Bassam Ridge (10,020), UN 9980, UN 9965, Aspen Ridge (10,740), UN 10620, Green Mtn (10,265), Graphite Ridge (10,020)
by Brian Schultz Wednesday July 22, 2020

Bassam Ridge:
Roundtrip mileage: 0.90 miles
Elevation gain: 320'
Start to finish: 30 minutes

Today was an opportunity to collect lots of peaks with short distances and minimal elevation gain. I left Buena Vista for the short drive to Johnson Village and turned east on Hwy 285. It's another short drive to CR 307 and then CR 187 to begin the first of seven peaks. I parked off the road due south of Bassam Ridge and at 7:30 AM headed straight up the slopes to the summit.

There's not much to mention regarding the route because it's so short and straightforward but the summit itself has a few candidate high points and I walked to each of them. A quick descent brought me back to my truck at 8:00.

UN 9980:
Roundtrip mileage: 2.05 miles
Elevation gain: ~500'
Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes

I drove back on CR 187 to CR 185 and turned south. All the remaining peaks would be approached from CR 185, beginning with 9980. I turned right (west) on CR 185D and parked shortly afterward. I headed south at 8:40 AM and began a tough bushwhack up the north ridge. There was lots of deadfall on the ridge to contend with before arriving on the summit (photo 1, photo 2). On the descent I veered more to the east to avoid it, adding extra mileage but well worth it.

UN 9965:
Roundtrip mileage: 1.2 miles
Elevation gain: ~450'
Start to finish: 50 minutes

I started from CR 185 at a terrific camp site slightly northeast of the summit. I began at 10:30 AM by descending to the left from the camp area because the slopes straight ahead looked quite steep. From there though it was an easy ascent and I reached the summit at 10:55. I only stayed 10 minutes but did enjoy the open views. I was back at the truck at 11:20 and continued on CR 185 for the next peak.

Aspen Ridge:
Roundtrip mileage: 1.15 miles
Elevation gain: 485'
Start to finish: 55 minutes

CR 185 got increasingly rougher as I drove further south along the road. Two vehicles from Texas drove by while I parked across from a road identified as "Administrative Use Only". This would be my trailhead, located northwest of Aspen Ridge, and I had a bite to eat before starting up the "administrative" road at 12:25 PM.

The road was short-lived, and after passing a fenced off area that served as some type of an ongoing experiment, I set a bearing for the summit. The peak is aptly named for all the aspen trees on the slopes, which were easy to hike through, and an interesting looking cave beckoned near the top that I continued past without checking out.

The summit and the ridge just south of it are separated by an old barbed-wire fence that was easy to step over. My stay on top was brief before heading down.

UN 10620:
Roundtrip mileage: 1.5 miles
Elevation gain: 440'
Start to finish: 1 hour 5 minutes

Down the road a short distance from Aspen Ridge is a large parking area on the west side. I began here at 2:15 PM and headed toward toward the peak. I bypassed the northern summit by contouring beneath it and found the going to be very easy to the higher southern summit. There were a few ups and downs on my route but no issues. I departed immediately under increasingly threatening skies.

Green Mountain:
Roundtrip mileage: 1.5 miles
Elevation gain: ~550'
Start to finish: 1 hour

The side (4x4) road up from CR 185 is steep. I was nervous driving it because it had a trench in the middle that I didn't want to get hung up on if any of the wheels slipped into it. I could've driven it even further than I did to cut down the hiking distance but I found a large flat area to park higher up and began from there at 4:00 PM.

I followed the road a short distance and then descended through the trees on a bearing to the peak. Getting closer revealed a rock face that made me wonder how I'd get to the top. But this isn't a technical rated peak so I knew there had to be a way. I kept going north around the east side until the terrain finally opened up with an easy route to the west. A bit of scrambling led to the rocky summit.

This was fun and the views from the top were impressive. I heard thunder rumbling on my descent and it rained briefly before I got back to the truck at 5:00. The 4x4 road back down to CR 185 was less nerve-wracking than the drive up and once back on CR 185 I thought my day was over but Graphite Ridge was so close that I drove over to see if I could work it in.

Graphite Ridge:
Roundtrip mileage: 1.15 miles
Elevation gain: 475'
Start to finish: didn't record but probably an hour

I drove up CR 185A and parked off the road northwest of Graphite Ridge. I had enough time to climb the peak so I quickly gathered my pack and headed out across the field and into the trees. There was lots of deadfall on the north slopes to the north highpoint and then lots of boulders to skirt on the way over to the higher southeastern summit.

The route to the southeastern summit required dropping down from the northern summit a bit so this added extra elevation gain and loss. Views from the summit were pretty good. Again, thunder was rumbling but no storms materialized as I reversed my route.

CR 185 improved as I drove into Salida. It was a nice feeling to collect seven peaks today.