Ascent of Buffalo Mountain on 2018-08-19| Other People: | Solo Ascent
| | Date: | Sunday, August 19, 2018 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Peak: | Buffalo Mountain | | Location: | USA-Colorado | | Elevation: | 12777 ft / 3894 m |
Ascent Trip ReportLeft parking lot at Upper Ryan Gulch Road (White River National Forest Tail Access) at 8:00 AM and summitted the 3,000 foot gain in 1 hour and 49 minutes including the nasty talus-boulderfield arriving at 9:50. Then after a short break headed across the pinnacle formations and towers along the knife edge between this easy peak and the Sacred Buffalo peak arriving there at 10:10 AM and after a nice long break at the second summit headed down and back to the car by 11:39. I made it down from the Sacred Buffalo, across the pinnacles, back over the Buffalo, and down to the car in 1 hour and 15 minutes; Total time out was 3 hours and 40 minutes including a long break on the second peak.
The hike begins as a slog up thru burned out pines; then thru non burned out lodgepole pines. It is a relief to see the mountain finally, but now it is a thick steep slog through large stable talus and boulders. There are trails through it but they criss cross and braid everywhere and at times, I preferred to put hands down and just scramble straight up larger boulders. Cairns are everywhere and even if I took a steeper straight line up I would intersect another use trail. The best part was ripe raspberries all over the talus and I ate many! Finally it swings around a knob of talus and sits you on a grassy saddle where you descend about 20 feet and start the final slog up Buffalo. There are great views up there but unfortunately most of mine today were obscured by smoke and pending rain clouds.
But I could see I had time to run over and do Sacred Buffalo and I am glad I did that was the more interesting peak and climb. See TR for Sacred. In all the day consisted of 6.5 miles around 3200 feet of total vertical (including going over the connecting towers-pinnacles between the two peaks. I was able to get up Buffalo in 1 hour and 49 minutes and the climb to Sacred, back to Buffalo and down to car was 1 hour and 15 minutes
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| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 3083 ft / 938 m | | Total Elevation Loss: | 147 ft / 44 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 3.2 mi / 5.2 km | | Grade/Class: | 1,2,2+ | | Quality: | 5 (on a subjective 1-10 scale) | | Route Conditions: | Maintained Trail, Scramble | | Gear Used: | Ski Poles | | Weather: | Low Clouds
fighting to not rain | | Ascent Statistics | | Gain on way in: | 3038 ft / 925 m | | Gain Breakdown: | Net: 3013 ft / 918 m; Extra: 25 ft / 7m | | Loss on way in: | 25 ft / 7 m | | Distance: | 3 mi / 4.8 km | | Route: | Standard trail see route by Valerie Norton | | Start Trailhead: | Upper Parking off Ryan Gulch Road 9764 ft / 2976 m | | Time: | 1 Hours 49 Minutes | | Descent Statistics | | Loss on way out: | 122 ft / 37 m | | Loss Breakdown: | Net: 77 ft / 24 m; Extra: 45 ft / 13m | | Gain on way out: | 45 ft / 13 m | | Distance: | 0.2 mi / 0.3 km | | Route: | same | | End Trailhead: | saddle between peaks 12700 ft / 3870 m | Ascent Part of Trip: Buffalo
Complete Trip Sequence:
Total Trip Gain: 3289 ft / 1003 m Total Trip Loss: 276 ft / 84 m |
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