Mount Sherman
We took a short trip to Fairplay over the Labor Day weekend. We found a small Airbnb in Fairplay to make as our base for one main hike: Mount Sherman. This is one of Colorado's easier 14'ers, boasting a max elevation of 14,043. So just barely a 14'er but it still counts.
We woke up at 4:30 to hit the road by 5. We started our hike after a 40-minute drive to the trailhead. There were about a dozen other cars at the parking lot when we got there, but there was plenty of parking alongside the road.
We summited around 8:30 and ate burritos kept warm in a thermos. It was quite windy at the summit but not as bad as we expected. It did start getting windier on the descent. But even with the wind, the weather was perfect for a 14'er.
When we returned to the Airbnb around 11, Katie noticed a piece of the trail stuck in her car: a nice old rusted 4" long nail in her rear passenger tire hissing air. So before doing anything, I drove over to Ace Hardware in town and bought a tire repair kit, and got the tire patched up, at least temporarily. There's no doubt that this nail was from some of the old mining structures along the hike.
We left to go to Breckenridge around 1, planning on getting to Breckenridge Distillery right when they opened at 2. After parking and taking the free shuttle to the distillery, we got in line to get a seat and had a few drinks and appetizers as our lunch before taking the shuttle back to the main part of town and walking around the downtown area to do a little shopping. Overall it was a nice time in Breckenridge, but we were exhausted from the hike. That was a little much to do in one day.
On the drive out to Fairplay, we saw a moose on the side of the road near Kenosha Pass. Katie saw a second moose on the way back from Breckenridge. We didn't think that moose were that far South in Colorado so that was a nice treat. That brings our moose count for the year to 5.
5.19 mi
4.4 hrs
14,249 ft
2,221 ft
Abandoned Tracks
Even though the sun had not risen yet, the light made for nice soft lighting.
Sunrise to the East
Even from as high as we were when I took this photo the sun hadn't fully risen yet. You can see the road we drove in on in the distance.
Alpenglow on Sherman
Mount Sherman is shadowed by a summit directly to the East, so we only got a small amount of alpenglow on Mount Sherman.
Alpenglow Refelction
I caught the alpenglow on Mount Sheridan in the reflection of a small puddle.
Watching the Sunrise
About a half-mile from the summit Katie and I rested just off the side of the trail.
Summit above 14,000 ft
We made it to the summit in a little over 2 hours. It was around 8:30 when we summited.
Summit View
The view from Mount Sherman is best looking to the West, but since the sun was still quite low, the valley was covered in shadow.
Line of People
On the descent there were more people than when we ascended. It wasn't too obnoxious but I definitely wished there were fewer people.
Steep Rocky Ascent
The last 3/4 of the hike to the summit was very loose and steep rock. It was a great test of Katie's ankle.
Mount Sherisan
Rusty Nail
This is the same type of nail that we fund in the car tire after returning from the hike.
Disoraginzed Wood
none of the buildings were completely standing anymore. This is what was left of one of them.
Sherman From the Mine
Clear Skies
I woke up at 11 after sleeping a few hours to do some astrophotography. The Milky Way core was setting on the Southwestern horizon.
Our Airbnb
There was a lot of light in front of our Airbnb for me to get a great night shot with stars, but I took one anyway.
Cabin in the Woods
In the area where our Airbnb was, I found a cabin just barely lit up. There was a lot of ambient light from the neighborhood we were in, but that just made for the trees being lit up well.
