Several more "specks" on the trail show that Bross is still a popular destination. The 2nd pic shows Democrat's peak, heavily swarmed with hikers from the summit, and running down the trail...
A close-up of Lincoln, from Bross, with a hiker taking photos from the summit. Also a look at the zig-zaggy trail leading to Democrat...
I met 5 others while on the expansive summit of Bross, and got this pic with Democrat on the background. After 10-15 minutes, I headed down the other side to return to Kite Lake. Here's a look at the trail leading down to the left, and the mining roads on the right...
Some flowers from the trail, with Democrat on the right. All these 14ers are owned by mining companies, which is why Bross is still closed (the others recently re-opened). The owners voice concern about the mines possibly causing the ground to collapse, though the road and trails should be safe, and this area has long been open and used in the past...
A look down from Bross's ridge to Kite Lake and the parking area below. The trail continues down the ridge, and cuts over to the left (visible). Democrat center, Cameron on the right...
Looking back up the ridge leading to Bross, I could see more hikers descending. Once I returned to vegetation, there were wildflowers in the grass...
I made it back to Kite Lake at 10am. A ranger had a table set up in the parking area with info about the mountains...
The day was still young, and I had some hiking left in me, so I set out on a trail leading to Lake Emma in the other direction from the parking area. It looked like a ~1.75 mile roundtrip hike, with 600' gain, and I figured the lake might be a pleasant spot to hang out for a bit. After telling a group of hikers, who left their map in the car, to take the correct trail to Democrat, I started up the path less traveled.
Saw a marmot along the trail early on the hike to Lake Emma...
The trail was gentle and easy to follow, until the final climb to the lake, which ascended parallel to some cascading water. I stayed on the right side, following a slippery dirt trail, and had to scramble up some rock near the top, to the right of the snow...
I was surprised that I saw no one on the trail the whole way up, and no one else at the lake...
The lake is shaped like a mirrored letter "g", and I walked around the lake to see the various parts of it...
I was about to turn back from the spot in the above pic, but decided to wander closer to the edge of the lake to eat my last bar. The view was amazing, and the water was deep green. It looked like the depth of the lake fell off fast at the edge of the green color. I wondered how deep it was...
The view was so good, I had to go back to where I had left my pack, and bring back my DSLR. Mt Democrat is the big peak to the right of center, though I don't think I could see this lake from the summit...
I hung out at lake for awhile, all to my own. Half way back to the trailhead I ran into a few people, who were deciding to ascend the trail on the left side of the water cascade. I hadn't seen that trail before, and suggested it to them, since the right side was "tricky". I had estimated there were 80 cars parked near the trailhead today, and it was amazing so few people go to this amazing lake. I decided to count the cars from my vantage point, and stopped counting when I reached 100. I could see lots of people descending down Bross's ridge too...
I got back to my car at 11:30am, and headed back to Breckenridge, and watched some ultimate frisbee action. The hike today was very enjoyable, capped by the wonderful Lake Emma. DeCaLiBron is a great way to boost your 14er count in a hurry too. Best to start early to beat the crowds. Or simply hike to Lake Emma for the day.