A Beautiful Spring Climb!

16 Apr 2004 - by T Colorado

We planned to climb North Star Mountain early in the season as a "training climb". My husband, Michael, and I had climbed it three times previously, but this time was the earliest ascent (compared to the others). Our friends, Don and Ron (aka ... the "ons") went with us. The climb is straightforward and begins at Hoosier Pass (between Fairplay and Breckenridge). We departed the vehicles at 7:10 a.m. and got back at 4:50 p.m. There was still lots of snow and we packed our snowshoes along with us (unnecessary in the early morning hours as the snow had set up really well). We followed the ridge proper the entire way and ended up stashing our snowshoes once the "excitement" began. The ridge was totally snow covered with some rocks popping out from time to time. The weather was fantastic, although predictably windy and gusty as can be the case in the mountains (at least it kept the clouds away). There was no summit register. The views from this peak are fantastic. For about 10 minutes on the ridge, you get a great view of Holy Cross and it's two 13'er neighbors. You are smack dab in between Lincoln/Bross/Democrat and Quandary. Pike's Peak sticks up all alone on the plains. The collegiates are visible to the south. Grays and Torreys are visible to the east. And, 13'ers abound all around you ... Clinton, Traver, McNamee, Wheeler, Atlantic, Pacific, Silverheels, Boreas Mt., etc. etc. Great way to start the year ... 5 hours each way. The time would have been much less had there not been so much snow to negotiate on the continual up and down of this ridge. Now, if our sunburned faces will only recover (I fear we all look like players in Phantom of the Opera at this point). haha Happy Trails!


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