Prospect Hill, White River National Forest, Colorado

This is the view from the summit of Prospect Hill in the White River National Forest of Colorado.  This peak stands at a lofty 10,704 feet above sea level, but here in Colorado, it's just a "hill."

Here are more views from the top--which is reached by traveling gravel roads and hiking trails and bushwhacking through ugly clearcuts.  I had to come here because it was only minutes away from our Airbnb, and it was the only mountain near Breckenridge that was left unclaimed in my peak-bagging club.  It's not a 14er, but I decided to aim a little lower for the sake of nabbing the first ascent of a virgin peak.  Almost every mountain out here has been climbed many times over.  But I got this one!  The first ascent of Prospect Hill in my peak-bagging club is mine, all mine!  

Why do I never stop to ask myself WHY no one has ever done the thing I'm trying to be the first one to do?  Maybe others see clearly that it's a foolhardy thing to try--like climbing Zavitsa (see below).  Maybe they know at a glance that it's just not worth their time or energy.  I will not say that nabbing Prospect Hill was not a worthwhile pursuit, but it was a less scenic spot than some mountains in Colorado.  At first I thought Prospect Hill probably got its name from the sweeping vistas it afforded.  After spending a little time there, I discovered that it more likely got its name from all the many ugly strip mines that prospectors dug there in the 19th and 20th centuries.  See how these old barren slag heaps still scar the mountainsides?

Rusting tin cans, broken crockery, discarded barrel hoops...  The miners on Prospect Hill had no sense of preserving the place for future generations...or even just cleaning up after themselves.

This is the view from a different slag heap, which creates a broad overlook above a ruined stream valley where stone "tailings" from gold mines were left to clog the creek.  See the huge gray seam of stones on the valley floor?  We explored that area on foot later the same day.  It's blazing hot out there on all those displaced rocks.

But back up here on Prospect Hill, there's this nice cabin sitting unlocked beside the road.

I wonder if this place was once used by miners.  A mop and broom could make it fully habitable. 

Now, come down off Prospect Hill into the stony wasteland valley below, where gold mining has left such hideous scars.  This thing is called a "dredge."  Not sure how it worked, but it was a gold mine and refinery.  The water in the pond looks deep.

And here we stand out among the horrible rocks that have been left to choke the valley of the stream at the foot of Prospect Hill.  Click on the photo to enlarge it.  It seemed a sad sort of place with the snowcapped peaks of happier mountains in the background.

Click on this photo to enlarge it.  It's a fox!  My spirit animal--if such things there be.  This little red fox was wandering about along the roadside at the edge of the ugly stone "tailings."  Maybe it was looking for a snake to eat.  It's not everyday you see a red fox in broad daylight.  We also saw a mule deer doe up on the mountaintop.  

This is the ubiquitous summit shot at the hitherto-unclaimed peak of Prospect Hill.