Nowhere is it easier to climb more fourteeners in a day than it is in the Tenmile-Mosquito range. A well-traveled seven-mile loop links Democrat, Lincoln, Cameron and Bross - at least three of which are fourteeners, depending on who you ask. On the weekend, as you might imagine, the place is mobbed.
To mix things up, I decided to substitute Democrat's 3rd-class north ridge for its much easier standard trail. From there I optimistically linked two more routes from Gerry Roach's guidebook to form a much longer and more difficult loop starting at Montgomery Reservoir.
Thanks to great weather and a 4:30 start, Christine, Cliff, Adam and I were able to complete the loop. The ridge was a lot of fun, and most of the trails were pretty easy. But the precipitous descent from Lincoln to the car was a loose, muddy, steep downclimb which I wouldn't do again.
Twice as treacherous is the shortcut we took around the southeast side of the unnamed 13er to start the Democrat North ridge. This was a mistake, and Christine took a serious fall when a rock broke loose. Once back on route, though, the rock was more reliable.