BOREAS MOUNTAIN (13,082)

October 2, 2012

By Tim Briese

3.1 miles, 1600’ elevation gain, 2:55 roundtrip time

I drove to Boreas Pass on this clear and chilly October day, and was pleased to find some nice fall colors still remaining along the road.

fall colors along the boreas pass road

on the boreas pass road

My objective was to do a simple climb to a peak above timberline today and Boreas Mountain served my purpose perfectly.

approaching boreas mountain on the boreas pass road

I parked at the pass and studied my options to climb up to the peak.

boreas mountain, at the right, from the pass

At 9:40 I began bushwhacking east up the gentle slopes toward my goal. The views became more expansive as I climbed higher.

view down at the pass as i climbed up the slopes

I was able to stay on grassy slopes most of the way up to about 12,700 feet.

i strolled across this grassy slope then cut up to the grass at the upper left

getting closer to the top

Once I reached the summit ridge I turned to the south and hiked up easy talus slopes to the summit. 

approaching the summit

I arrived on top at 11:05. It felt great to get my fix for being above timberline on a peak again today!

view to the southwest of mt. silverheels from the summit

looking north at the ridge to bald mountain

It was quite windy and 36 degrees on top so I found a nice spot on the lee side of some rocks to rest. At 11:30 I left and made the easy descent back down to pass, where I arrived at 12:35. Some tourists were milling about checking out the historic structures at the pass and I did likewise for a few minutes before I left for home.