Mt Bross (14,172) & Mt Lincoln (14,286) by Brian Schultz Monday July 30, 2001
Our group anticipated doing all three peaks when I announced we'd be hiking from Kite Lake instead of Quartzville Creek. After checking into a Fairplay motel last evening I'd driven up to the Quartzville Creek trailhead to make sure we wouldn't waste time in the morning finding it. Which was a good thing because ... I couldn't find it. The signs are not helpful and they all warn to stay off private property.
Not only would Art, Mark, and I be hiking but Mike (who tried Grays last year) was scheduled to join us along with his son Dave. We met them at the Fairplay Hotel where Mike informed the group he wouldn't be hiking because of leg problems but Dave would still be going. So off we drove to Kite Lake and began our ascent of Mt Bross at 8:15 while Mike said he'd hang out at the lake or drive back into town. I enjoyed this route the last time I was here but Art & Mark didn't share my enthusiasm once we started up the steep slope- we stopped often to give their lungs a break.
Dave and I eventually pushed ahead of them and crossed the gully over to the left side which we soon regretted because the scree was so steep and loose. Two years ago I kept to the right side and had a much easier time ascending- it's the way we should have gone this time. Once past the worst of the scree we waited at a triangular mine opening and hollered down when the guys came into view that we'd meet them on the summit. Dave and I scooted to South Bross first and then to the main summit at 10:30 where we hung out until Art and Mark arrived a half hour later. We wanted to see their reaction when they saw a 4x4 parked at the top and as expected, they weren't too happy at the sight. The occupants were foreign tourists who rented the truck and hoped to drive around Cameron's other side for a different way down. My first thought was "good thing it's a rental!" ...but no calamity was witnessed as they got smart and descended the road they came up.
Art was suffering with an upset stomach but it didn't stop him and Mark from also making the jaunt over to South Bross. We stayed on Bross until 11:30 with the weather holding but clouds creeping in from the west made me uneasy- the only way we'd make both Lincoln and Democrat at the late hour was to move fast but when we departed, Art's discomfort slowed him down even worse. After we rounded Cameron, Dave and I broke away for the easy finish to Lincoln's summit and got there at 12:35. From the top we saw another 4x4 parked below with two people heading up our way.
Art and Mark finally plodded up just before 1:00 and we triumphantly claimed the second fourteener of the day. Meanwhile, Art found a spot to lie down as we visited with the other guys who arrived. They came up from Quartzville Creek and pointed out the correct road to get there- it was easy to see from the summit and turned out to be right next to the one I was on last night. Gerry Roach says odometer readings vary but he could have mentioned how close the forest service road is to the other one.
Democrat was out of the question so we stayed until 1:30 enjoying the summit. I looked over Platte Gulch trying to spot a trail for Democrat's North Ridge but couldn't see any semblance of one- it's a class 3 route that interests me for a future climb. After we descended Lincoln, Dave and I went up Cameron while Art and Mark contoured around the side. At the saddle I sent Dave down to meet Mike while I sat and watched Art and Mark very slowly working their way down to me.
The cloud activity had turned a father and daughter around who'd come up from Kite Lake but fortunately no storms developed. When the guys finally caught up, we split up and agreed to meet in Fairplay because if Mike wasn't at the lake, then I'd drive Dave into town where he could call him on his cell phone. I reached the lake at 4:00 and Dave was still there so we drove out, only to find Mike exploring the area a few miles down the road. With father and son reunited, and heading back to Denver, I took off to the Quartzville Creek trailhead determined to find it this time. And I did.
Confident for my next time climb of Lincoln I drove back to Fairplay and waited until Art and Mark showed up. Our day was far from over- we had to get to the San Juans tonight- but we ate at the Hotel before driving on. Although sore and tired, Art and Mark were all smiles with two more peaks added to their list but were disappointed to miss Democrat- I pointed out they had a good reason to come back. Our long drive to Lake City was, of course, accompanied by rain.
Total hike time- 7 hours 45 minutes