Ref: 14ers.com
North Massive via the Highline Trail-Native Lake.
From Leadville, follow signs to Turquoise Lake. Take the southern lake route (Lake County Road 4) to the junction of Forest Service Road 104. The trailhead is about 3 miles up the Hagerman Pass Road (Forest Service Road 105), with parking on the south side of the road.
Ascent: -North-east ridge of North Massive class 2
Traverse: -South-east ridge of North Massive class 3
-North-west ridge of Massive Green class 2
Scramble: RT: 13.5 (includes Mount Massive); 6.5 up North Massive, 50 minutes up Massive Green from North Massive. The plan for today was to execute the Tour de Massive, Tim Best style. The "granddaddy" of Mount Massive is a loop that includes 5 summits above 14 000 feet; it also boasts 2.8 kilometers above that altitude and it is the only mountain in the lower forty-eight States to grant that extended distance at such a high elevation. Just to break out of the ordinary, Tim decided to start the loop via the Highline Trail-Native Lake instead of the more typical North Halfmoon Creek trailhead; he was adamant about setting foot on the remnant glacier between North Massive and Point 14169. I was excited to have the opportunity to climb Mount Massive, second highest in Colorado, with the inclusion of North Massive which is an "almost ranked 14er". I was also thrilled to be hiking with Tim, he had been planning this trip for quite some time now; I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.
We camped at the Mount Elbert trailhead where we had a fine bonfire. We chatted and perhaps drank a bit too much wine before retiring for the night. The following morning, I drove us to the Highline Trail-Native Lake trailhead and we got on the way just at the break of dawn. We made good progress on the trail and had a quick stop to drink some delicious coffee before descending to Native Lake. The sky was already overcast with the presence of puffy clouds, I think we both worried about the forecast in silence at this point. From there, the trail was a little less distinctive; we lost it a few times in the willows before reaching the area where we had to veer towards our objective. Once off trail, we picked our way in the forest following the path of least resistance. The bushwhack towards the ascent ridge wasn't all that bad, at times we found trail segments. We reached the basin above treeline and crossed a thick patch of willows to gain the ascent ridge; by now, storm clouds had built up and we started talking strategy. We both agreed to continue a bit and re-evaluate the situation further. As we proceeded to the base of the ascent ridge the sky darkened, we discussed alternatives: going back, continuing until thunder and lightning, bail out options, hunkering down to wait it out.... Tim reached two friends on his smart phone to have them check satellite weather maps, one said it looked dismal while the other said there could possibly be a "short window" in about an hour. In the meantime, we went as far as we could and hung out; we didn't want to commit to climbing the final pitch in these conditions. Just as we had both shook hands and decided to leave, I noticed a blue hole above North Massive. I told Tim this was called a "sucker hole" and had appeared to lure us into changing our mind again. Tim quickly said with assertion: this is what we were waiting for, lets do it!!!! With no hesitation, we plodded on with very little talking. Short to say, we were both thrilled to reach the summit. Unfortunately, we had to give up on the prospect of doing the complete Tour de Massive; it was unreasonable to go for Point 14169 when reaching the true summit of Mount Massive was far more important. Hence, we started the traverse towards Massive Green after a short break at the top. I set my camera on a rock and took a couple of pictures of us. I also managed to hook it and fling it in the air; following a couple of pics, it died. Picking our way down the class 3 scramble from North Massive was easy for me, the blocky terrain is fun with very little exposure. Once at the saddle between North and Green, it is a simple walk to the top of the unranked 14er. The only worry we had at this point, was storm clouds building up again, real fast.... We both hiked at a fast pace, no time to really take in the view. After a quick high-five at the top of Massive Green, we resumed the traverse to the summit of Mount Massive.
Picture courtesy of Tim best.
Picture courtesy of Tim best.
Picture courtesy of Tim best.