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Peak(s):  Redcloud Peak  -  14,037 feet
Sunshine Peak  -  14,004 feet
Handies Peak  -  14,058 feet
Date Posted:  08/18/2014
Date Climbed:   08/11/2014
Author:  emohr
Additional Members:   BTort
 San Juan Summer Sendoff   

San Juan Summer Sendoff
August 2014








Overview:
Ever since my first trip to the San Juan Mountains of Colorado in 2012, I've been intrigued and awestruck by their crazy geology and insane climbs. Climbing on the volcanic rock of Mt. Sneffels was like no other climbing experience I've had. The mountains seemed to jut out of nowhere and erode in the most peculiar fashion. After squeezing my sphincter enough to get through the V-Notch of Sneffels, I was rewarded with views of Dallas Peak and Teakettle Mountain. I went home with the utmost respect of that jagged and vast range. And also researched the climbs of the area, and that really put into perspective what it means to climb all the 13ers in Colorado, or the Centennials of Colorado. Jagged Mountain looks like a beast that I'm not sure I'll ever be able to tame, but I will certainly be satisfied if I can be in it's presence and take a few snapshots of it someday. I digress..

Denver to The San Juans is never really a convenient trip, so it took until August of this Summer to work out the schedule of a few people to take a week off and explore the area with The Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon, and 14ers in mind. Brandon would be competing in the Half Marathon in Ouray on Saturday, then we would rest and attempt Redcloud and Sunshine on Monday the 11th, and Handies on the 12th. We had scheduled for more peaks, but Mother Nature had different plans and brought in some monsoon weather that forced our plans up north. Either way, we had a fantastic few days in The San Juans

Schedule

  • Friday 8th - Drive to Ouray via 285 South and US 50
  • Saturday 9th - Half Marathon, Drive to Silver Creek via Engineer and Cinnamon Pass
  • Sunday 10th - Rest and Relax
  • Monday 11th - Climb Redcloud/Sunshine under the Super Moon via Silver Creek
  • Tuesday 12th - Climb Handies via American Basin



Friday, August 8th

Drive to Ouray

We packed up and left Golden around 10:00AM. Figuring the I-70 drive has been done a few hundred times too many, we chose to take 285 South and US 50 to get to Ouray, and it worked out quite well. Little to no traffic, and some fun stops along the way like Kenosha Pass and Montrose, where we stocked up on food. We made it to Ouray at about 5:00PM.



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Ouray, a Colorado Mountain Town Gem




Friday was the only night I wasn't sure where we would camp, but I figured there would be somewhere around Ouray that would be open.. Apparently, I'm foolish in thinking that. We checked out the Amphitheater Campground just south of Ouray and every spot was full or reserved. A kind gentleman told us that it's stupidly popular, and a man from Texas had reserved his spot 6 months ago. I began to grow hesitant as to whether we would find a decent spot to sleep before Brandon ran 13 miles the next day


Fortunately, by the grace of those oh so wonderful San Juan Gods, the upper camping ground up towards Yankee Boy had the most wonderful camp host we've gotten to know. We told Larry that we didn't really have any options, and just needed to camp out for one night before we left for other mountains the next day. He understood our case, and let us use one of the closed camp spots that had some erosion problems earlier that year, but would be fine for the night... as long as a flash flood didn't come through. Luckily, we had a rainless night




Saturday, August 9th

Drive to Silver Creek TH


Brandon woke up early and ran an apparently 'jazzy' 1:28 half marathon. He took second in his age division, and got a beer afterwards. Congrats on your first half marathon my man! Glad you had such a good time, you couldn't wipe the smile off your face haha

Once we met up with Brandon, we headed to Maggie's to get a world class burger before we headed up to Engineer Pass to get to our trailhead for our 14ers. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how rugged the road from Ouray to Silver Creek going over the Pass really was. My sister and Sammie made the wise choice to take their Subaru to Lake City through Montrose, and not risk damaging the car. Brandon and I took my Xterra, and driving over that pass was one of the best days I've had in Dante (my Xterra). The pass had the perfect combination of driving difficulty, aesthetic beauty, and sense of danger that makes you feel like an old school pioneer. My Xterra handled the driving perfectly, and only bottomed out on a few dips, but the rock sections went very smoothly! I don't think I could have done the Pass without Brandon my navigator, however. There section of road big enough for 1 Polaris 4X4 and 99% of a 2002 Xterra. He motioned me forward, and Brandon told me my clearance to the side with the cliff. My tire rubbed the Polaris, and Brandon insisted that I kept going that direction to avoid the cliff.. Luckily we made it out alive


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Driving up to Engineer Mountain



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Glad we waited to get correct directions



When we got to the Poughkeepsie Gulch and Engineer Mountain intersection, we weren't sure which direction headed to our Trailheads. We decided to not waste our time with guess and check, and waited for the next driver to come up. Once again we had the pleasure of meeting some more friendly folks in the mountains, and a man and his son helped guide us to where we ultimately wanted to go. They were extremely helpful, and had as much fun as us driving the pass in their FJ Cruiser. It was pretty cool to be trucking up the pass in a small convoy


Oh and the views? Incredible. It was crazy to be driving near 13,000', where I'm used to only traveling by foot


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Marmot at his house



Mineral Point was based on a quartz formation that had signs of gold that led to the gold camps, and other camps prospecting for silver. The mine was shut down, as were many in The San Juan area by 1900, because of the economic depression Denver was facing from several years of a struggling farming industry. Most of the mines around The San Juans are silver based, and because of the demonetization of silver in 1873, led to many of their closings. I'm a geology nut and love this sort of stuff, so feel free to add a comment or message me with any geology knowledge you may have of the area and would be willing to share





After several hours of rough 4 Wheel Driving, we made it to our campsite at the Silver Creek TH and metup with the Sammie and my sister Katie to setup camp. We knew we had Sunday to rest, so we ate, drank, and enjoyed the mountain air






Sunday, August 10th
Rest


And on Sunday, we rested. Knowing we would leave early the next day, an early bed time awaited us


Monday, August 11th

Redcloud and Sunshine via Silver Creek TH
12.25 miles, 4,800' elevation gain

Camera Equipment:
Nikon D3200
Nikor 18-55mm lens
Nikor 55-300mm lens
Microfiber cloths, tripod, other small accessories

Special Equipment:
Just the tripod for lowlight, and GLOVES. I don't care if it's a sunrise summit in January or July, you will want gloves

Schedule:
12:30AM - Wake up
1:30AM - Leave
5:30AM - Summit of Redcloud
6:30AM - Summit of Sunshine
7:00AM - Leave Sunshine
8:00AM - Regain Redcloud
11:00AM - Return to Silver Creek


Our trip was planned before we knew of the Supermoon on the night of Sunday into Monday, but when we heard about it, we figured we should use it to aid us in a sunrise summit of Redcloud and Sunshine. Nothing satiates the soul like seeing the sun peek its way over the horizon while being at 14,000'. As it turns out, the 2014 Perseid Meteor Shower was also taking place on the same night. It was unlike anything I've ever done to walk the trail without a headlamp, guided by the moon, gazing upward and seeing blue streaks scar the night sky. I didn't setup my camera long enough to catch any meteors, but I did get a few shots of Silver Creek and Pleiades



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The start of our nighttime journey



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Hiking below the Pleiades constellation






I had done a few 14er repeats this Summer, but this was my first ascent of a new peak since Longs last Summer. The thought of getting my 33rd and 34th 14er was more than enough motivation needed to chug up the slopes of Redcloud. It was certainly chilly, but we were well prepared, and also motivated by the unbelievable views






When I was initially planning for the trip, I wanted to take an ascent of Sunshine's Northwest Face, and a descent of the standard trail down. However, we had talked to a few families at the Trailhead the day before, and said it was sketchy, loose mess. Possible, but not the most fun time. We decided to pass on the loss scree, and just reascend Redcloud the standard route



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Summit of Redcloud, 5:30AM


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Traversing to Sunshine



Traversing between Redcloud and Sunshine, I had the song "Waiting for The Sun" by The Doors playing over and over in my head. I feel that it's much appropriate than the "Here Comes The Sun" by The Beatles. The Doors experience of the sun is much more angry and painful, as is my waiting for The Sun in the thin air and cold environment of 14,000' in Colorado


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First sight of that wonderful sun!


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Worth every second


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As the sun rose in the East, the moon set in the West






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Final push!


The Sun wasn't up when we reached Redcloud, so we kept on chugging to Sunshine, but when we reached Sunshine, we made sure to take our time and soak in the views. Watching The Sun rise while gazing at the hundreds of San Juan Peaks was exactly what I had in mind when I started making plans to come here



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You haven't lived until you've sunbathed at 14,000'


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The First (and certainly most affected by altitude) Group to Reach Sunshine!


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So.. we have to go back?




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Redcloud Summit, with some more sun


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Elephant Head with white head




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Columbines started appearing once we got low enough in the basin








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Crossing the avalanche debris





Our legs were sore from hiking, and our jaws were sore from smiling. It was time for beer x10, camp food, and much, much sleep. We fell asleep at 7PM, and awoke at 7AM. The sleep/dreams you get after a Sunrise Summit are out of this world, lemme tell ya



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Some good ol' mountain stream leg soakin'! Brandon's sultry ukulele and brass pipes made the experience much less




Tuesday, August 12th
Handies Peak via American Basin
6 Miles, 2,500' elevation gain

Camera Equipment:
Nikon D3200
Nikor 18-55mm lens
Nikor 55-300mm lens
Microfiber cloths, tripod, other small accessories

Special Equipment:
Maybe a Colorado Wildflower book? This hike was very gradual and short, perfect for a first 14er, or after doing 2 the day before! I was going to hate myself if there were fish in Sloan Lake(?) along the trail, because I didn't have my fly fishing rod, but luckily I didn't see any sign of fish in there. Perhaps too many minerals coming down from The American Basin Crags

Schedule:
7:00AM - Wake up
8:00AM - Start Hike
10:00AM - Summit of Handies
10:30AM - Leave Handies
12:00PM - Back to Camp


After waking up at 1:30AM the day before, it was a nice change of pace to awake to the sun, and not the moon, at 7:00AM. We were well rested, and ready to see what all the hype about this American Basin was. The drive from Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch to the American Basin was mostly 2WD accessible, but one section of rocks near the TH gave my Xterra a bit of trouble. Anything with low clearance would be scrapin' if they were to get over it

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Once we arrived to the basin, we packed our bags, and began strolling along the road up to Handies at 8. Within about 200 yards of where we parked, the wildflowers just started getting RIDICULOUS. I had only seen flowers like this on Imogene Pass a few years back. I'm wondering if The San Juans have the best wildflowers because of their volcanic soil, or because of a better climate (moisture) for flowers?


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There were very few people on the trail, and we quickly made our way up to the switchbacks along Handies south slope. We were too busy looking upward at Handies to even see Sloan Lake behind us under The American Basin Crags. Ya just can't get those lake colors in the Sawatch or Front Range!





















After a beautiful 2 hours of hiking, and meeting some friendly folks along the trail, we made it to the summit. My 35th 14er!






Redcloud(L) and Sunshine(R)


35 down, 23 to go!


We had a gentle hike back down, and soaked our feet in Sloan Lake for a bit. The American Basin really is one of the most beautiful areas in Colorado












Once we got back to the car, we headed back to Lake City and went to the Packer Saloon and Cannibal Grill for some supposedly fantastic food.. the rumors were certainly true. Unbelievable food, and awesome staff, really cool people. Also, we saw a Bald Eagle along the Lake in Lake City, and watched him land along the hill side along the road. What a beautiful creature! Perhaps he was our forewarning that The San Juans would be too rainy to climb the next few days.. 3 new summits in the gorgeous San Juans is certainly good enough for this nerdy college boy!










It felt great to get 3 new 14ers under my belt, and the trip certainly lit a fire under my butt to do some more. Even though I'm exciting and anxious to get out and do some more, I realize that climbing all 58 will be a goal that might take a long time. I'm okay with that, I plan on living and retiring in Colorado when my mining career is said and done. I've met a lot of cool people this Summer while wandering the mountains of Colorado, and I've met young and old who are climbing the 14ers, and it's certainly a long journey for them as well. As frustrating as it might be to have a 300 person summit on Bierstadt, it's really cool to see so many people climbing 14ers this Summer. A Colorado hobby that doesn't Jimmy Fallon doesn't make fun of us for


Also, I remember a 14ers.com Facebook Page (What a shit show that is huh?) Post a couple months ago about The 3 'H' Peaks, Humboldt, Handies, and Huron. People were listing the order of their favorite climb of those 3, and I can vividly remember being TORCHED by a 'certain' 14ers.com member for putting Huron below Humboldt. That's actually the reason I left that Facebook page. How dare you compare the secluded slopes of a Sangre Peak with the switchback monotony of The Sawatch! I grew upset..

But after climbing Handies now, my order would probably be
1) Humboldt
2) Handies
3) Huron

Humboldt and Handies are really really close, but I'm biased to The Sangres because they're the origin of my climbing roots! The views of the Crestone Needle along with South Colony Lakes is very comparable to The American Basin Crags and Sloan Lake; the climb on Humboldt is much tougher, and much more of a 14er hike in my mind

Huron is great, don't get me wrong. Humboldt and Handies are in my top 10 favorite, so it would be hard for a Sawatch Peak to sneak in there

Like I said in the report, I love talking mountains and geology, so if you have any stories or info on these mountains, I'd love to hear it! Comment or just PM me





Stay Thirsty My Friends



Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 35 36 37 38 39 40


Comments or Questions
goingup
User
Great TR
8/19/2014 2:22am
and amazing photos Eric.

They key is 100+ photos, people love having to wait for them to upload. I am the queen of the 100+ photo TR, you should become the king.


rajz06
User
Well..
8/19/2014 5:15pm
...done! Even though the Sawatch leads in 14er count, the San Juan range is the most remote, rugged and unique range in CO, so your ranking of the ”Aitch”es is justified. I do think Holy Cross will give the others a run for their money and I'd have to add Harvard to that list too.



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