2.8 mi to summit
5.3 mi total
10,200 ft start
1,500 ft gain
2 hr 15 min to summit
4 hr 15 min total
Hiked up to Mt Patterson from Belfort. The road up to Belfort was pretty rough and had me puckering up numerous times. I probably could of drove all the way here but I wanted to actually hike up to Patterson and nearby Wheeler Peak. The hike up was surreal, there were so many different colors of rocks; from orange to pink to purple to yellow to white. It felt like you were on another planet. I had to stop and catch my breath numerous times, these were the highest mountains I have climbed up to this point. The summit had amazing views but I didn't stay up there too long because there were some thunderstorms brewing to the south and east. I'm glad I left when I did because they kept growing. As I was hiking back down I got rained and hailed on. I saw some lightning strikes in the distance and the thunder rolled over my head countless times, which isn't a good feeling when you're up at over 11k elevation. It was a very memorable experience!
puddlepirate
Your 5.3 distance, is that for Patterson or both ? I'm thinking about doing them both but that areas seclusion kinda makes me nervous. Any info you have would be awesome , Christopher
Sledhead29
That is for both round trip, I did Wheeler first, then Patterson. The road up from Sweetwater Ranch took about and hour and a half to get to Belfort. Definitely a 4X4 road. The road eventually goes right by the summit of Patterson. For Wheeler its not a very far detour off of that road, although I took a much more direct route straight up from Belfort.