Mt. Sherman is part of the Mosquito Range in central-ish Colorado about 10 miles west of Fairplay. We decided on this mountain because we needed something relatively short and easy to get us acclimated to the altitude. Plus, we were hiking Mt. Elbert the following day, and we wanted to (kind of) save our legs.
The forecast did indicate a possibility of rain and snow; we got rain and sleet.
We parked at the Leavick Site, not because the Bronco Sport we were renting couldn’t handle the road beyond this point, but because we wanted more miles and elevation gain. We started just before 7 AM.
Notice the sign: “Pirate Property.” Arrr, keep off my land. This is where we parked. There was about a 2-mile road walk to the upper parking lot and the start of the Fourmile Creek trail. The summit is in the clouds. Foreboding, much?Just a pretty view of Sheep Mountain, looking back toward the car.John will regret wearing shorts on this day…Farther up the road, looking back toward where we parked. There’s a nice long ridge to hike at some point.I think this is part of the Hilltop Mine, which produced silver, back in the day.View of where we’re heading. There were plenty of switchbacks on the gravel part of the trail, which seemed more like a road. There is no shelter from trees or any tall vegetation. Also, no good places to relieve yourself. Looking back from where we came, just higher up.Beautiful pond of snowmeltMaking progress…On the way up, we stayed on the trail, but some bypassed it by going up the soft snow, so it would be easy to kick in steps. On the descent, we butt-slid down it (but I’m getting ahead of myself).From the snow part to the summit, there were more switchbacks and a steeper climb; the trail was still easy to follow. It was also colder, so we put on our puff coats. We had .8 miles and 900′ of gain to go.The summit! The last part was brutal: the wind was about 30 mph sustained winds, and there was HORIZONTAL sleet. We were both completely soaked on our left sides. John’s legs were purple.We went sledding on the Fourth of July; who would have thought?! This guy at the top is sledding down and his dog is running next to him.
We ran quite a bit of the descent and made good time. Three hours, forty-five minutes, 8.4 miles, and 2,800′ of gain. We need to go back when there’s a view. Highly recommend!
Adventuring with Mel and John 