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Introduction
Summit Elevation: 14,067 feet Trailhead Elevation: 10,800 feet Elevation Gain: 3,200+ feet Roundtrip Length: 6 miles Roundtrip Time: 10 (somewhat hellish) hours This is number 10 for this hiker! Trail Rating With this article, I am changing the rating to remove the boots. It didn't work as well as I might have liked, and so I will modify it to a 1 - 4 level rating. With a level 1 being a simple gentle hike on primarily level ground, and a 4 being the 14'ers. Please remember that the rating system is based solely on our personal experience. I must also note a quick apology with this article. The digicam batteries decided to malfunction in May, and the pictures had to be processed the old-fashioned way. The result is that this article, and the few that are to follow, have not been posted on time. My apologies. The articles will be coming along rather quickly because they have been stacking up.
What to Bring Depending on the time of year, you may need everything you've got. Layer your clothes appropriately (read the river crossing info below) and be sure you have plenty of cold-weather gear, including gloves, face covering, and warm boots with good socks. Bring as much water as you can comfortably carry and more. Remember that if it gets heavy, you can always drink it. Bring as many high calorie snacks as you can. We did this hike in very late May. We later calculated that we burned between 7,000 and 9,000 calories on this hike. Please plan your hike accordingly. How to Get There From Leadville, drive 20 miles south on U.S. Highway 24. Turn right on the Chaffee County 390 road. Drive about 9.75 miles on gravel to a left turn off of the road. You are now in Rockdale. Drive down the short road past the old, historic cabins and then left down to Clear Creek. A picture of the river by the campgrounds is here.
Trail Specifics This story is an interesting one because the entry to the so-called jeep trail was completely under water and fallen trees (courtesy of a local beaver family). We, and the other fourteener hikers, spent the evening trudging up and down the creek trying to figure out the best way to cross. None of us were willing to risk the deep water and current in our vehicles. In the end, most of us decided to cross right at the campgrounds because of the rocky bottom and a clear shot to the other side. Everyone eventually came to the same basic plan: strip down and get through as fast as we could.
The copyright of the article Missouri Mountain in Hiking in Colorado is owned by Virginia O'Connor. Permission to republish Missouri Mountain in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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