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August 2018, my husband and I took a vacation of a life time to Colorado. We would spend two and half weeks camping and hiking. Than, we were just boyfriend and girlfriend. A few days in we would become engaged in Rocky Mountain National Park.
A week and half later we would make our way to the Missouri Gulch. We camped at free campsites. The road leading to the trail head had a number of campsites open to use. There was just one other family camping, so we were pretty secluded.
My husband took off the next morning to hike three peaks. I hung up my hammock and spent the day reading, walking around, and simply relaxing. It was amazing. I was surrounded in the wild with trees with a steady flowing creek behind me.
I was in heaven. On the other hand my than finance was climbing mountains and stretching himself to his limits. This is his story of how he climbed all three mountains, Missouri, Belford, and Oxford, in one single day.
Hiking the Missouri Gulch in Chaffee County Colorado
While on a road trip out in Colorado with my then fiancé Alex we had climbed on the front range, rocky mountain national park, spent a few days in the Sangre de Christo, and now were spending our last days in the Squatch range near Buena Vista, CO..
In an area called the Missouri Gulch, there are 3 peaks that all stem from the same trail head, Missouri Mountain, Mt. Belford, and Mt. Oxford. I had climbed Mt. Belford on a previous trip but hadn’t done the other two, so now I wanted to knock them all out in one day.
We set up camp near the trailhead along clear creek in a nice open spot and spent the afternoon relaxing. The following morning, I took off for the trailhead around 5am by myself, dead set on taking out all 3 14ers in the same day. Usually, Belford and Oxford are climbed together and Missouri by itself. Because it was our last day in CO, I wanted to hit all three of them.
I started first towards Missouri Mountain, you take the same trail for all three until a split around 11,000 feet, a little past the tree line. The reason that Missouri and Belford/Oxford are usually climbed separately is because there isn’t a connecting trail from Missouri to the other two, so you have to backtrack all the way to 11,000 feet and then start heading back up to Belford.
I was making pretty good time and hit the trail split right around sunrise. Missouri Mountain was my favorite of the three because of the final ½ mile. You take a switch back trail to the top of the ridge and end up walking the ridge to the highest point of the mountain
The ridge is pretty exposed on either side and the view is incredible. I took a quick rest on the summit and of course a few pictures. I was feeling good after getting to the top of Missouri and was clipping along at a good pace back to the trail split.
After I got to the split I started to go back up towards Belford. The trail up Belford is a very long switch back to the summit. I started to slog up the trail and was feeling fatigued knowing I still had two peaks to finish. I kept pushing on and got to the summit of Belford.
From the summit you can see the trail continuing to the summit of Mt Oxford. I took a few pictures on the Belford summit then continued on the trail to Oxford. Again, I was losing elevation in the saddle between Belford and Oxford. After about 45 minutes or an hour I slogged up to the top of Oxford.
I was pretty damn tired at this point, mostly because I knew I still had to go back up Belford before I started back down to the trailhead. I sat on a rock at the summit and pulled out a Leinenkugel’s original 12 oz. can of beer and relaxed at 14,160’ before my march back to the campsite.
After about 20 minutes at the summit I decided it was time to head home. At this point I was pretty dead and was basically putting one foot in front of the other going back up the saddle to the Belford summit. I made it back up to Belford, looked around for a minute or two before continuing down.
On the way down my feet were sliding around on the gravel while I cussed the loose rock and my beyond tired legs. After I finally got back to the trail head I got in the car and drove back to the campsite. I was completely exhausted and very very hungry.
When I got back Alex was taking a nap in a hammock. Before I left that day, we were still considering hiking Mt. Elbert the next day, at the moment I didn’t feel like I was up to it. I cashed out on a chair and almost felt like crying when she said let’s go to K’s burgers, get a hotel for the night, and save Elbert for another day.
Which is exactly what we then did. By the end of the day I had an estimated 15 miles, roughly 7000’ in elevation gain, and a very tired body. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. All three peaks were stunning and no matter how tired I was at the end; it was an amazing experience. My advice would be to do Missouri and Belford/Oxford separately if you have the time.
Products that Helped Trevor get through the Hike:
There were a few things needed to make this hike succesful:
A Camelbak backpack is perfect for a day hike like this on. I like the Ratchet Crux Hydration Pack because it is the lightest option with the biggest hydration capability.
2. Clif Bars
Clif Bars were all that was brought on the hike for food (besides my can of beer which really doesn’t count for anything but extra weight and a reward at the top). Clif Bars are able to fill me up on a hike. There are different flavors which helps if this is all that you are eating through out the day.
3. Tennis Shoes
I wore tennis shoes the whole time. I didn’t feel like I needed hiking boots. I personally wear Adidas and have bought the same pair of shoes for three executive times now.
This camera is brilliant. We have taken this on multiple trips and have loved how it takes pictures. We have also used it to take our engagement pictures and our wedding pictures!
5. A Map
A map is useful whether you decide to take it on the actual hike or not. It can help you prepare your routes and gives incite to what is allowed on the trail and what is near the trail (bathrooms, camping, ect.).
6. The Colorado 14ers: The Best Routes
This is the best book to invest in if you are interested in climbing several of Colorado’s 14ers. It gives a ton of information on climbing the mountains. It is beautifully laid out and gives information on how hard a route is. It also has a fun checklist so that you can check off which mountain you climbed and when you climbed it. You probably won’t take this hiking with you but it will prepare you for the hike and help you plan your routes.
Awesome!