Mt. Democrat - 14,148 ft

Date:  4-16-2005

Climbers: George Barnes and MarkDB

Route:  South - South East Ridge

RT distance:  ~6 miles

RT time: 5 hours 15 minutes

Time to summit:  2 hours 45 minutes

Time on summit:  45 minutes

Time to trailhead: 1 hours 45 minutes

Elevation gain:  ~3,000 feet

Coordinates of TH:  39° 18.16'N, 106° 6.82'W

Coordinates of summit:  39° 20.38'N, 106° 8.41'W

USGS Quadrangles: Climax
 

Trip Report:

Winter maintenance on Kite Lake road still ends at Paris Mill, but Mark was able to get us over a mile past the mill, within sight of the Sweet Home Mine.  The road is melting out fast, and will likely be passable all the way to Sweet Home in the near future.

We left the truck at 6:15 AM and made good time up the crusted snow on the road.  We reached the lake at 7 AM and took a minute to rehydrate.

Our intended route would take us up the ridge on the left side of the southeast face.  Gaining the rocks of the ridge took a fair amount of snow climbing.  Because of our early hour, the snow was still iron hard, and it took 3-4 kicks to create a secure step.  Crampons would have been useful, but weren't required.

Once on the rocks, we're able to move quickly up the ridge.  Lake Emma becomes visible below with Mt. Buckskin rising in the background.

By 9 AM we reach the summit and are greeted by the only other climber we would see on Democrat.  He'd skinned up and was preparing for a ski descent of the SE face.

After forty-five minutes of lounging and picture taking, we decide it's time to get down.  We're hoping the slope we'd climbed is still hard enough to allow a safe glissade.  I inadvertently test the snow's integrity by dislodging a softball sized rock.  It gains speed quickly and bounces on top of the snow surface all the way down - good enough for me.  With axes ready to arrest our slide we quickly glide down the slope.

An hour after leaving the summit, we're back at Kite Lake.  Most of the campsite picnic tables are completely buried, but the one nearest the outhouse has just emerged.

On the way out we stop to photograph a recent avalanche above the Sweet Home Mine - the debris field stretches all the way to the road!  By 11:30 AM we're back at the truck and off to the Brown Burro in Fairplay to refuel.  All in all a great day and a nice change of pace from my recent climbs.