Little Bear, Ellingwood, and Blanca 14er Hiking/Backpacking Trip

Let's hike up the 14ers Little Bear, Ellingwood, and Blanca Peaks this August. Little Bear is a Class 4 route up, but there are Class 2 routes we can take up both Ellingwood and Blanca Peaks.

Friday, August 22:
Meet at Wooly Mammoth Park-N-Ride at 12:00 PM. We drive from there to Lake Como Rd, park our vehicles, and backpack up Lake Como Rd to Lake Como to camp over the weekend to hike the three 14ers above the lake. The road up to Lake Como is the gnarliest and nastiest of all the roads leading up to 14ers. Not even 4WD vehicles should go up this. Best to backpack up it to the lake, and camp overnight. Como Lake is 5.5 miles from parking spots, with 3,900ft elevation gain.

Saturday, August 23:
Get up early to climb Little Bear Peak. (Best to do the most difficult of the 14ers first). 3.5 miles RT, and 2300ft elevation gain from Como Lake. The hardest part up it is the hourglass. If other people are ahead of us going up it, it's best to wait for them to finish it before going up it to avoid any danger of falling rocks above.

Sunday, August 24:
Get up early to climb Ellingwood first and then Blanca. We can choose this morning, based on how we're feeling, if we should take the Class 2 routes up the two mountains, or try out the Class 3 routes up them. The Class 2 route up Ellingwood is the South Face, and the Class 2 route up Blanca is the Northwest Ridge. We must first ascend Ellingwood to the left, then head back down to the trail fork and go right to head up to Blanca. Optional, we go up Ellingwood South Face, and do the Class 3 Ellingwood-Blanca traverse to Blanca Summit, or the Class 3 Routes up Ellingwood Southwest Ridge and then the traverse, before descending down Blanca's Northwest Ridge.
All options will be around 7 miles RT and about 3000ft elevation gain.
After summiting these two mountains, we'll pack our camping/backpacking equipment and hike back down Como Lake Road to our vehicles and head home.

Required Items:
Mountaineering/Climbing Helmets
Headlamps
Backpacks for backpacking and climbing the 14ers from Como Lake
Water (Water bottles/water filters/etc.
Camping Food
Tent
Bear Cannisters/Protection of food from bears/etc.
Jackets/Pants/Shirts/Sunglasses/Hiking Boots & Socks/Protective Gear from sunlight, including sunscreen/etc.
Hiking Poles
First aid kits

When you RSVP, please plan to do all three 14ers. It's safest for more than one person on this trip to ascend Little Bear Peak. I find ascending routes Class 3 and up solo to be too dangerous. Safety first!!

Come prepared. The organizer is not liable for any injuries/accidents that happen, or any lack of preparation.

Most important thing to do on this trip, alongside staying safe, is you gotta have fun!!