Roundtrip Mileage/Elevation Gain -- 16.0 miles/4,900 ft.

Ian and I had originally planned this trip for a weekend when one of his friends with a 4WD could come along.  Via the standard route, Mt. Antero is a LONG hike... 16 miles worth.  A 4WD can cut off most of the length, but we would have parked at the Baldwin Gulch stream crossing and still made a good day out of it.  However, Ian's friend could not come along, so Ian and I decided to just tough out the long day, despite the fact that we were planning on another 14'er hike the next day.

Ian and I left Denver at about 3:30 a.m. on Friday morning, and after an uneventful drive down 285, we arrived at the trailhead and geared up and got on the trailhead at 6:30 a.m. sharp.  The wind was blowing pretty good through the canyon, but once we got on the trail, we got out of the wind.

The first three miles up the trail presented us with a great warm-up.  The steepness is fairly minimal, and we made good time to the stream crossing at Baldwin Gulch.  Unfortunately, the stream was running a bit high, and I made the bad decision to cross the stream on the highest rocks I could find -- rocks that were still under a bit of water.  My boots and both layers of socks got completely soaked.  I don't have waterproof boots, as I tend to like a more light-weight boot, and I was cursing my choice at that point.  Honestly, I figured that my day was shot at that point.  Ian and I stopped for a few minutes so that I could take off my socks and try to let them dry, but that was going to do nothing but make my feet cold in the morning mountain air.  After a few minutes, I decided that I was going to have to suck it up and hope that I didn't end up too blistered to even summit that day or hike the next day.  Fortunately, my shoes and socks ended up drying very nicely as we hiked, and I ended up having no problems.  I was very lucky.

The other problem that I started dealing with as we moved up the mountain was a stomach issue.  My body tends to rebel against me when it doesn't have enough sleep, and that's exactly what was happening.  And there's really nothing you can do about it.  It ends up making for a less than enjoyable climb when it happens.

Despite these obstacles, we steadily made it up the mountain and eventually reached the summit at about 11:15 a.m.  The summit was "littered" with about 25 teenagers on a trip from Arkansas, and Ian and I spent just a few minutes on the noisy summit before heading back down.  Despite the heat and my stomach issues, we made it back down in a little less than four hours, and headed to Salida where we would be staying the night before getting up to climb Missouri Mountain on Saturday.

For those who haven't climbed it, there's really nothing exciting about Antero.  In fact, I'd put it near the bottom of all of my hikes in terms of sheer enjoyment.  The scenery is beautiful, but you can say that for nearly anywhere in the Colorado mountains.  The bad thing about this mountain is the 4WD road that goes nearly all of the way to the summit.  The access that the road provides to Jeeps and 4-wheelers really takes away from the outdoor experience.  I can't say that I'll ever climb this one again!

A look back down into the valley between Mt. Antero and Mt. Princeton. Ian takes a breather before we begin trudging up the 4WD road above treeline. Me looking and feeling energized after a Snickers bar at 13,000 feet. A look at Tabegauche Peak from the Mt. Antero trail. Ian reaches the saddle and we get our first view of Antero's summit. The final ridge and summit block on Mt. Antero. The trail passes just under the snowfield on the summit block. Ian surveys the ridge. Finally on the summit! A look back down the ridge from the summit. A look at the ridge and surrounding mountains from the summit.