• Date: September 30, 2018
• Partner: none
• Height: 14,067 feet
• Range: Sawatch
• Route: Northwest Ridge (Class 2)
• Overall Distance: 10.50 miles
• Elevation Gain: 4,500 feet (TH to summit)
• 14ers climbed: 27 separate climbs
• 14ers remaining: 26
• Road Condition to Trailhead: The Missouri Gulch trailhead is simple to drive to; any car can make it.  This is a popular area so expect company.

It is hard to believe, but I am now finally over halfway there to my goal of climbing all 53 of the Colorado 14ers as separate climbs.  I’ve been doing this now since I first arrived to Colorado in 2014 and I have thoroughly and gratefully enjoyed the journey …

I arrived at the trailhead around 4:30 PM the day before.  It was a beautiful, cool autumn day and there were few cars in the parking lot.  Just past the parking lot, the trail crossed a creek and then it immediately went up, up, up, via a series of switchbacks.  Along the way, I passed and said hello to several hikers coming out

After about 1.5 miles, the trail emerged from the treeline and entered into a large, majestic valley with a creek in the center and some yellowing, small shrubs.  It was quite reminiscent of some of the valleys I had seen in my time up in Alaska.  Flattening out some, the hiking was easy and I pushed ahead another 1.5 miles.

The sun was beginning to dip below the mountains and the wind was starting to pick up.  The trail came to the base of the northwest ridge and gradually began to ascend it.  With daylight running out, I climbed up to about 13,000′ and just off the trail, I found a large boulder adjacent to a flat area where I could lay out my sleeping quilt.  It was now 7:00 PM, darkness was coming, and the wind was intensifying.  There was not a soul around.

Cowboy camping (i.e., no tent) is not for everyone.  I like to do it because it saves me the weight of having to carry a tent.  The downside is that because I am a light sleeper, I usually toss and turn all night under my quilt.  This night was going to be no exception.  It was in the 30s but the wind chill was taking this evening down into the 20s.  Fortunately, I was treated to a brilliant spectacle of an almost full moon and tons of stars.

Around 4:30 AM, I decided to get up, eat a light snack, and get an early start for the summit.  From where I was, the trail went up a steep field of talus, and then hooked around to the southwest to sidehill the ridge for about 1,000′ of ascent.  In the dark and being alone, I had to be especially careful about inspecting my footing and checking my route with my headlamp.  After about 0.5 miles, the trail crested the top of the ridge.  Now the wind was really blowing and I was legitimately chilled.

The trail stayed along the top of summit ridge heading due south towards the summit, which was about another 0.5 mile away.  The walking was pretty easy and there was just enough light coming up over the eastern horizon that I could shut off my headlamp.

Just before the summit, there were some rock towers and boulders blocking the route for a couple hundred yards.  Gingerly, recalling my fall at Maroon Peak a couple of weeks before and still nursing a badly sprained pinky, I side-skirted these to the west. To me, this area is a little bit dangerous and exposed.  It’s scoured, steep, and sandy — if you took a fall, there could be consequences.  That said, I really took my time and finally gained the summit at 6:30 AM, just in time to watch a gorgeous autumn sunrise 🙂  It’s the first time I have been able to watch a sunrise on a 14er summit.

I really liked Missouri Mountain.  I’ll give it a 4 out of 10 on a scale of 14er difficulty.  The only drawback is that it is a popular mountain.  Indeed, on the way out I saw several other climbers coming in.  However, this is more than compensated for by the big, sweeping, Alaska-type views throughout the hike and climb.  I suspect that snow will be coming soon in the high country and that it will be time to trade my hiking shoes for snowshoes.