www.RogerWendell.com
Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic EvolutionSM
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Roger J. Wendell on Peak One - Jun 26, 2005
Me on Peak One (unranked 12,805 ft) 		12ers!
 
Thoughts, notes, and pictures that relate to peaks between 3,657 and 3,962 metres (11,999 & 13,000 ft) in height around my favorite state, Colorado, and other interesting places in neighboring states and around the world!
 
 

 

 

Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for my 14ers page...
Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for my 13ers page...
Ten Essentials Click Here for the Ten Essentials - Don't leave home without 'em!
Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for my page on highpoints...
Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for my notes on technical climbing...

 

How many Colorado 12ers are there and who was first to climb all of them??


YouTube video - climbing Bison Peak in Colorado's Lost Creek Wilderness 		According to a December 17, 2010 Examiner.com article, by Jilly Salva; Bob Martin, Mike Garratt, Ken Nolan, Jack Dais, and Teresa Gergen were the first five people to have climbed all of Colorado's 12ers.

In the article, Salva asks Gergen, the first woman to complete all 1,313 of Colorado's ranked peaks over 12,000 feet, how many 12ers there are in the state:

"To answer that requires a little preliminary explanation. The elevation lists count "ranked" peaks. A ranked peak has at least 300 feet of prominence, or, in simple terms, rises at least 300 feet above the saddle connecting it with its next higher neighboring peak. Whether or not a peak has a name is irrelevant. Secondly, climbing 'all the 12ers' means climbing all the ranked peaks over 12,000 ft. There are 53 ranked 14ers (El Diente and North Maroon are unranked, and Challenger is ranked, hence the deviation from the traditional number of 54 14ers in the state), plus 584 13ers, and 676 12ers, for a total of 1,313 ranked peaks over 12,000 ft."

Having lived in Colorado most of my life, I probably climbed a couple dozen "12ers" either intentionally or by accident, by age 50, while looking for other peaks (especially before the days of GPS!). Unfortunately I didn't think of creating this page or recording any of those climbs until I accommpanied Sacha Bobst and Tom and Linda Jagger up Bison Peak (12,431 ft) on Veterans Day '11, when I was 55 years old...

After such a fun hike, through mixed conditions (some snow and ice), it seemed a good idea to start tracking 12ers with something more than just a "went hiking today" note in my outdoor log! So, as time permits I'll start entering my 12er data and pix here as I complete new peaks or find records of ones that I climbed in the past. Either way though, it's clear that 12ers can provide their own challenges, especially in winter, despite being considerably lower in elevation than that of the 13ers and 14ers I describe on my other pages.

- Roger J. Wendell

 

Click on any of this page's "thumbnail" images for a larger view!

 

Humphreys Peak, Arizona (12,663 feet / 3,859 metres)

Humphreys is the highest peak in Arizona - with views (when it's not "misty" like the day I climbed...) of Grand Canyon just to the north. There are a few different routes up Humpreys - I started at the Arizona Snowbowl for the standard, 1,006 metre (3,300 feet) route up...
Snowbowl Trailhead
Humphreys Peak, Arizona by Roger J. Wendell - 07-29-2012
Snowbowl Trailhead 		Humphreys Peak, Arizona by Roger J. Wendell - 07-29-2012
Ski resort boundary 		Humphreys Peak, Arizona by Roger J. Wendell - 07-29-2012
Saddle 		Humphreys Peak, Arizona by Roger J. Wendell - 07-29-2012
Trail marker 		Humphreys Peak, Arizona by Roger J. Wendell - 07-29-2012
Further up... 		Humphreys Peak, Arizona by Roger J. Wendell - 07-29-2012
Aldo Leopold bench on top

 

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Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado (12,431 feet / 3,789 metres)

Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
Linda near the top! 		The Lost Creek Wilderness (LCW) Area protects almost 120,000 acres in the Tarryall, Platte River and Kenosha mountain ranges in central Colorado. This relatively new wilderness (designated in 1980) is loaded with hiking, backpacking and climbing possibilities. Typical LCW landscape will consist of mixed and very dense forests, open meadows, small streams; somewhat the norm for Colorado's high country. Upon first sight, it's possible the casual climber or mountaineer may not be too impressed with the typical LCW mountain configuration. Dense, tree- laden slopes that frequently lead to tree-covered summits could easily rekindle a forgotten bad memory, a memory that includes your most frightening bushwhacking experience.
 
 
However, despite lacking the grand alpine scenery of other Colorado wilderness areas, one can argue that LCW may be one of the most unique Wildernesses in Colorado. Upon closer inspection the LCW has its own character that no other place in Colorado can match. Character that includes some of the most bizarre rock formations you will ever see. A lot of the LCW is dominated by these incredible rock formations, including massive polished granite domes and towering spires. With elevations ranging from 8,000 to 12,400 feet, many of the mountains here sport huge, wide-open plateaus providing easy hiking and excellent views. Getting to those plateaus is another story.
Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
Linda near the top! 		Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
Tom near the top 		Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
Sacha takes a photo 		Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
Summit register 		Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
Summit box 		Roger J. Wendell on Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado - 11-11-2011
Me on top!
Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
Trailhead: What's a "Weed Scout?" 		Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
On the way up 		Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
Bison Peak Monolith with Tom 		Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
1894 Survey marker? 		Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
Concrete on the summit 		Roger J. Wendell on Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado - 11-11-2011
Wooden tower on summit

 

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Miscellaneous 12er Pix:

Point 12707 by Roger J. Wendell - 06-08-2014
Point 12707, Colorado 		Roger Wendell on Kataka Mountain, 12,441 feet - 10-14-2019
Kataka Mountain, Colorado 		Sentinel Point by Roger J. Wendell - 06-14-2014
Sentinel Point, Colorado

Glass Jar Summit Register on Unnamed 12,915:

Summit Register on Unnamed Peak 12915 feet near Mt. Lindsey - 07-06-2008
Glass Jar Register 		Roger J. Wendell on the summit of Unnamed Peak 12915 feet near Mt. Lindsey - 07-06-2008
Roger and the Register 		Over the years I've also encountered dozens of "unofficial" summit registers - like this one inside a glass jar atop Unnamed Peak 12,915 feet (Near Mt. Lindsey). I would be curious to know who maintains these and where they're eventually archived - please email me if you have any info on the subject! Unfortunately I've discovered many of these glass jar summit registers either cracked, broken, or the lids so rusty that water leaks through and destroys the paper. So, I often try to air 'em out a bit when I find they're wet and then place them in a well protected portion of rock, on the summit, that's obvious for other hikers to find. Either way, it's always fun to find summit registers, even when they're on peaks as low as 12 thousand feet (3,657 m)!

YouTube Logo Click Here for a YouTube video I took on top Unnamed 12,915 feet (3,936 metres)!

 

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YouTube Logo Click Here for my YouTube video on top Bison Peak...
YouTube Logo Click Here for my YouTube video on top Borah Peak in Idaho...
YouTube Logo Click Here for my YouTube video on top Glacier Peak...
YouTube Logo Click Here for my YouTube video on top Humphreys Peak, Arizona...
YouTube Logo Click Here for my YouTube video on top Woods Mountain, Colorado...

 

List of 12ers I've climbed, so far...

Glacier Peak GPS Route Map - 10-30-2012
Glacier Peak GPS generate route map 		(I'm still searching my old notes for climbs that have yet to be recorded here!)

My Colorado list, so far:

  1. AS P560 Benchmark (12,752 ft) - August 29, 2020
  2. Bethel, Mount (12,705 ft) - June 30, 2018 [with Chris MacCormick]
  3. Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness (12,431 ft) - November 11, 2011 [Led by Tom and Linda Jagger with Sacha Bobst]
  4. Buffalo Mountain, Eagles Nest Wilderness (12,777 ft) - July 15, 2018
  5. Byers Peak (12,804 ft) - August 22, 2015 [CMC Trip ed by Norm Arlt]
  6. Copper Mountain (12,441 ft) - August 18, 2019
  7. Glacier Peak (12,853 ft) - October 30, 2012 [CMC trip led by Dominique Hershberger with Beth Dwyer, Candace Winkle, Eileen O'Leary, and me]
  8. Colorado Mines Peak (12,497 ft) - November 17, 2012 [with Linda Jagger and Sacha Bobst]
  9. Coon Hill (12,757 ft) - July 09, 2016 with Claude Neumann
  10. East Spanish Peak (12,683 ft) - Ausugst 22, 2020
  11. Geneva Mountain (12,335 ft) - July 20, 2018 [With steve Bonowski]
  12. Greenhorn Mountain (12,347 ft) - June 01, 2013 [with Tom and Linda Jagger]
  13. Hallett Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park (12,713 ft) - July 07, 2018 [Also went ove Flattop Mountain, again, to get there...]
  14. Independence Mountain (12,614 ft) - August 14, 2020 [Also went over Bear Mountain to get there from Keystone]
  15. Kataka Mountain (12,441 ft) - October 10, 2019 [CMC trip led by Carol Munch]
  16. Kenosha Peak (12,100 ft) - May 07, 2018 [a CMC lead by Grover Cleveland]
  17. Keystone Mountain (12,408 ft) - August 08, 2020 [with Claude Neumann]
  18. Logan, Mount (12,870 ft) - November 06, 2012 [CMC trip led by Stan Moore]
  19. McCurdy Mountain (12,168 ft) - June 14, 2008 [CMC trip led by Joan Engel that also included Bison Peak]
  20. Peak 1, Tenmile Range (12,805 ft) - November 03, 2002 [CMC trip led by Jim Cullen]
  21. Peak 5, Tenmile Range (12,855 ft) - July 19, 2014 [with Tony Chen]
  22. Peak 8, Tenmile Range (12,987 ft) - October 01, 2019
  23. Sawtooth Mountain (12,304 ft) - July 27, 1997 [CMC trip led by Tim Musil]
  24. Sheep Mountain (12,818 ft) - July 13, 2019 [CMC trip led by Steve Bonowski]
  25. Silver Plume Mountain (12,477 ft) - November 07, 2020
  26. Sopris, Mount (12,953 ft) - July 26, 2014 [Smitty waited for me the entire time at the trailhead!]
  27. South Peak (12,892 ft), Mosquito Range - September 21, 2019 [Steave Bonowski CMC lead]
  28. Stanley Mountain, Front Range (12,521 ft) - July 06, 2018
  29. Sugarloaf Peak B, Front Range (12,513 ft) - October 10, 2020
  30. Twin Cone Peak, North (12,323 ft) - July 16, 2016 [with Steve Bonowski]
  31. Twin Cone Peak, South (12,340 ft) - July 16, 2016 [with Steve Bonowski]
  32. Unnamed 12,069, ("Burning Bear Peak") Front Range (12,069 feet) - 07-19-2020 [with Philip Straffin and Wendy Phillips]
  33. Uneva Peak, Front Range (12,522 feet) - 10-03-2020 [with Claude "Randy" Neumann]
  34. Unnamed 12313, "Eccles Peak," Front Range (12,313 feet) - 10-17-2020
  35. Unnamed 12585A, Front Range (12,585 feet) - 08-30-2020 [with Claude Neumann]
  36. Unnamed 12915, Sangre de Cristo Range (12,915 feet) - 07-06-2008
  37. Vasquez Peak, Front Range (12,947 ft) - October 03, 2015 [CMC trip led by Dean Cates]
  38. Volz Benchmark, Front Range (12,589 ft) - August 12, 2017 [CMC trip led by Dorthea Frohner]
  39. Woods Mountain (12,940 ft) - December 18, 2011 [CMC Parnasus/Woods trip led by Kathee Thomure]

 

12ers Outside Colorado:

  1. Arizona - Humphreys Peak (12,663 ft) - July 29, 2012 [with Aidan McGuire]
  2. Idaho - Borah Peak (12,668 ft) - August 12, 2012
  3. Japan - Mount Fuji (Ken-ga-mine 12,388 ft) - July 20, 2017 [with Dr. Roger A. Wendell]
  4. Montana - Granite Peak (12,799 ft) - July 29, 2015 [with Mark Zimmer]
  5. Utah - Peale, Mount, La Sal Range (12,721 ft) - September 20, 2015 [CMC trip led by Steve Bonowski]
  6. Utah - Tukuhnikivatz, Mount, La Sal Range (12,482 ft) - September 20, 2015 [with Claude Neumann and Jesse Bray]

 

Unranked Sub Peaks: (12er Points of interest that I've climbed that don't have enough prominence to be considered a peak in their own right...)

  1. Colorado - Bear Mountain (12,585 ft) - August 14, 2020 [On my way to Independence Mountain from Keystone]
  2. Colorado - Blaine, Mount (12,303 ft) - July 16, 2016 [with Steve Bonowski]
  3. Colorado - Flattop Mountain, Rocky Mountain National Park (12,324 ft), via the Andrews Glacier Loop - June 15, 2012 [CMC trip led by Joe Leahy - I did it again, alone, on my way up to Hallett Peak on 07-07-2018]
  4. Colorado - Goliath Peak (12,216 ft) - November 29, 2014 Front Range [with Steve Bonowski and Patrick Thornley]
  5. Colorado - Peak One, Tenmile Range (12,805 ft) - June 26, 2005
  6. Colorado - Point 12915 - June 16, 2018 Front Range [near Loveland Pass - listed here only because it's a nice trail junciton to Sniktau...]
  7. Colorado - Point 12707 (12,714 ft) - June 08, 2014 Sawatch Range [while on Dean Cates' CMC climb]
  8. Colorado - Sentinel Point (12,527 with 3,200 feet of gain!) - 14 June 2014 [CMC trip led by Debbi Sheinman with Mark Silas, Bob Huey, me, Mary and Tom Mauer]
  9. Colorado - Square Top Mountain (12.985 ft) [with Dean Cates and Peg Flick]
  10. Colorado - Terra Tomah Mountain (12,718 with 4,400 feet of gain) - 15 August 2015 [CMC trip led by Fred Radtke with Ken Yaphe, Dick, Phil, and me,]
  11. Colorado - Trelease, Mount (12,477 ft) - December 05, 2012 [CMC trip led by Eileen O'Leary and Candace Winkle]
  12. Colorado - Union Mountain (12,313 ft) - August 18, 2019

 

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12er Waypoints

Compass For personal safety, and just for the fun of it, I usually take a GPS "reading" on the top of each peak, at the trailhead, or some other interesting point or curiosity along the way. WARNING: I cannot guarantee the accuracy of these waypoints as my own GPS bounces around a lot or I simply take an incorrect reading! Please rely on a more accurate source for your Waypoints! That being said, I still enjoy "cataloging" Waypoints and I keep a bunch of other locations, from around the world, on my 13ers, 14ers, Hiking, Waypoints, and other pages...

Bison Peak, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado N 39° 14.301' W 105° 29.870' 12,431 feet 3,789 metres
Borah Peak, Idaho N 44° 08.244' W 113° 46.866' 12,662 feet 3,859 metres
Colorado Mines Peak N 39° 47.699' W 105° 45.829' 12,497 feet 3,809 metres
Glacier Peak, Colorado N 39° 29.057' W 105° 53.065' 12,853 feet 3,917 metres
Greenhorn Mountain, Colorado N 37° 52.885' W 105° 00.801' 12,347 feet 3,763 metres
Humphreys Peak, Arizona N 35° 20.785' W 111° 40.677' 12,633 feet 3,859 metres
Mount Logan, Colorado N 39° 29.742' W 105° 37.883' 12,870 feet 3,923 metres
Point 12707, Colorado [unranked] N 39° 47.284' W 105° 50.294' 12,714 feet 3,875 metres
Sheep Mountain - Mosquito Range, Colorado N 39° 11.614' W 106° 06.720' 12,818 feet 3,907 metres
Sopris, Mount - Elks Range, Colorado N 39° 15.670' W 107° 09.888' 12,953 feet 3,948 metres
Trealease, Mount - Colorado N 39° 41.728' W 105° 54.175' 12,477 feet 3,803 metres
Woods Mountain - Front Range, Colorado N 39° 43.844' W 105° 50.385' 12,940 feet 3,944 metres

 

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Some Trailheads:

Chicago Lakes Trailhead 52 Roger J. Wendell by Steve Farley - 10-16-2011
Mount Evans Wilderness, Colorado
 
 
 
Ute Creek Trailhead, Lost Creek Wildnerness - 11-11-2011
Ute Creek Trailhead, Lost Creek Wilderness
Arizona Snowbowl (for Humphreys Peak) N 35° 19.876' W 111° 42.697' 9,278 feet 2,828 metres
Bartlett Trailhead, Greenhorn Wilderness, Colorado N 37° 52.703' W 104° 57.491' 8,000 feet 2,438 metres
Berthoud Pass trailhead - US Highway 40
Berthoud Pass summit 		N 39° 47.902' W 105° 46.563' 11,307 feet 3,446 metres
Borah Peak Trailhead (at the little cattle protected entrance through the wooden fence) N 44° 07.954' W 113° 50.042' 7,400 feet 2,255 metres
Continental Divide Trail at Henderson Mine Road, Colorado N 39° 44.260' W 105° 51.219' 10,496 feet 3,199 metres
Thomas Lakes Trail 1958, Elks Range, Colorado (for Mount Sopris) N 39° 18.236' W 107° 07.478' 8,540 feet 2,603 metres
Ute Creek trailhead, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado N 39° 11.885' W 105° 33.212' 8,750 feet 2,667 metres

 

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Prominence, a Definition:

In topography, "prominence" is the height of a mountain or hill's summit by the vertical distance between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit - Prominence is a measure of the independence of a summit. Only summits with a sufficient degree of prominence are regarded as independent mountains. For example, the world's second-highest mountain is K2 (height 8,611 metres, prominence 4,017 metres). While Mount Everest's South Summit (height 8,749 metres, prominence about 10 metres) is taller than K2, it is not considered an independent mountain because it is a subsummit of the main summit (which has a height and prominence of 8,848 metres).

 

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Wim and Roger A. Wendell at Station 5 (2,300 metres) on Mount Fuji, Japan - 06-25-2007
Tired hikers on Mount Fuji (12,388 ft) 		Links:

  1. 10th Mountain Division
  2. 13ers
  3. 14ers
  4. 14ers.com
  5. Aconcagua
  6. Africa (Eastern) - Kenya, Tanzania, and my Kilimanjaro climb
  7. Africa (Southern) - Our trip through Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  8. AIARE - The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education
  9. Alpine Resuce Team - Evergreen, Colorado
  10. Amazonia and Ecuador
  11. American Alpine Club
  12. American Avalanche Association
  13. Antarctica
  14. Argentina and Brazil
  15. Australia Main Page
  16. Australia Two Page
  17. Barefoot
  18. Bolivia
  19. Camping
  20. Champ Camp
  21. Climbing
  22. Climbing Photos
  23. CMC - Colorado Mountain Club
  24. Cross Country Ski Areas Association
  25. COHP - County High Points
  26. Colorado
  27. Colorado Avalanche Information Center
  28. Colorado Fourteener Iniative - A Partnership for Preservation
  29. CORSAR - Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue Card
  30. Everest News
  31. Gear - Stuff for the Backcountry...
  32. High Altitude Medicine Guide
  1. Highpointers Club
  2. Highpoints
  3. Hiking
  4. Japan
  5. Leave No Trace - Center for Outdoor Ethics
  6. Lightning Safety
  7. LOJ - Lists of John
  8. Margy's Hut
  9. Mazamas - Oregon
  10. Mountaineers - Seattle
  11. Mountain Project
  12. New Zealand
  13. ORIC - Outdoor Recreation Information Center - Colorado
  14. Peakbagger.com
  15. Peakery
  16. Pikes Peak
  17. Russia
  18. Silk Road
  19. Skiing - in the backcountry!
  20. Skins, Wax and Waxless Skis
  21. Snow Caves
  22. Snow Day
  23. Summitpost.org
  24. Survival in the backcountry
  25. Ten Essentials - Don't leave home without 'em!
  26. Tibet
  27. Travel and Travel Two - my travel pages!
  28. UIAA - International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation
  29. United Kingdom - England
  30. United Kingdom - Wales and Scotland
  31. Walking softly in the backcountry
  32. Waypoints

 

Warning! Climbing, mountaineering, and backcountry skiing are dangerous and can seriously injure or kill you. By further exploring this web site you acknowledge that the information presented here may be out of date or incorrect, and you agree not to hold the author responsible for any damages, injuries, or death arising from any use of this resource. Please thoroughly investigate any mountain before attempting to climb it, and do not substitute this web site for experience, training, and recognizing your limitations!

 

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