Mickeys Big Mouth - Just Hiking

Statistics

Date - 02/24/2024
Elevation - < 7,000'
Route - Mickeys Big Mouth
Miles - 0.5
Elevation Gain - 300'
ACME Mapper - Link
CalTopo - Link
Partners - Kennedy Just

Description

My daughter Kennedy enjoyed her first time out ice climbing a couple of weeks ago, so we decided to go again. This time we went out a bit earlier in the day and climbed another short beginner pitch in Clear Creek Canyon outside of Golden, Colorado, called Mickeys Big Mouth. We knew it was in from seeing it earlier in the month. Similar to Coors Lite, Mickeys is right off the highway with a short approach.

A couple of parties were climbing when we showed up; however, they both went up to the second pitch about 100 yards farther up the canyon so we had the ice flow to ourselves for a couple of hours. Another pair of climbers showed up later on in the morning, but there was enough room to accomodate everyone.

Kennedy and I enjoyed our morning together as we each climbed the pitch several times before calling it a day. I got several leads in, and Kennedy even decided to attempt to mock lead and place a few ice screws. It might be time to ramp it up a bit and take her to Vail, Colorado, or other more challenging areas to test her skills. She did very well and worked on her technique and stronger swings.

Photos