Mount Sherman

“Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.” - David McCullough

My husband loaded up the vansion and we headed over Independence Pass and into Leadville for the weekend to camp with family. And on Sunday, we decided to try our hand at the peak that's been dubbed "Colorado's easiest fourteener," Mount Sherman. 

We began our hike at 6:30 am; the trailhead is just a short distance from the town of Leadville, and was easy to find. The trail gets rocky and steep rather quickly; however, and we soon found ourselves scrambling up loose rock and gravel towards the high ridge in view above us. Switchbacks take you to the saddle where you join the trail from Fair Play and head up the ridge. 

For someone with a healthy fear of heights, like me, the ridge walk turned out to be slightly daunting but mostly harmless. We summited at 9:00 am, took a break and ate a snack. The sun snuck behind the clouds, and as the wind chill picked up, we decided to head back down. 

As we began our decent we noticed a steady line of people on the ridge heading towards the summit. I was happy to have missed the crowds. We were back at the car just before noon and were happy and grateful to have summited another of Colorado's mighty fourteeners. 

Cheers to Justin's mom, Diane, who didn't think she had another summit in her, but made it to the top of Mount Sherman triumphantly!