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Missouri Mountain - Page 2

© Virginia O'Connor

I must remind you that this was the end of May, which is hardly a warm time in Colorado, and the water we were to wade through was melted ice and snow from the Rockies. We decided that the current was probably very strong because of the volume of water passing through. I have to say that I was very nervous that night, but my hiking partner was jubilant with the energy of the challenge. The next morning, he was hardly jubilant - that first crossing knocked all the enthusiasm right out of him. The current was very strong and the fear of falling into it was great. The water was so cold that our legs quit feeling anything but prickles of pain after about the eighth step into the creek. After struggling through the current, it was a tough job to get numb toes and legs into our clothing, which we had jammed into our packs before crossing. After struggling into our clothes and hobbling up the first part of the trail, we discovered that we had one more creek to cross. It was just as cold and just as painful, but a little less deep, which was a blessing. Our legs, feet, toes, and even hips (I'm not tall) didn't warm up for almost an hour. After a committment like this, it was very important to summit this peak.

We had to hike the jeep trail, which was approximately 2.25 miles, before reaching the official trail head. Just in case you are curious, there is plenty of parking at the trailhead. The trailhead begins at 10,400 feet in elevation and it is well marked for both Missouri Mountain and Mt. Huron. You will climb through the trees and eventually see Cloyses Lake to the right. Continue on the trail until there is a split, turn left and take the trail up the hillside. The trail isn't used much and it can be difficult to find (we missed it on the way up, but located it on the return). The trails climbs through a thin forest next to a small stream.

The climbing begins to get tough just as the trail crosses a wide basin and starts a strong upward path. We traveled across two false summits before reaching the true summit. The first one was a little discouraging, but we were so tired by the time we reached the second one that we were running on pure determination and will-power. Nothing, not even a slippery, snowy ridge and a looming hail storm, would have stopped us. We should have been more cautious because the snow was beginning to melt and get slushy, so it was hard to tell where solid footing existed beneath it. The fear factor at this point was high. We used the equipment we had and we were dressed for the thigh-deep snow, but we could probably have used a security rope. Mixed in with the snow were boulders that we also had to work our way over. I've included a view from the top for inspiration.

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