When it was time to head back to Lake City, I got up at 5 a.m. yet again, though this time instead of heading to a river, I was heading to a group of fourteeners outside of Breckenridge. I started at Kite Lake at dawn with the goal of bagging three or four peaks before heading to the Taylor River in time for the afternoon hatches.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcogiffCUpAvC7dO0nnLvW4m_sCE0dk8qRIa1eb9bonJRuFQ5DILNJeCFghygfDdr5ID77EO1R5aQSjK-U0zFjvjcqROmjqwvT98QtXLwoxqYp24TsjcGB6jLZa_NO4YPAyxCB1zUJMWu/s1600/IMG_3300.JPG) |
Sunrise outside of Fairplay, Colorado |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8BM77MsjiBfgYUaj4FnT_19jHQXWN5gE1AKYMLpfbBrJNTjXhvdGmeB-Np5e5eElCfSt7Jh2z9mgIjAWRYOIkuxa6QfE6mpUUpKos0p7r0hDSOjTKQG8G77ABr47a6hYy_tMxfxje3Hv/s320/IMG_1942.JPG) |
Dawn above Kite Lake |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yTcLtfQytRCv6zlDthQIvAl6PxKBErXD0WIz1DF0hyphenhyphenImYJeMqQbaddnYWw0kvt5SFsnwpT0w6ezVef7jCs1uNiKCE0qcyrwuIGv6gH2neGQ8kgSicsh5fr3ydVgyWLVn38sM1RxEnqPc/s320/IMG_1945.JPG) |
Looking north near the top of Mt. Democrat |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDz4Rdv6jCj42RgurEO8IQugkjP4_0D5FPhwc7i0XbCyfRCUQvcXKDlAnmK_neQjgRNag0ocbvXR9V9LwckJ1VgjxnLlWrbyspGEE7D7SZ7zi276AMBeiwm7FXQ-DvQB35HiL0TSzZVVYd/s320/IMG_1946.JPG) |
Looking down the saddle to Mt. Cameron and Mt. Lincoln |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UHKoiWqtOKruHUvy8kdEHAAHEjW9bovcm4fJZJrNLl_VYvLZV0opwLzIipLwT_EPmWDgT3smMbBBOCrmhpSDtvxG9jbZkc5_4du33knKc0045oO0cm0qFq3mAvahHpX6kd-8CvqK8gqE/s320/IMG_1950.JPG) |
Looking southeast at the South Park Basin |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGTCDe-oJE_1dH8BuAdeXMqGL2l-swwD6FEs2Fu_2XP1jUnsTrxJkZW3d0J6OHsyLW5NwjCiXxHgK3Z1GIIQcbaJnf15Z9mQDvxFEaZj93_Anf9_txfKVYRhj_SXOSkRQxH01MbA_2naa/s320/IMG_1951.jpg) |
Final pitch to the top of Mt. Democrat |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3v8o-MpefPoaqmfqsUjtiDZMow2ItAAwGBvo2GMx6e6jeWHBxKrlVZ3ilbu2_GeDXEjKwDZRTFo72jyb9TzB_hCA_ZDXK1cOS4NCoIrOBBQz0BYkvZW7NuKMmLQy9iw8gB8Ug54x7XtI/s320/IMG_1961.JPG) |
Low clouds rolled in to cover the saddle between Mt. Democrat and Mt. Cameron |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyg113WshHZU5c8LqDKNDBGeaIC7Ltrgjh34Rzzn6iOU-Nbs6jWrdXkRZS757SZXMzgWGAJKPB5XQdalfxqPdecworj8qmY10TW21urZmDNyowb5bud4IHonBpmBLDKCJUe2K7vSfCzXq/s320/IMG_1984.JPG) |
Looking back at Mt. Democrat on the way to Mt. Cameron |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvRA6JdZUtxNqFoxupk7agCeKhfBuhcbHYcCfytiZ5d4b3h9_4-N8uGjxaDFWzxxtRjUtDDLAdYkgt7yKU3kTQWa115g1c6Dy6nL6D9Z4sJOuyIUMCPrXCO8KfE0WJ3mXYIH4fkfw7YVJ/s320/IMG_1990.JPG) |
Looking north toward Breckenridge. That's Quandary Peak, another fourteener, on the far right. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HY6METPATe6klPjO6dp-MRZwdErrs0-fh6PwEnCeiQr3EMpcT86YfjV_Z8ifhTFGF5as4gNYWIS9D0KcEgsYlmGFqEYxOOIUWExm7CMx5IRTraPnhoMUPtM6iuvTulEnVolSoP_stOh_/s320/IMG_1994.JPG) |
Quandary Peak (far right) |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTJOLe6arIfldodFo2LqlcEAK-zlZUTYL_-O6iHJg1WdhXcS-SWCW8MxCIpKcuMKgnAKh3o9w3vNAAJGkWOUOkm1bOPKXR84cn1YIUxlwVE6LRhrWHq3P2XXJqkQ2V3zqzp3P6UHIoVrY/s320/IMG_1996.JPG) |
Mt. Democrat from the top of Mt. Cameron |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECw_1Dsr5Dy8H8BGlqBBR4MblNYI5yq7VfSGU8JjWpASD-Dp4xu5EtVJQvI6u_a_rGoq4MW-foLH3gZqOi6m6J4ne78imBXjxjUEgYAsaBEgX8gaZNTF9OODpQaYEuQlnhKIFjHsB1Ohk/s320/IMG_2001.JPG) |
Quandary Peak from the top of Mt. Cameron |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVgT_cPC9bsURIFy2nlrmBJqUeJsTXUzNW_GRf2Z181KdI5IHnifTzXDoKYOlk9VzxOHklhHLL9pDasd-rfeSVprBFvSGiZmzdcYV0GlzzYEJ0c0XpHQewFJMmZd6ijmA1OKchGUA-lru/s320/IMG_2008.JPG) |
On top of Mt. Cameron |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRjwyCqrDwhHGQcpwiIIAi0N_gp55Tt_WEhNc1ADaOkFPLgBniwA8eA4gKn3cQS3kcTPes7X3cGd8bCmYTBRfvF9XSuFr5PqoASxJn15kSVs2_cbqa8RpFFtY0XP7Wsq4fXdyRLcnw2Rt/s320/IMG_2007.JPG) |
Looking at Mt. Lincoln from the top of Mt. Cameron |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzKwGDcLFxEEGMMc25hR6Jk2FAqsghKREG7tIHsPaoPuwPmFUyU77nt1hV1i6DJuVDcV-nYcGdXxUYnpwoaDDgsVY3OO6V82LpIh0DsGO6vqlw9Xt1Axqxb3_ddLFiXwriQ0ApA0fi_9P/s320/IMG_2015.JPG) |
Quandary Peak from Mt. Lincoln |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3dZqjh_YRJWjIg4yGBC9B2u8lBiw_k3L3n5LhZvIkO9dEsiL19s3gxvUBsVXpRzxOsutPXoZI4gey5USgvT-FAxATCFm88vIt9mJrIKfCTjXnYNcmSt5mKmQIFeAI4ZTevzYhIGD94JA/s320/IMG_2006.JPG) |
Mt. Democrat from Mt. Lincoln |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUaAqpimVjuO2RdEpm_y5lB9gffD0aiDbWHt5u76k5fE5tbJPYhQcVrEaX7k9b_5aTU-_UyOgxqeXVINSj15JWVrKUj42-Pf_3vNONRXXfLf2RMi2z3vObYCw8KSkQNELnC3jFO2G7xxW/s320/IMG_2020.JPG) |
Quandary Peak on the left and Keystone in the distance on the right |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbACwJqa4k-IM23P_LY6iHTvLhZDrbEMjgTQgbHUK2X8Z8VLibRjiN7SHsCRUBbHcZJO-I5dmL28dJtAeRNUf9F7PsiCl2dSiAPZbBLE2ZFl4sgQTFMHrIVa5Ubac6dY0r3Q2y1y8eNSkg/s320/IMG_2029.JPG) |
Top of Mt. Lincoln |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnMQ2CDhBl_tu4sqV_8CSBYfIJdZNmppjSHCQQUeeUKxj0sy2aU07hT0wtKPgApLnBux9a6ZkzgJTZlhEWg1aNlIxui_HSSzLeioFuXCyh1hsAUtiMcC1Xxhxvzdu3B92pRWaoYuH6DaC/s320/IMG_2027.JPG) |
Quandary Peak from Mt. Lincoln |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhpej0-LbXexH6mZcUw2KRtG4HqnuHsUWWxOzWFxmZGzPwkyuR8rNkk7pr5aMCwD-OVP1-pLqXFzYf8clW4JQxXT0lH-elT4-L3nfCraH1u-GSr-V5SY7F39y1VK_3q6khADNzNuWnWqj/s320/IMG_2072.JPG) |
Waterfall above Kite Lake |
I was able to cover about 7 miles before lunch, which meant I still had time to fish the Taylor River that afternoon before finishing the drive to Lake City.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72EPQJ6GGw959BUIrLyPxsXQWOUm3A5JqLDDwODoh0SXb-uXMnLtqvQW6SLjRHgtwzDt8n1DeAkxFAMLkVvJWTzzIxMDH4a5-rTU3kTYeX8ff75crSwnUL9zp3FtuLU-oBeX26uGTRPxX/s1600/IMG_3309.JPG) |
Cottonwood Pass |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQtbw1rCgY9ERctnrs4MZ-_Pt9eAri6OEJKfnKckxqJb5PL4Gl4k26yAquHIKpKdmRQFu_o25uxD8tIUGXNULatz4rJ0ovbQwFqW5_ycb9PxD2ZXJ3ScAitPSpVUG_ymQ6MrEOGUqpviP/s1600/IMG_3311.JPG) |
Cottonwood Pass dropping down to the Taylor |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6Rln6YU9lrzkxg3cmUXRdV45F2rz_JOQuN1exgCDNU_TGGKkCj7BQ1bCSoz_Zn9YrNYZGNGUH3xCa4YjifeXW_e5YvwG2iY9-ZQMRCt1pwD_FMpT4V9vfAFzDKtUegrPIqivnva-Fflx/s1600/IMG_3319.JPG) |
Sunset over Blue Mesa outside Lake City after a great weekend |