Ahhhh yes, Mt. Antero! I am labeling Mt. Antero the "blue collar" fourteener in Colorado. It is a no-frills, no-nonsense mountain that lacks some of the romance of other nearby peaks. The humming noise of nearby bulldozers and mining equipment while on the summit make this a very unpretentious mountain. (Some private citizens have mineral rights and the area is known for being rich in quartzite and aquamarine minerals.) It seemed the characteristics of this mountain made it more fitting to be the mountain for places like Milwaukee, Pittsburgh or Pueblo, Colorado. ;)

Special thanks to Derrick in Buena Vista (and his dog "Chief") for coming along with me on this hike. In fact, it was his 4-wheel drive high clearance vehicle that brought us above timberline towards the mountain's vicinity.

I must admit after summiting the Mt. Sneffels, a much more difficult climb last week, my mountaineering internals were slow to get "pumped up" for Mt. Antero. That quickly changed once we were up there on foot, and sparing the details, there was a point where I distressingly gave an obscene finger gesture to Mt. Antero (See Donors Forum photo) - an example of clear evidence that this mountain earned my respect!

I had a great time up there! Enjoy the photos below! -Steve :)

The Hike Up Mt. Antero - The Drive Along Mt. Antero Road

	A couple of photos of the road close to and above timberline.
	We began our hike in earnest about 0.5 miles down the road from the particular spot in the top photo. Following the standard route description on 14ers.com (Their Link), we climbed up the rocky hill towards the ridge. Hiking up that ridge was not necessarily terrible, but there were many "iffy" spots of shaky, large rocks and potential hazards of hurting one's ankle among the large gaps between boulders. Also, there is no defined trail up this ridge. Again, I am not necessarily saying the ridge is horrible to get over, but in retrospect, I would probably have hiked around the ridge (to the right) along the road to the spot we arrived by truck. At the point of the middle photo, I stopped to rest and captured the view looking back down at the road. The tall peak (alt. 13,876 feet) is unnamed, at least, according to all the research I have done. It was at this point along this ridge that everything seemed to be concerning: "Chief" the dog was having a hard time up the boulder field, significant clouds were capriciously forming, disappearing and traveling across the sky, and the lack of a defined trail on this stupid boulder covered hill. We then decided to walk way back down to our truck and take the road further up to investigate. If we didn't reach Mt. Antero's summit, we were quite okay with that at this point. (Bottom photo: Derrick walked his scared dog down the boulder field.)
	So up the road we went! And quite a road it is. Folks, if you have a Jeep or small 4-wheel drive vehicle, this is a really interesting area to explore!
	This one particular switchback way up over 13,000 feet had some wetness that made it difficult to pass. I actually got out of the truck to help direct him. ;)
	As we continued and approached the road's end, I snapped this drop-dead gorgeous view of 14ers Mt. Shavano (back left - pointed peak) and Tabeguache Peak (right - large ridge with deep vertical slides).

The Upper Hike Portion

	The road essentially dead-ends at a ridge with an impressive view of Mt. Antero. (Adjacent photo) We were already at 13,500 feet, and we decided to give the mountain a shot. For those purists out there who believe in the 3,000 foot rule, I'll concede we only ascended a total of approximately 1,000 feet in hiking. Still, if you're going to adhere with this standard, you're going to be starting way below and walking miserably back on forth on the road's boring and numerous switchbacks. I simply don't see the sense in that from a practical standpoint; Hiking on a road intended for vehicles is lame.
	A closer view of Mt. Antero.
	Two views as we climbed up Mt. Antero's south face. TOP: Looking back towards the end of the road with Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak behind. BOTTOM: Derrick behind me on the trail.

While On The Summit Of Mt. Antero (Altitude 14,269 Feet)

	The summit of Mt. Antero! Ah, the views were as wonderful as they always are on 14ers! ;) TOP: Mt. Princeton to the north. MIDDLE: The Chalk Cliffs, the lower mouth of Chalk Creek Canyon and the Arkansas River Valley out there. BOTTOM: More peaks among the Sawatch Range to the north and northwest.
	TOP: Baldwin Lake is located way up in that uppermost area of that gulch. MIDDLE: A great view of that colorful Unnamed 13,876 foot peak with portions of the road below. BOTTOM: The southerly view of Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak in the background. Note the fresh cut in the white-shaded hill on the right from recent mining activity. Do not be too alarmed from an envirnomental standpoint though, because laws require miners to reclaim lands and roads soon after being used.
	I battled the sun and clouds to capture the view looking towards Salida.
	And once again, I captured a zoom-in photo of Emma Burr Mountain, a "13er" on the Continental Divide (between Cottonwood Pass and Tincup Pass) that has been on my mind and heart to summit one of these days! ;)
	One token photo of myself. This was Chief's first 14er, by the way! Here are my other 14er hikes this year: Mt. Yale Quandary Peak Mt. Belford Mt. Sneffels