Almagre is a large, broad mountain with two summits and the reservoir basin between them. It has many faces, many trails surrounding it, and many ways to claim its summits. Some of which are:
1. The "standard" route which ascends the east side of the mountain. (Link to a detailed description of this route with photos, from my ascent in June 2019.)
2. The "road" route which follows the 4-wheel road to the summit, starting from Gold Camp Road. (Link to this route, completed in June 2018.)
3. The northern ridge route, which approaches from the north side. (Link to this route, from last month, August 2021.)
4. The southern gully route, which I explored yesterday (Thursday, September 16th, 2021) climbs to the south summit directly from the south face of the mountain.
Let me begin by stating, my initial goal when I set out in the morning was not Almagre, but to ascend to Bull Park on FS 376A. However, by the time I was rounding the bend on 379, I was running out of energy, and I realized I still had about 5 miles until Bull Park. I didn't feel that I had enough energy to do that, so I made an impromptu change of plans. Climbing steep scree slopes is kind of my forte, so I opted to claim the south summit of Almagre this time.
But allow me to back up for a minute, and describe the whole trip from start to finish.
I started out extra early for this time of year, a little after 6 am, and just as civil twilight began. By the time I had ascended all seven bridges on trail 622, the sun was up and the golden morning light was illuminating Undine Falls.
I continued onto trail 668, as the sun came up and shone across the valley.
This part of my route followed the Ring the Peak Trail, which is the almost-complete 62-mile circumnavigation of Pikes Peak. I continued on 668 to the junction with 701, and then followed 701 until it meets with the road FS 379 at Frosty's Park.
From Frosty's Park, I followed FS 379 as it twists through the mountains, westbound.
It was at Deer Park and about 8 or 9 miles into my journey when I started to feel the tiredness creeping in. I hadn't slept well, and while I can sometimes work with that, I didn't want to have to push another 5 miles outbound AND back, adding 10 miles to my day (my anticipated total would be 27 or 28 miles then.) Instead, I looked up at the sandy scree gully that I knew was the south slope of Almagre South.
It looked inviting. It looked comfortable. It looked like a short climb to treeline and the summit not far beyond. Moreover, it looked like a ton of fun, a lot of climbing condensed into a short distance.
I got onto the slope and found it to be rather easy. It was probably about as steep as the Incline, and very grippy scree. I could see from my COTREX app that it was only about 1000 feet up or less, which is only like a third of the Incline! The scree slope itself was shorter than that, maybe a few hundred feet, and then it broke out into a soft alpine meadow.
I could see Deer Park and Elk Park down below.
From here, I rounded the mountain from the south side to the east, and climbed up a small ridge to pop out into a huge, wide alpine meadow just south of the official south summit.
The south slope of Almagre is quite different from its other faces.
Immediately I noticed how sharp-shaped the rock formations on this side of the mountain are. The rocks here are VERY different from those on the mountain's north face.
The rocks here were huge chunks of solid Pikes Peak granite, cut at sharp angles and rolled down the hillside through the meadow. This differs significantly from the north ridge where I was less than a month ago, where the rocks are conglomerates, smoothed and weathered into visually appealing shapes by the forces of nature.
Not that these rocks weren't visually appealing - this part of the alpine tundra was absolutely gorgeous. But the dramatic rocks, combined with a sharp wind once I crested the ridgeline, wasn't welcoming. It was reminding me again, that I was but a visitor in this alien landscape.
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| This strange rock was like a cube, stuck to another rock. |
I easily crossed the windy meadow and topped out the official south summit of Almagre.
The summit panorama was grand. I could see where I'd come from towards the east. In the center, the road 376A, Bull Park, and Sheep Mountain attracted my attention. To the northwest, the summit of Pikes Peak stood boldly. Outlining my view, and all the way down the grassy south slope, was all those solid rocks of Pikes Peak granite.
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| Almagre South summit panorama. |
I walked around the satellite radio tower, and began my descent. I would plan to descend the road 379A rather than the scree slope, opting for an easier, if slightly longer, voyage down.
On the way down, all of Colorado Springs came into view. How stunning! I could see all of the Black Forest to the north and downtown in the center. I could even see the bluffs that made up Palmer Park, where I'd spent so many hours trail running. They were so tiny and bitty looking from way up here!
I still felt pretty tired on my descent, but I felt fulfilled. I'd gotten what I had set out to get from the day.
At least, for the most part - I had hoped to catch some fall colors, but it was too early for the aspens in this part of the state. Southern Colorado won't have peak colors on our aspens until the first week of October, so I knew it was a little early. I did spot two aspens, way off in the distance, with my binoculars, that had turned bright yellow.
By the time I'd gotten back to the Seven Bridges trail, I saw some of the ground foliage that had yellowed slightly (which I must have missed on my way up since it was still pretty dark in the canyon at my start time.)
But still, the breathtaking autumn colors will have to wait for the next long one!!
Overall, what a day. I can now say I've ascended Almagre from four different routes. (I've also descended the slope to the west, so I've seen many of her faces.) She is a mountain of many moods, and multiple geological stories. What a fascinating playground, a place of wonder. A trip like this makes me feel small in a world so grand.
I ended up with 19 miles today, and 6000 feet elevation. Not a bad total, considering how tired I knew I'd be on this one. Every once in a while, it's not so bad to push yourself when you're a little fatigued or not fully rested - if nothing else but for the mental strength it generates.
But I'll try to be a little better rested for the next one!
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