Emerald Peak (13,904 ft), Iowa Peak (13,831 ft) & Missouri Mountain (14,067) by Brian Schultz Sunday Aug. 24, 2003
After eating dinner in Buena Vista, I drove up to the Missouri Gulch trailhead and prepared for an overnight in the car. Also carcamping was a a fellow named John from Telluride, who was planning an early morning climb of fourteener Missouri. I was weary and still cold from the Ice/North Apostle climb and put on all my warm clothes before settling in, if one could call it that, in the front seat. I woke up freezing within an hour. The only remaining item I could wrap up in was my space blanket, which I grabbed from my pack, and though it helped somewhat, I slept in fits the remainder of the night. When I awoke for good at 4:30, John had already departed. My intended route would cover all three peaks from this trailhead, beginning with the North Slopes route on Emerald and finishing with Missouri's Northwest Ridge route.
It was pitch black when I started up the trail at 5:05 and foolish me didn't change my flashlight's batteries before leaving. They were dead within ten minutes and there I stood in complete darkness with no backup. I had fresh batteries but couldn't get the polarity right no matter which way I inserted them. Fortunately, the bobbing headlamp of a solo hiker soon approached and when he neared, he kindly stopped to shine his light. I was soon back on the trail, having lost only ten minutes time.
I started up the trail in earnest, passing the old cabin at 6:00, and reached Belford's junction at 6:25. After crossing the creek to Missouri Gulch, I took off my boot to retape a bothersome blister. The other solo hiker had also stopped, and after performing a duct tape miracle I headed up the trail, not far behind him. In the open area above, he turned around and asked if the dry stream bed on the right was the correct way to ascend Missouri. I didn't know because when I climbed Missouri five years ago I did it from the Clohesy Lake side. He started up it but when I came upon the cairned junction marking the trail he was looking for, I shouted that he was just a short bushwhack from it. I plodded along to Elkhead Pass and stopped for a break there at 7:55.
The sky was wonderfully clear and the view of Emerald Peak from the saddle was exceptional. The remainder of the route was also obvious. Fifteen minutes later I descended the still very good trail to 12,700 feet elevation, where I left the trail and began a bushwhack to the first lake. I reached it at 8:47 and continued up to a second lake, stopping to ponder which side of the cliffy rock hump in front of me I should ascend. I picked the left side and it worked well, and even found an old trail leading up to the Emerald-Iowa saddle.
I could hear voices on Iowa's summit and wondered if those hikers were planning to climb Emerald too. As I started up Emerald's slope I looked behind and saw the trio descending Iowa quickly, and figured they'd catch me for sure. The slope to Emerald's summit is basically a rock hop with a few loose dirt sections, but no trail. I set a bearing for the ridge and thought how neat it would be if I could beat those speedy climbers to the summit. When I reached the ridge with nobody gaining on me, I charged up to the summit and claimed my spot. The time was 9:57. The weather was holding fine but it took almost five hours to get to this summit and I still had two more peaks to climb. Therefore, I planned on just a five minute stay before continuing on to Iowa and Missouri.
I signed the register and moments later the first of the three arrived. We greeted each other and after the young man signed in, he looked at me warily. He asked if I had a webpage and I acknowledged that I did. When he said his name was Ryan Schilling, I cracked a smile. I knew of him through Fourteenerworld.com and have enjoyed reading his many postings. Actually, his posting of the Culebra/Red Mtn lottery climb information prompted me to enter the contest and it's why I was in Colorado at the present moment climbing. Ryan also writes trip reports and they're loaded with great information.
The next fellow arrived and I suspected who he was before he even introduced himself because I'd read of Ryan's climbing companions in his trip reports. It was Kurt Traskos, whose Ice Mountain trip report I referred to when Tim and I climbed Ice and North Apostle just yesterday. Small world! No one had to make the next introduction because when she strode to the register I said, "You must be Erin Burr!" It was special to meet these three climbers whose postings I've followed regularly and I stayed on Emerald with them much longer than I should've, but I felt like I was with old friends.
They climbed these three peaks in the opposite order as me, having begun with Missouri from Cloyhesy Lake. Ryan and Erin have now officially finished the last of their Sawatch fourteeners with today's climb of Missouri. I was invited to join the trio afterward for lunch and I laughed because Tim and I just ate Mexican last night in Buena Vista and I knew how much Ryan likes the Coyote Cantina in Johnson Village. But they would have been waiting a long time for me because I still had Iowa and Missouri to climb and much distance to cover. And, I really needed to get to Denver.
I left Emerald at 10:33, and without stopping reached Iowa at 11:06. I only stayed four minutes on the summit because the weather was getting ugly and I was running late. Another quick jaunt brought me to Missouri at 11:45, where I sat to eat and take a short rest. Quite a few climbers were milling about on the summit and one of them was talking on a cell phone. Fortunately, he wasn't ordering pizza. Most of them had left during the fifteen minutes I was on top and I soon did likewise, at 12:00. This was my second time on Missouri's summit but neither was by the standard route and that's the way I needed to descend. I didn't realize the route would keep me up high for so long and I was getting nervous with the approaching dark clouds. A number of climbers were still making their way to the summit when I reached the big cairn on the ridge and began my descent.
At 12:48 it started raining and I quickly put on my rain jacket. The tardy climbers on the ridge above would not only have the lightning risk but slippery rocks to contend with. I, meanwhile, was in the grassy basin when 30 minutes later a bolt of lightning hit a lower ridge on Mt Belford. Instant thunder, just like on Meeker last month. I was standing exposed in the open but not far from where the trail dropped down below the basin, and started running as lightning cracked again. It's amazing how tired legs can run when so motivated.
I eased up once below and stopped briefly at the cabin in the woods where the climbers who'd left the summit before me were taking a break. They knew I was above them and were glad I made it down safely. The remaining hike out was slow but steady and I reached the car at 2:33. This was a long tiring day with lots of mileage and elevation gain but I enjoyed the route and especially enjoyed meeting Ryan, Kurt, and Erin. Perhaps we'll cross paths in the mountains again. This trip wraps up another memorable year of climbing in Colorado.
Trailhead to Emerald- 4 hours 52 minutes
Emerald to Iowa- 33 minutes
Iowa to Missouri- 35 minutes
Missouri to trailhead- 2 hours 33 minutes
Start to finish- 9 hours 28 minutes, including all breaks