What’s a Triple you might ask. Among the peak bagging crowd it would be summiting on three peaks in one day. The triple in this case is the peaks, Democrat (14,148 feet), Lincoln (14286 feet) and Bross (14,172 feet).
Generally peak baggers go after anything over 14,000 foot. This trail starts at the Kite lake campground at 12,000 foot elevation and winds roughly in a circle about 8 miles, summiting on 4 peaks over 14,000 in the course of the hike. (See photo below) For some reason the mountain in the middle Mount Cameron at 14238 feet is not included in the traditional view of this hike. I think it is because it is within 1/2 mile of other taller peak, Lincoln. It seem the rules of this game require a separation of over 1/2 mile to be counted and mount Lincoln is only .48 miles farther north. (.2 miles too close). The short story is even though you actually summit 5 time on this hike over 14,000 feet (twice across Cameron) you can only count three time in the peak bagging game.
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We took off early on a Friday afternoon in early September and drove to Alma Colorado, the nearest town to the “Triple Hike” . There is a gravel road northwest out of town that meanders up the valley between Democrat and Boss. The photo below shows the road looking back down the valley just before the Kite lake campground.
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About 1/2 mile before the campground is a small creek that you have to cross with your vehicle if you want to drive to the campground. Since we were driving a 4X4 Jeep and could see other vehicles at the campground. We decided to cross.
Well apparently the other vehicles did not happen to hit the very sharp rock at the edge of the creek as we did, because as we crossed there was a loud bang and we blew the right front tire on the Jeep. I stopped the Jeep immediately still in the creek and got out to inspect. Not good. Can’t change the tire in the creek, so I got back in, threw the jeep in 4 wheel low and plowed forward out of the creek with a blown tire up the bank on the other side.
On the other side of the creek I could now change the tire, so I dug out the spare and spent 1/2 hour putting on a new tire. Not even to the campground yet and the excitement has started!
At last to the campground. Camp setup. Let me introduce the camp comedian
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Believe me the flat tire crossing the creek gave the camp comedian plenty of material to work with for the evening!
Here the comedian is pointing out where we are headed tomorrow morning.
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| From Triple |
Mount Democrat looming in the background across the Kite lake campground
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It got very cold that night in the tent down to 20 degrees at 12,000 ft, but we stayed warn in our sleeping bags. The next morning we were up at 6:00AM and had a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, broke camp and were ready to hit the trail before 7:00. Below you can see Mount Democrat in the morning sunshine, from the campground.
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| From Triple |
Farther up the trail a little later the peak comes into sharp view.
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Here you can see the camp comedian, and a few people on the trial before us, early in the morning as we work our way up the switchbacks on the eastern face of Democrat.
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The Kite Lake campground at the head of the valley from a viewpoint a thousand feet higher. It looks like a Kite from here doesn't it?
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Break time in the cold morning air. No comedy coming out of the comedian this morning.
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The final approach to the top of Democrat just below the summit
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The view of the valley from the summit of Democrat
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The wind is howling at the top as we huddle in the summit shelter taking a break. It took us about 2 hours to summit Democrat. We still have two more peaks ahead of us this morning.
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Looking out of the summit shelter to the left you can see Cameron in the distance and the ridge we have to follow to Lincoln
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It seem like you can always rely on someone to take your picture for you. On the ground in the background you can see the white plastic tube that contains the summit log that most people sign when they get to the top.
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Onward to the next peak. After about 45 minutes of descending Democrat we are approaching Cameron's ridge and you can see Lincolns sharp peak in the background just to the left of the ridge.
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| From Triple |
Looking back toward Democrat in the bright morning sunshine from the flank of Cameron you can see the trail switch backing across the mountain where we just came from.
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| From Triple |
What looked like a sharp ridge across Cameron from the distance turns into a wide trail as you get closer
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At the summit of Cameron the wind was blowing so hard the we often has to stop and sometime crouch down to stop from being blown off the trail. I remember laughing hysterically crouched on the ground trying to hold onto my backpack wonder what the hell we were doing up here on this ridge. Poor Margaret struggled to stay on the ground in the wind.
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Most of the 2 hours from the summit of Democrat across Cameron’s ridge to Lincoln we followed this gentleman who had the most even, steady gait and pace I have ever seen. He was methodical as he followed the trail never slowing never speeding just step, step, step always in the same cadence. He set the pace and we followed.
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| From Triple |
Coming down the north side of Cameron you can now get a good picture of the sharp peak that is Mount Lincoln.
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| From Triple |
The slope down Cameron toward Lincoln is steep and slippery. The Camp Comedian chooses her steps with care.
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As we approach Lincoln you can see our methodical, pace setting, hiking companion already at the top of Lincoln.
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| From Triple |
Or hiking companion takes our picture atop Lincoln
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Looking from the top of Lincoln towards our next peak Bross.
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Around 11:30 Saturday morning we summit Bross the third peak and the 5th time above 14,000 feet in one morning. The wind is still blowing violently as we spend 20 minutes in the rock pile summit shelter having lunch.
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From the top of Bross there is several trails that lead away from the shelter back towards the Kite Lake campground and our jeep. We selected the one that looked the most used that headed south towards valley pictured below
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Unbeknownst to us this trail eventual faded away to nothing and left us about halfway down the valley in the middle of a shifting scree slope to find our way down amidst the unstable rubble. (scree defined here) dangerous stuff! Each step you take the rocks slide down under you. After a while you get good at it and it becomes almost like sking.
Well not everyone skied down.
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| From Triple |
We struggled for45 minutes to get out of the scree. Believe me when I tell you I got an earful from the “Camp Comedian” about the trail down. She was not a happy comedian!
At last out of the scree slope, onto a solid trail with the campgrounds in sight!
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Ultimately we arrived back at the Jeep around 1:30. It took us about 6 1/2 hours to do the 8 mile loop and the three peaks. We celebrated in a sun beam with a couple of cocktails in lawn chairs watching the rest of the hikers straggle in.
LIFE IS GOOD!
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