These 14’ers are close to my home so I have traversed them many times, and from many angles! I have done the trails the way you’re supposed to, but have also climbed up the backside of Lincoln from Montgomery reservoir and the backside of Bross from Windy Ridge. These are fun mountains to play on and no matter which peak you’re on the views are quite spectacular!
If you start at Kite Lake really early in the morning you can conquer all 4 peaks in one day. I would recommend starting with Bross if you’re going to do this as the scree can be slippery and better for going up than down on that part. Bring lots of water and a jacket in case it’s cold up top, which it almost always is. I don’t recommend this trail for pets, it’s pretty jagged and rough. From the top of any of these mountains, you can look down and see Kite Lake, and you’ll quickly see where the lake get it’s name! It’s shaped like a kite, tail and all!
