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Originally planning to attempt Mount Elbert and/or Mount Massive, Leah and I ran into some problems trying to get to Leadville from Colorado 9. Roach's Guide has a map that shows Colorado 9 going straight to Leadville. Way to go Fulcrum Publishing! I have since learned to verify assumptions by looking at a map. We tried to get over Mosquito Pass on a Park County Road, but the effort was useless in the dark. Having given up on Sawatch peaks, we opted to go for Mount Sherman. The trouble didn't end here. Trying to find Sacramento Trailhead and Little Sacramento Trailhead led us up into newly developed urban residences. So at 1:00 a.m. we arrived at the Fourmile Creek Trailhead (11,240'). Gaining 3,000' elevation was going to be tricky without hiking from the campground, entailing 13 miles roundtrip. We opted to park on the road the next morning (private property) at a less conspicuous spot near 10,800'. On the right is a photo of Mt. Sherman from above Leavick (an old mine site).
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The hike would be roughly ten miles instead of 13, and we set off at around 8:30 a.m.. The road doesn't gain much elevation for quite a while, making for a pleasant morning stroll. Several people were driving up to the end of the road (12,520') and starting their hikes there, later celebrating their "climb" of the peak. This really has a tendency to make me feel out of place. The route never really steepened above Class 1 hiking until starting up Mount Sherman from the saddle of Mount Sheridan (13,748') and Sherman. It's pretty hard to miss the correct route up Mount Sherman from here. The Southwest Slope of Sherman is utterly laden with trails leading up to the ridge. It was pretty easy to follow the switchbacks to the top of the ridge. On the right is a view of the final 200' to Sherman's flat summit.
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Arriving at the top of the ridge is a little misleading, as there are about 300 or 400 yards to the actual summit. There was heavy foot traffic along this ridge crest. On the left, Leah is making her way across the flat ridge towards the summit. It was a little disheartening noting that the vast majority of people on the peak had started from above 12,000'. There looked to be some bad weather rolling in as we approached the summit. The clouds were very dark, suggesting iminent precipitation. We rested for a while on the summit, signed the register, and bolted down. Reaching the road, the cars passed us over and over again. The hail started just as we left the saddle. Thankfully, we had a means of covering our heads as we hiked back down, and it didn't last too long.
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We arrived back at the truck around 2:00 p.m., not too bad for ten miles of hiking. One of the property owners kept staring at us while we were eating lunch, so we honked and waved before we departed. This was an easy peak, and not to impose my views on others, some may find it much easier (parking at 12,520').
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