Roundtrip Mileage/Elevation Gain -- 7.0 miles/4,560 ft.

Jeremy Fortin and I climbed this one in the hopes that the short distance would provide a nice leisurely day.  Of course, a 4,500 feet elevation gain over 3.5 miles means one thing -- "balls to the wall" right out of the parking lot and all of the way up the mountain.

This mountain is typical Sawatch Range stuff -- steep and eroded.  The trail up to tree-line is nice but steep.  However, once past tree-line and the trail junction for the summit of Belford, the trail changes to talus and then eroded and dusty trail.

All in all, the climb was uneventful, and the summit a bit crowded.  But that's all in a summer Saturday on an easily accessible Colorado 14'er.

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures from our climb, as I didn't have my camera with me.  But Ian and I plan to climb this one in the summer of 2007 as part of a dual Belford/Oxford summit.