Mt. Sherman: Our First 14er

Mt. Sherman (named after the Civil War general) is in Colorado's Mosquito Range, south of Breckenridge and east of Leadville.  Thanks to my friend Bob's recommendation, we set off before dawn this past Saturday (July 2nd) so we could be on trail before 9am -- and, more importantly, off the summit before noon to avoid the risk of summer afternoon thunderstorms.

We followed Four Mile Creek Road about ten miles off the highway (nine of which were over rutted gravel) and parked a half-mile short of the 12,000' elev. gate.  Trail reports from 14ers.com indicated that the road was dry all the way to the gate, and no additional traction was necessary to cross the few snow fields on the southwest ridge route.  I'm very glad we brought the hiking sticks, though!

The Mosquito Range was rich in precious metals, forming a high barrier between the rift valleys of the Arkansas River headwaters (to the west, near Leadville) and the South Platte River (to the east, near Fairplay).  Mt. Sherman's Hilltop Mine produced more than 10 million ounces of silver (valued at over $300 million in 2010 prices).  So abandoned mines are a common sight on Mt. Sherman.

Several shelters are still standing, showing that the mines weren't abandoned until the past couple of decades.  The Hilltop Mine was in operation until 1982.

Despite being in the height of summer, there were several snow fields to cross en route to the summit.  Fortunately the pack was firm enough that we simply had to follow the footprints of our predecessors.

Jarrett was pretty winded after the first half-mile of the trek, but quickly found his groove and his second wind.  By the time we passed 13,000' above sea level, Jarrett turned into a mountain goat -- leaving old guys like me and Bob in the dust (until we told him to stop and take a drink to, y'know, stay hydrated..... and let us catch up!)

Mt. Sherman's Southwest Ridge Route is rated as a "Class 2" trail in the Yosemite Decimal System: still a "hiking trail" (vice a "climbing trail" that requires ropes and harnesses), but with some exposure and some portions requiring the use of your hands.

Looking left and down (to the west) from 13,600' shows a much more difficult approach....  Class 5 ascents in the Yosemite Decimal System are indicative of near-vertical faces requiring technical free climbing with belaying and other protection for safety (and are further stratified into more than a dozen sub-classes).  Jarrett has scaled a Class 5.7 ascent before (see here).

Jarrett reached the summit before me.  Here he is signing the log book indicating he has successfully ascended a 14er! By shortly before 11:00am MDT, we had reached our goal (and found two Geocaches along the way).  Our MotionX GPS track can be viewed here.

 On top o' the world, 14,036' above sea level!

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But then we had to go back down....

Thankfully the snowpack just below 13,500' was well established for a glissading descent! Just like at the water park (except for the snow that ended up in all of my pockets....)

A great day all around, and a great start to many more ascents of Colorado's 53 "14ers"!

2dB: Road Trip 2011

Road Trip 2011 for the Deichman Family was a rare Point-to-Point (rather than our usual "loop" with abundant freeloading on our wonderful friends and family).  After more than two years as a resident of the Centennial State, Renee needed a beach....

So we set off for the best and closest beach we could find: Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 1,400 miles from home and nestled in the middle of the "Emerald Coast" of the western Florida panhandle.  The water acts as a natural air conditioner, so the 90-plus F. temperatures and 80%-plus relative humidity was bearable.  Also, the Emerald Coast has remarkably few bugs (unlike other parts of the Southeast) and the white sand is as fine as talcum powder.  Our dear friend Nicole has a great place on Cinco Bayou, and was a wonderful host for our family of five.  And each day she treated us to a different beach experience:

Day One: Fort Walton Beach (aka AlgaeFest)

Near the east end of Okaloosa Island's south shore, we parked by the Boardwalk for our first day at the beach.  Sophiepeanut had a great time working with her new sand toys, with Dad helping her build the parapets for her Princess Castle.

Unfortunately, the algae count was especially high at this particular beach -- so we're still picking it out of the velcro on our swimsuits....




Day Two: Crab Island (aka the Partyin' Sandbar)

Crab Island is a sandbar just inside the Destin Inlet to Choctawatchee Bay.  Boats will approach from the channel, then cut the engines to be walked into the "island".  We got a primo spot near the middle of the sandbar, not far from the floating sound stage (with live music!) and floating volleyball court.  The bar next to the stage was offering free Ziploc Margaritas, and "Helen Back Pizza Parlor" gave out free slices nearby.

Jarrett found several hermit crabs, hence the island's name:

And Sophiepeanut got to ride her own boat!

Day Three: Destin Beach (aka Fathers' Day Napping)

Need I say more?

While the ladies swam, Jarrett spent the entire time Boogieboarding or Bodysurfing:

Day Four: Cape San Blas (aka Shell Hunt)

Our "Mini-Roadtrip" on the day after Fathers' Day took us east along the Gulf coast, past Panama City (home to Hunt's Oyster Bar, our lunch stop shown above -- with the best Appalachicola Oysters to be found!) to Cape San Blas.

Since Cape San Blas is right at the bend in the coast, where the Florida Panhandle meets the Florida Peninsula, the currents are very dynamic.  The Cape San Blas Lighthouse ended up nearly 100 yards offshore due to the shifting sand bars and ever-changing littoral topography, so they moved it to its present location (on one of Eglin AFB's test ranges).  While the shelling wasn't quite as abundant as we had hoped, the beach did offer blissful solitude compared to our previous beach days....

Day Five: Spectre Island (aka Restricted Area Fun)

Nic, being a former Test Squadron CO, has knowledge of hide-aways unknown (and inaccessible) to most locals.  "Spectre Island" is between the barrier island and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, just off the approach to the flight line at Hurlburt Field (home to the Air Force Special Operations Command, AFSOC).  This deserted island offered another secluded beach, a wide variety of fish and crustaceans in the shallows, and another different beach experience than our previous four days.

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Our return trip allowed us to do touch-and-go's at some old favorites, like Cafe du Monde in New Orleans:

... and a new favorite: Avery Island, Louisiana, home to the McIlhenny Tabasco factory:

It also saw Sophiepeanut (who is not yet three years old) log her 34th and 35th U.S. states:

(Sorry, Sean & tdaxp: Iowa still remains "unseen" by the Peanut M&M!)

While we wish we had the time to travel a few hundred miles farther to see our other Florida friends (or even farther to the OBX of North Carolina, and our Virginia friends), this was a fun and relaxing trip for all!

Shelby's Band in Concert

Last night the Liberty High School Band (led by Ms. Genice Matzke) hosted a "Future Lancers Concert".  Since Timberview Middle School is right next door to Liberty, the vast majority of Timberwolves migrate across the parking lot to LHS after their eighth grade year.

The genius of the TMS-LHS program (singular) is that Scott Singmaster at TMS and Genice Matzke at LHS have formed a true "Grade 6-12" music program.  Given the extraordinary quality of instruction at both schools, and the accolades afforded to the TMS program recently (e.g., playing an hour-long concert at the Broadmoor Hotel for the Colorado Music Educators Association's annual conference last month), these kids are doing some amazing things:



("Music for Silent Film", commissioned especially for this 8th Grade Concert Band by Prof. Ken Singleton of the Univ. of Northern Colorado [GO BEARS!], and conducted by Mr. Josh Prewett.)





("Oxford Pointe Overture" by Huckaby, with the combined TMS 8th Grade Concert Band and the LHS Wind Ensemble -- over 150 teenagers making an amazing sound! -- conducted by Ms. Genice Matzke.)

These kids all have a bright future ahead of them!