Pennock Peak, Signal Mountains, 10582, Lookout Mountain, Crystal Mountain, and 10720.

As the race I signed up for nears, my goal has been to move up in elevation somewhat.  I also like doing loops.  There are some people that can run laps of Mount Sanitas for eight hours straight, but I am not one of them.  

I've spent some time mapping routes over the winter, things that would give me distance, gain, and some new peaks to visit or favorites to revisit.  This day checked all three of those categories, and I set out from the Dunraven th at a brisk pace, soon reeled in by the initial climb up the hill to Camp Cheley.  On the other side, I set out at a run.  

While it has more small ups and downs than it used to, the North Fork Trail is pretty easy to move quickly on.  I was able to keep a high pace into RMNP and beyond, to where I turned right on the Stormy Peaks Trail, and things got steeper.

I took a photo, but it didn't come out well, but to find the trail that's on the USFS topo to Signal Mountain, look for a National Forest sign and one of those signs usually used to post information on, to my memory, the only signs you'll come across.  Look behind, and find a thin trail.  It's not easy to follow, and I definitely got off it and started going the wrong way before correcting east.  I was able to pick it up higher up, and found it to be in better shape and more distinct.

As I neared Pennock Peak, I left the trail and made for the summit. 

Pennock Peak, aka point 11058 on your topo.  Right on the border, this is a ranked but seldom visited peak in RMNP.
I descended and was able to pick the trail up for a short while.  It's indistinct in this area, and I lost it again, bushwhacking until I reached treeline west of South Signal Mountain.  That was a quick hump, and I was soon running down to meet the trail to Signal Mountain.  

Looking south from Signal Mountain, 11,262 feet, and my highest point of the day.
I continued on the trail north, seeing the first and only person I'd see all day.  I gave her a high five.  I was feeling the psyche and I was happy to share one second of this day in beautiful scenery with a total stranger.  

The "trail" north from Signal Mountain.  Look on the lower left side of the photo.
While I knew the snow wouldn't be an issue, as it was pretty melted on my last visit to the area, I (for some reason) hadn't thought about the dead fall.  RMNP's trails are well maintained, but the National Forest?  Not so much.  No fault of their own; there is a lot of ground to cover and I'm sure not enough people to do the work. 

A sign of things to come.  

I reached an intersection of sorts and found this weathered marker.
While supplying no information, the trail behind went the general way I wanted to go, so I followed.  On the topo, this trail goes up over point 10584 before cutting SE to 10582.  I didn't find a trail here, but started up anyway, hoping I'd bump into it.
However, there was a trail heading south and downhill from the saddle.  After going up a bit and bushwhacking, I dropped down thinking this trail was probably what I wanted to be on.  Since I didn't follow it all the way, I can't say definitively, but I did find a trail below me, and movement got a little quicker, though there was lots of dead fall on this trail.  

Cougar sighting!  Well, I'm sure about one of you will get that joke.  There was nothing to write with in the register, and I didn't have anything, so I left it as is.  

The summit of 10582.
I picked the trail up again, and headed toward Lookout Mountain.

It was reassuring to find these markers, because it meant I was going the right way!
Lookout Mountain has a signed trail going to it that eventually disappears.  I did find a few cairns here and there, but eventually gave up trying to follow and just went uphill until I couldn't anymore.  True to name, Lookout Mountain offers a great view.

From the summit, 10626 feet.  

Looking to the last peak of the day, 10720.
I dropped east off the summit.  I was now running pretty low on water, and was thinking about skipping the unranked Crystal Mountain.  But it looked close, and there was a water source in the valley south of it, so I planned to visit the summit, duck down to refill, then take the trail in this valley back up before heading south to 10720.  It was a little more elevation gain, but at this point in the day that didn't really matter.
It was a short bushwhack before finding the remnants of an old jeep road, which I jogged down.  I cut off that and went for the summit from the saddle, before finding the trail there.

Crystal Mountain Trail.  

Once again, this summit provided a nice view of the area.

This old license plate was stuck in a tree near the base of the rocky summit.
I headed back along the old road and made sure I was well past some signed private property before beginning the descent to the creek.  All went as planned, and in a short time I was drinking some deliciously cold and refreshing water.
The trail here was pretty steep and loose, so I did the best I could.  As things flattened out, I headed south.  Here's where the fun began.  The ridge was generally too rocky to stay on, and it was bushwhacky otherwise.  So I stayed near the ridge, which seemed to work ok.

More!  Little did I know...  

The summit of 10720.  Not often visited, and a great old register.

Almost seven years between the first and second sign in.
It's funny how you get to know these people.  I've never met Bob, Luke (or Buster), or Mike, but have seen their names over and over in registers, so much that I feel like they are not just people I know, but friends.  

A good view back west as well.
I decided to do a descending contour to find the trail to my west.  The bushwhacking felt easier on this side, perhaps because I had the assist of gravity.  I headed NW until I bumped into the trail.
This one was nice, downhill and at a moderate grade.  I was running and making great time.
But!  And somehow, there's always a but, I was looking at the USGS topo, and knew I'd want to take a right at an intersection somewhere to follow the Indian Trail (Pack) down along the creek, as it looked like if I stayed on the trail I was on, it would take me too far down and east to go where I wanted.

A beautiful meadow where the trail became a little indistinct.
And where I also looked at the GPS app on my phone to discover I had somehow missed the intersection I wanted and was now heading down the trail I didn't want to head down.  I simply cut west, knowing I'd eventually hit the creek and the trail.  And eventually I hit the creek.  To find no sign of a trail anywhere near it!  Argh!
I decided it was best just to head down here rather than go back, and the going was difficult.  The drop was steep, downed trees were plenty, and things were all around slippery due to the water.  The going was not fun, yet my mood remained on the good side.
Eventually, and it felt like forever, I determined I had descended enough and was past the steepest part, and escaped east.  I was bushwhacking for a very short time when I found a trail, and followed it.  

I was gloriously somewhere again!
So this sign was actually down a bit, but marked the start of the final climb SW up to and over Bulwark Ridge.  And as final climbs go, it was a good one, gaining nearly 1000 feet in 9/10ths of a mile.  I got to the top, emptied my shoes, and ran the final downhill back to the road, and then down to the parking.
Loop complete!  And I felt good, and was happy with my pace, and other good things.  After my last pretty terrible mentally outing, it felt good to feel good again.  I got in the car and drove back to Estes, and then back down to home.
This was certainly a fun loop, and as the trails get cleared of dead fall, it'll be even better.  Save for the indistinct Signal Mountain Trail and peak 10720, there is minimal bushwhacking, and I found it a pleasant run.
Link to hike map/GPX on Caltopo.  The way I went is in red, with the ways I should've went in blue.
Pennock Peak, Signal Mountains, 10582, Lookout Mountain, Crystal Mountain, and 10720 (distances as part of the hike):
Pennock Peak, 11058 feet: 10.8 miles, 3258 foot gain.  Second class.
South Signal Mountain, 11248 feet: 12.5 miles, 3448 foot gain.  Second class.
Signal Mountain, 11262 feet: 13.3 miles, 3462 foot gain.  Second class.
10582: 17.5 miles, 2782 foot gain.  Second class.
Lookout Mountain, 10626 feet: 19.2 miles, 2826 foot gain.  Second class.
Crystal Mountain, 9949 feet: 21.3 miles, 2149 foot gain.  Second class.
10720: 25.35 miles, 2920 foot gain.  Second class.
As a whole, this day covered 32.4 miles with 7805 feet of elevation gain.  It took me 12:23 car to car.  Strenuous+.

Lookout Mountain and Horsetooth Peak.

Last week I set out for a shorter hike to get a goal I missed last year.  And this time around, I had a hiking companion.  I was able to convince my lovely wife to come with me.  I picked this hike because I knew it would be more challenging and hopefully more enjoyable for her.

To get to the Horse Creek Trailhead, take Route 7 from either side.  When you get to the small town of Meeker Park, look for CR 113N on the west side of the road (just opposite Meeker Lodge if I remember correctly- it's easy to go by).  Follow this dirt road, and just when you think you have gone too far, you'll see a sign for the trail on the right.  Parking is shortly after, with room for 3-4 vehicles only.  Make sure to not block any driveways.  Since this is an unofficial trailhead, there are no improvements, so be prepared. The trail starts out flat, but upon crossing the creek, it turns up... and up and up.  In all, you'll gain around 1000 feet per mile on this one. 

Steepness.
We came to an area with a large number of large trees down.  There must've been an avalanche this winter.  It is awe inspiring to see the remnants of this powerful force of nature, trees two feet in diameter snapped like twigs.

A huge tree uprooted, with myself for perspective.
Eventually, you will notice the trail is flattening out a bit and you'll see the saddle between Lookout and Meeker ahead.  The soil changes too, from a more organic brown dirt to sand.  Very soon after the trail flattens out entirely, start looking for a log across your path and a cairn on the left.  Look beyond this for more cairns, and follow these up to Lookout Mountain.
Upon arrival, head around to the east side of this rock formation.  From here it is a short third class scramble to the top.  Great views await...

On the top, shot by Katie from below.

Looking into Wild Basin.  Mount Copeland, Ouzel Peak, Mahana Peak, Isolation Peak.

And of course, great views of Mount Meeker await.

Looking down to our second goal of the day, Horsetooth Peak.  Twin Sisters in the background.
We essentially just climbed down Lookout, and bushwhacked down the ridge to Horsetooth.  It was not too bad really.
Upon our arrival, it took us some time to figure out where to go to get atop this peak.  We ended up talus hopping on the west side of the peak until we got almost all the way to the north end of it before finding the second class ascent to the high point.

East to the plains.

The convoluted surface makes it difficult to tell what is the true high point of this peak.

But there is a cairn.  With Twin Sisters in the background.

South along the ridge looking back up to Lookout.

My love!  I must say it is a great feeling to be able to share something that you love with someone that you love.
To get back to the trail, we descended back to what would be the southern face of Horsetooth.  We had noticed a cairn there, and thought it would be a good place to continue back down.  We were right.  There was a clear trail marked by cairns the whole way back to the Lookout Mountain trail.
If you want to go just to Horsetooth, or do it first, look on the left side of the Lookout trail for a unique double stacked cairn as the trail is starting to level out.  Beyond it in the woods you'll see another cairn.  This unofficial trail will take you right to Horsetooth.  Sorry I didn't get a picture of it!
Katie said her legs were sore for 4-5 days after this.  I could feel it a little bit the day after, but was feeling fine two days later.
Lookout Mountain via Horse Creek Trailhead:
2.5 miles one way, 2015 foot gain. Class 3 to gain the summit of Lookout. Moderate+.
Horsetooth Peak via Horse Creek Trailhead:
2.8 miles one way, 1644 foot gain.  Class 2 to gain the summit.  Moderate.
Do both together for a slightly longer moderate+ hike.

Mt. Meeker via Horse Creek Trailhead.

To get here you'll want to be on route 7, which will be left coming up from Lyons or south headed down from Estes Park. In the tiny town of Meeker Park look for CR113N on the west side of the road. It's very easy to go by. Drive along this for a little over a half mile (yes your car can make it). There are supposedly occasional signs that say trail and point ahead, but I only saw one of those. Eventually you'll see some places to park on the sides of the road, followed by a sign for the trail pointing to your right. Park in one of the places along the road, taking care not to block any driveways.
Now the adventure begins.
This is an unofficial trail head that actually starts in Roosevelt National Forest, so there are no accommodations. Lisa Fosters excellent RMNP The Complete Hiking Guide states that this is a steep hike, but for the first little bit of the trail I was thinking it wasn't so bad. Then it turns up!
A mellow start...
Follow the trail along, crossing several small streams along the way, and pausing for rest whenever your legs can't take it anymore. I tried to capture the steepness of it in a photo, but you can't really tell...
Then the steep stuff.
After a little over two miles and 2000 feet or so of gain, you'll arrive at a plateau that looks different. Sandy soil, thicker and shorter pine trees. The trail from here will be delineated by rocks, sticks/logs, and/or cairns, so keep your eyes open. When you hit a clearly defined rock arrow pointing east, you can follow the cairns up to Lookout Mountain as I did.
I found this path to be fairly well marked, and Lookout truly does give you a good vantage point south into the heart of Wild Basin. When I arrived at Lookout, the first thing I said to myself was, "This is class 3?!?!?". It is. To find the class three top out, circle around to the eastern facing side of the cap rock. It is a few committing moves with good feet and marginal hands in places, but no sweat as long as things are dry.
Horsetooth and Twin Sisters from Lookout.
Wild Basin.
Crazy looking twisted pines near the summit of Lookout.
Now I must tell you I hadn't planned on doing Mt. Meeker on this day. In fact, all I had planned was Lookout and Horsetooth since I wanted something shorter. But I arrived at the farthest and highest of my daily goals in only an hour and a half, and wanted something longer than that!
What to do? I didn't want to go back down and drive somewhere else. There wasn't really anything else immediately accessible in the area... except...
Well, why the hell not?
I started down Lookout, quickly losing the cairns and going overland. I arrived back in the sandy plateau area, thinking I was at the same place as before, only to discover later that I had gone north on my way down. I was looking around the area and saw a trail that left in the general direction of Meeker and decided to follow it. It is alot easier to follow a trail than bushwhack in my opinion.
This trail is obviously unmaintained, and for a time pretty well beat in. It does cross some rocky sections where cairns mark it pretty well. Going up it seemed like I was getting to tree line due to a thinning and shortening of the forest, only to go up a little farther and be right back in it. But it did come soon enough.
Talus and Meeker ridge.
Looking back down at Lookout. On your way back down, skirt all the way to the left of the rock faces pictured here to find the trail.
Now the fun begins. There are several false summits on your way up, but it is usually pretty clear that there is still more to go. Enjoy the beautiful tundra and the great views. Maybe you'll even see some wildlife up here...
Spot the two critters in this picture.Copeland, Ouzel, Mahana, Isolation, Tanima, Pilot, Alice.
Are we there yet?
Meeker has two summits. This route will take you to the eastern summit which is around forty feet lower than the true western summit. By surprise, I happened on another hiker at the east summit. We talked a little bit and took pictures of each other. From the eastern summit we could see a bunch of people on the top of Longs Peak.
He was of the opinion that Meeker was harder than Longs, and I could see that since you do more gain over a shorter distance. And while a summit of Meeker might not have the prestige of Longs, it is certainly a worthy challenge and definitely a less populated route.
Atop the eastern summit.
Sandbeach Lake way way down there.
Longs Peak and Mummy range in the background.
Looking west along the class three ridge to the true summit.
And back east to the eastern summit.
The knife edge ridge that you have to traverse from the east summit to the west summit is very exposed third class. However, it was not difficult at all, and there was not any time that I felt in danger. Immediately following the east summit I would recommend staying south, and once the ridge gains some sharpness, stay to the north of it. There is a huge ledge for your feet and great hand holds the whole way across. That being said, a fall here would result in serious injury if not death, particularly on the north side of the ridge.
On the summit of Meeker 13911 feet with Longs Peak in the background.
Closeup of the blocky head of Longs Peak from Meeker. You can just barely make out a person standing atop it (I think!).
Looking west along the ridge to the summit. Stay to the north or right side of this for great feet and hand holds.
Mt. Meeker and Longs Peak from the east summit of Meeker.
The view from up there is great. You can really see forever. And what a sense of accomplishment in summiting my second thirteener! But alas, I had to get going back. It seemed like the hike back to treeline took alot longer than going up, but I think that was just my want to get back down.
Along the way I learned two very important things...
One- always look around. When I broke treeline and got above the rock faces pictured in the photo "Looking back down at Lookout", I didn't make note of where I should be to head back down. Obviously I knew the general direction, and probably would have taken the line of least resistance until I hit the trail, but it is quicker and easier to just find the trail from the get go. I spotted the guy I had met on top on his way down and followed him. This saved me some time for sure.
Two- if you change or add destinations mid hike, make sure you are prepared for it. In this case I ran out of water above treeline on Meeker ridge and was dry for about an hour and a half. I didn't panic since I knew once I got back on the trail down from Lookout to the trail head I would be passing some streams that I could pump out of. But if the only source of water was at the trail head, I could have had some real problems. Always take note of your surroundings, even if you might not need the resources offered at the time.
The cairns were not as well placed on the way down, with several knocked over that I rebuilt, and, at times, none at all it seemed. I just followed the general direction they were indicating and did find the trail, though it took some time.
I was so thirsty heading down and majorly looking forward to the stream. I got to the first one that was so shallow I had to dig a little hole in it for the end of my pump to sit in. But damn did that water taste good. I filled up and headed down. I got back to the car and ate a few snacks before leaving. What a day! If I am remembering correctly, it took me nine plus hours to do this hike.
Lookout Mountain via Horse Creek trail head:
2.5 miles one way, 2015 foot gain. Class 3 to gain the summit of Lookout. Moderate+.
Mount Meeker via Horse Creek trail head:
5 miles one way, 5211 foot gain. Exposed class 3 between the east and west summits of Meeker. Strenuous+.