Republican Mountain (12,386′)

After finishing some homework I wanted to reward myself with a fun trail run. So, I decided to head for Bergen Peak! As I got closer to Evergreen, I decided that Bergen wasn’t adventurous enough for the day. I wanted to get up to higher elevation and maybe play around in the snow a little bit more. Since I had no plan, I needed to come up with a quick idea on the fly. Silver Plume and the 7:30 Mine Trail popped into my head promptly and my new course was set. The 7:30 Mine Trail is right off the I-70 and provides access to lots of fun 12,oooft plus peak. I climbed Silver Plume Mtn. & Bard Peak earlier in the year from the trail (Check out that post). I remembered several other peaks in the area as well, but didn’t remember any of the names. So, I headed up the trail and followed the creek to climb which summits looked most appealing. The destination for the day soon became Republican Mountain, which turned out to be a great climb with amazing views. A short, steep, and sweet climb!

Here are some pictures from the day (only had my iphone, so quality is a bit lacking perhaps):

Downtown Silver Plume
Republican Mtn on the right with Grays and Torreys center.
Another pano (left to right: Mt. Evans, Grays & Torreys, and Bard Peak)
Bard Peak (13,641′)
Mt. Evans looking sharp
Gray and Torreys with the sun setting…late start turned out to be beautiful!…Iphone zoom a little sketchy, but still like the pictures.
Gray and Torreys with the sun setting
The sun is huge!
I didn’t want to pick a favorite…