Spearhead Mountain

Dates of Trip: 24 September 2011

Climbers: hobo, tortoise, and bug (<5 months old)

Location: Mt. Evans Wilderness, Pine National Forest, CO, USA

Trailhead: Threemile Creek

Summit Objectives: Spearhead

Summits: Spearhead Mountain at 11244 ft

Starting Ele:  8960 ft

Ele. Gain:  ~2300ft

Distance:  6.75 mi

Aaaaaaaand, we're back!  After a beautiful pregnancy, a wonderful birth, and some recovery time, we are back in the hiking/climbing saddle with a third climber(-to-be) in tow.

Bug had done 2 nights of camping prior to this one, but we still hadn't been successful at getting the gumption for a hike afterward.  We took advantage of the fact that it is now fall, kids are back in school, and therefore the close-in dispersed camping is much easier to come by.  We camped at an established dispersed campsite along Guanella Pass Road on the banks of Geneva Creek.

Camp next to Geneva Creek

Hobo cookin', Bug rollin'

Bug put himself to sleep by hanging onto the zipper pull on the tent door.

Happy camping family

It's Cold!

In the morning we proceeded to the Threemile Creek trailhead early.  It was pretty chilly, and Bug was bundled up.  We did a long sleeved onesie as base layer, then a fleece sleeper, thick socks over that, cotton newborn mittens (need to get some fleece ones!) and his fleece hat with the earflaps.  Then we draped a fleece blanket over him once he was in the carrier.  It was his first outing in the Deuter frame backpack carrier, and he did great!  He fell asleep a couple times and fussed when he was hungry, but mostly he seemed to enjoy the scenery.  

The fall colors were in full splendor - we walked through several groves of glowing golden aspens.

Once we reached the base of Spearhead's summit cone, we determined (as expected) that the final push was a little too steep and bushwhack-y to bring the baby up.  So Hobo ran up to the summit while I waited with bug around 10800 and ate lunch.  I was contemplating saying that the hike had been enough for me, I didn't need the summit, when Hobo came back and declared "best summit register ever!!!" and told me I HAD to go.  So Bug stayed with daddy while I made my summit push.  I was very slow, but I made it and indeed it was worth it.

Waiting for daddy.

First of all, the summit register was in an old food jar of some kind.  The register itself was a small pocket notebook labelled "Woolworth's. 19c."  Classic!  The first page showed it had been placed in 1976.  There were very few entries (maybe 15 or so?) between then and now.  

Then, on page 3, appeared the name of Gerry Roach.  As in THE Gerry Roach - authority on all things Colorado Mountaineering, author of some of our favorite books, 12th American to summit Mt. Everest, 2nd person to complete the seven summits (highest peak on every continent), international mountaineering icon... Gerry Roach.  His summit log was dated October 8, 1983... just a few short months after he summitted Everest.  A-MAZING.  We have signed the same summit register as Gerry Roach.

It was just a beautiful day and a really fun hike.  It was "only" an 11er, but it was a challenge (I was SO sore the next day), and it was really great to stand on top of something again.