Mt Democrat (14,148) North Ridge by Brian Schultz Sunday September 29, 2002
Tim and I were going to do this route in July but the summer forest fires dictated otherwise. I didn't mind postponing it because I was trying to include more friends anyway, As it turned out my three closest pals were able to do this climb. Jason, Steve, Tim and I would be climbing together as a foursome for the first time.
We've all finished the fourteeners (except Jason still needs Culebra) and the combined experience of our group was a comfort, especially with the wintry conditions we'd be facing today. We met at the Montgomery Reservoir (at the same place I parked yesterday) and began our hike at 7:50 on the rough four-wheel drive road. For those daring enough to drive it, the road is comparable to the Como Lake road with several nasty "jaws" sections and fluid spills splattered about. We were bundled up for the cold weather and though the sky was clear, our concern was for the inclement weather predicted for later. We circled around Mt Lincoln and the troublesome gullies I descended last year and continued up the valley past the cut-off to Wheeler Lake. Tim was up here recently to climb the centennial Clinton and Traver Peaks and his familiarity with the valley was helpful. As we gained elevation, the depth of the snow on the ground increased enough to stop and put on gaiters. We angled up to Point 13,460, hopping the uncovered rocks where possible and stepping cautiously in the ever deepening snow.
Upon reaching the Point we braced against a ferocious wind and continued along the exposed ridge with care so we wouldn't get blown over the side. We followed the down-sloping ridge on snow-covered rocks and then made a discouraging but necessary descent to contour around a shark fin. The treacherous conditions made the route very dangerous and much harder than the stated class 3 rating and I suspect even if it were dry it would still be a challenge.
Past the shark fin a gully appeared (on the left). I headed up it see if it was passable while the others continued contouring. At the top was a rock window and I crawled through it, only to find another smaller window that I could barely squeeze through, but it delivered me to the ridge. It may or may not have been easier than what the guys did but it was great fun. Steve had already pushed ahead while I waited for Tim and Jason.
At the second notch Steve and Tim went ahead to scout the route while Jason and I held back. Steve continued on but Tim turned around- he didn't like what he saw and decided to scramble straight up to the ridge instead. From the top he yelled it was doable so we went up, but the climbing was tricky and dangerous and we took it very slowly. Steve had been waiting for quite a while for the three of us to catch up.
The remainder of the ridge eased up in difficulty as some dark clouds to the west passed over and dumped snow on us a couple times. We climbed by an old mine and hiked over a false summit before finally reaching the summit at 12:45. It was chilly on top and the sky was clear at first. As we were eating lunch another snow shower hit us but it soon passed and we spent the rest of our time watching the changing weather and the progress of another group slowly ascending the traditional route.
After thirty five minutes on the summit we departed and passed the still ascending climbers while heading down to the Democrat-Cameron saddle. More climbers, some with dogs, were making their way up Democrat from the Kite Lake approach but our descent would take us back into the valley we came up, completing a grand loop of the north side. Another storm of greater intensity blasted us with snow pellets and I slipped several times on the way to the saddle but once there we took advantage of the deep snow on the slopes and made a speedy descent to the bottom. Warmer weather and clearing skies made for a pleasant hike out as we crossed the valley and gained elevation back to the road. That bit of elevation regain allowed us to avoid getting caught in the dense willows lower down.
We got back to the parking area at 4:28. We were the only ones who climbed the north ridge today which wasn't a surprise. This was a tough route with all the snow, but very rewarding, and our foursome got along great. It also completes my official status of climbing all the fourteeners with 3,000 feet gain and descent, with the exception of Culebra.
Total climbing time- 8 hours 38 minutes, including all breaks