| Ref: 14ers.com
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Treasurevault
Mountain is peak #3 of this 5-peak traverse.
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RT 8.75 (includes Kuss and Mosquito Peaks, Mounts Tweto and
Arkansas); 30 minutes up from Mosquito Peak. Unranked 13er
Treasurevault
Mountain looks similar to Mosquito Peak but a shallower saddle
separates the two summits compared to the saddle between Kuss and
Mosquito. Another difference is all the mining equipment in between the
two summits. The slopes of Mosquito Peak and Treasurevault Mountain are
scarred from past mining activity,
numerous roads crisscross the hillsides. At the col, a full-sized
air compressor, a
driller and other items were simply left behind, I wondered why the
equipment
was abandoned. Gotta admit it made the descent to the col more
interesting
as I do appreciate Leadville's mining history and I find it fascinating
to see all the relics on the surrounding mountains. From there, I
tackled Treasurevault's ascent slopes via the firm drift-snow lee of
the rocks, it was by far the fastest and easiest way to travel. The
climb was a bit shorter than Mosquito's and just as straightforward. I
reached peak #3 of the traverse in good spirit, the weather was stable
with no clouds in sight and no wind worth mention. I felt very
fortunate to be able to soak in the view of endless
mountains without feeling stressed about the weather. The remaining
part of the traverse
seemed a little more challenging with a greater distance to travel for
Mount Tweto and a moderately difficult traverse to Mount
Arkansas because of snow. I still couldn't see if
I had a way down the westside of Mount Arkansas from here; curious
about what lay ahead, I
left the summit after a short stay.
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This
air compressor looks like a hot dog stand.
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Looking
back at scarred Mosquito Peak.
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Mounts
Elbert (left) and Massive (right) are famous giants of the Sawatch
Range.
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View
west with Mount Sopris in the distance (middle), the Elk Range is
visible beyond the Sawatch.
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More
popular peaks of the Sawatch Range with 14ers labeled orange.
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Easy
peasy!
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View
north-west from the top, Mount of the Holy Cross is discernible beyond
Buckeye Peak.
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The
remainder of the traverse to Mounts Tweto and Arkansas, peaks #4-5.
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Mount
Buckskin and Loveland Mountain.
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Looking
south-east with Loveland Mountain on the left, London and Pennsylvania
Mountains on the right.
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Highway
CO-91 leads to Leadville, hopefully I can catch a ride back!
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A
close up of Mount Arkansas, the highlight of this traverse.
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14ers in orange and
a good view on the challenging Tweto-Buckskin Traverse.
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Continue
on to Mount Tweto
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