MT. SHERIDAN
(13,748')June 14, 2007
By Tim Briese
Many months had elapsed since I had summited a high peak, so I was eager for this climb. I chose an easy peak in order to test my knee which was recovering from surgery in April. Recovery was going slowly, with quite a bit of pain going up or down stairs and slopes, but I was determined to have a successful climbing season if at all possible. The diagnosis included a torn meniscus and considerable osteoarthritis, partly as a result of climbing countless peaks and hiking a few thousand miles over the past ten years or so. I felt that the joint damage, though disappointing, was a small price to pay for all the wonderful outings I have experienced in the mountains over those years!
I drove up the Fourmile Creek Road toward the Mt. Sherman trailhead, previewing my route up Sheridan as I approached. I stopped about a half mile short of Sherman=s upper trailhead, at around 11,900 feet, because I didn=t want the hike to be too short. At 7:30 I strode up the road with my two labs, presently passing the steel gate that bars further passage up the road, and soon came to the remnants of the old Hilltop Mine. Here I left the Sherman route and headed southwest up grassy and rocky slopes to a gentle area southeast of Sheridan. I turned right and headed directly up to the northwest on a snow-free route toward the summit. The last few hundred feet were on steep but generally stable talus. The dogs frolicked on a snow slope nearby, and at one point Allie came sliding down toward me on a steep snow slope, apparently unable to stop. Like an anxious parent I watched as she rapidly slid about a hundred feet toward some rocks below. At the last second she nimbly hopped off the snow onto a rock and strolled nonchalantly away.
I reached the top of the talus slope and moments later arrived on the summit at 9:05. There were two points on the summit ridge of nearly equal height, about 100 yards apart. I walked back and forth between them twice, trying to determine which one was higher with my GPS. I believe the southeastern one may be about 5 feet higher than the northwestern one, but I am not sure. At any rate, it felt great to be on a high summit again! It was brisk and windy on top, with a temperature of 38 degrees. I nestled behind a pile of rocks out of the wind and enjoyed the surrounding views of Sherman, Horseshoe, and other peaks. The visibility was unlimited under the deep blue sky.
I left the summit and began my descent after 45 minutes. I considered hiking over to Sherman but was dissuaded by the good deal of snow lying on its slopes. I suspected that postholing in the snow would be jarring and almost unbearably painful for my knee. Things were going well enough so far, and I didn=t want to jeopardize that, so I decided to simply retrace my ascent route. I descended the steep talus slope at a slow but manageable pace, and soon arrived back at my truck at 11:05.
This short, easy climb required about 1900 feet of elevation gain in four miles of roundtrip hiking, and took me about three and a half hours.
