There are so many peaks in Colorado, and I would love to bag them all. But there are just so many hours in a day, and so many days in a week, and very few of them do I have off. So until I find a way to make a living while summitting mountains, I have to be picky. While browsing through a list of peaks in Colorado, one name particularly jumped out at me. It wasn't the tallest, heck, it wasn't even a 14'er, of which I said I wouldn't even waste my time on anything under 14,000', but there was just something about this peak that caught my attention. It was called "The Spearhead". My curiosity got the best of me, and I looked into it's stats. Standing at 12,575' above sea level, it's height isn't it's most impressive feature. But the fact that it's shaped like the head of a spear, and it's perched in the middle of this massive glacial couloir, surrounded by 4 massive peaks, 3 being over 13,500' and the fourth a whopping 14,200', it could have easily been called "The Throne".
And one would certainly feel like a king to reach it's summit. It's northeast face is a giant, flat faced triangle with a vertical height of 900+ feet. The spine of rock that connects it to the surrounding wall of mountains is made up of house-sized boulders, that look like giants are about to have a game of Jenga. And the summit is nothing more than a precariously stacked 20-foot high pile of rocks, like a dainty angel on top of a Christmas tree.
The total hike is 13 miles roundtrip, from the Bear Lake trailhead, and sifts through one of the most beautiful glacial valleys I have ever seen.
By far one of the most beautiful places I have yet visited. Top 3 coolest hikes I have ever done. And now if I could just figure out how to make a living doing what I love.
These pictures are AMAZING!!!! What wouldn't I give to be there hiking with you. Maybe in 10 years I'll be at a point when I can come with you...dragging along all 5 kids because they wouldn't miss a chance to be with their favorite Uncle! Don't tell Kraig, or Gavin, or Pete (AP). :)
ReplyDeleteKyle - I can't think of another word - these pics are AMAZING!!!!! You're quite the artist. I always look forward to a new post. You're the man.
ReplyDeleteKyle - I'm blown away by the beauty of your photos: the subjects and the artistry. You've been to places that not many have seen. Thank you for capturing and sharing those places. You let me feel the clean air and the sunshine on my arms.
ReplyDeleteMom
amen to the others- your pics rock! so it looks like there's a 95% chance we r moving to AZ so a lil closer to ya!
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