Since your web browser does not support JavaScript,
here is a non-JavaScript version of the trip report. NOTE: the slideshow above will not work with JavaScript disabled. June 2, 2002
The dirt road outside of Fairplay CO is in excellent condition and easily passable to passenger cars. About 2 miles after the Fourmile Creek Campground you will see a turnout for passenger cars. Below is a picture of Mount Sherman as seen from Fairplay. Sherman is the gentle summit in the middle.
Hike up the 4 wheel drive road and into the Fourmile Creek Basin shown in the photo below. Sherman is the peak on the right side of the picture.
At the first mining structures you come to, shown below, the road forks and you want to go right. The book doesn't mention this but some people in front of me went left and realized it was the wrong way and was heading back.
The road then forks again very soon and you want to go right again. I went left and didn't realize my mistake for awhile. The road I followed ended at another mining structure and not wanting to backtrack, I ascended straight up the boulder slope and regained the trail on the saddle between Sherman and Mount Sheridan. The photo below shows the route up Sherman from the saddle.
From here the trail is obvious and steepens a little as it follows the southwest ridge shown in the photo below all the way to the summit.
The summit has some very nice views including Pikes Peak to the west, and Mount Elbert and Mount Massive to the east. It was very windy on the summit and I had to put on my shell to stay warm. There were about 4 other people on the summit and the register must have been still under snow since it was nowhere to be found. One guy on the summit was a park ranger studying a marmot population near the summit.
In the photo below Mount Elbert is on the left edge of the picture with Mount Massive on the right edge.
After eating a Promax bar and chatting with the ranger, it was time to descend. Once back to the saddle and out of the wind it was a casual stroll down the trail I missed on my way up. The trail passes a large mine shaft tower at one point and I decided to take a shortcut straight down the talus slope in the photo below. I made it back to my car around 11:30 making my roundtrip hiking time right at 3 hours. Sherman is a very mellow hike and would be a great first 14er.
