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Base Camp
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- Statistics:
- Date Hiked: December 26, 2005
- Miles Hiked: 6.7
- Elevation Gain: 2,650'
- Hiking Partner(s): Brian Kooienga
(Coon-Ya)
- Description:
- Neither Brian and I had really been in the mountains since we did
Snowmass back in October, so we decided to head back out for a short
jaunt. Although we had been to the climbing gym a couple of times
over the past two months, I didn't want to attempt anything too aggressive
since I hadn't been out in a long time. Brian stated he was worn out
from skiing on Christmas Eve, so we quickly decided on Square Top Mountain
from Guanella Pass. Instead of heading east to Mount Bierstadt, we
went west to Square Top Lakes and then on to Square Top Mountain.
- Conditions were acceptable once we got moving, although the wind was
fairly strong near the pass. As we gained the southeast shoulder of
Square Top things let up for a short time. Brian climbed in a soft
shell all morning while I had my hard shell on also to reduce the effects
of the wind. I had to play Goose to Brian's Maverick as I followed
him up the peak for most of the hike. Once higher on the shoulder,
the wind picked up again and we stumbled our way to the summit. It
was a clear day that provided a quick outing with good views of the
surrounding mountains.
- On the way back down, we decided to head straight for the road rather
than go directly back to Guanella Pass. We caught a couple of short
glissades, and other than some deep snow right before the road, it was a
fairly uneventful return to the vehicle. It took us three hours to
summit and two and a half hours to return. On the way back to Denver
we stopped at Beau Jo's for a pizza and beer.
- Maps:
-
Click here
to view a 2D
map of the area where this hike is located.
- Photographs:
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