Sunshine Mountain A - 13,321'

It is my Sunshine, my only Sunshine, because I have yet to summit 14er Sunshine Peak. (Darn you, east ridge route...)

Let me just get this confession out of the way: GPX track, there is! Great route photos, there are not. Up until this point, I was primarily 14er focused and also did a lot of what you might call "normal hiking" (non-peak). Sunshine Mountain A was only my 4th 13er, so the jury was still out on whether or not an interest would develop. As such, I wasn't really taking photos of the route, I was more so taking photos of all the amazing surrounding views. What I will say, though, is the route is quite benign and humble, so even simply knowing what you're aiming for - and in what direction - should hopefully be helpful.

STATS

Round trip mileage: 4.7 miles
Elevation gain: 2,146'

Gain splits (roughly):
Mile 1 = 771' gain
Mile 2 = 1,112' gain
Mile 2 - 2.35 (summit) = 262' gain

THE TRAILHEAD

Your destination is just before 11,200' on the North Fork Henson Creek Road. You'll see the turnoff for the Matterhorn/Wetterhorn TH, and you'll just keep on going. I cannot stress this enough: you need sufficient clearance on your vehicle to get all the way to the TH! A standard 7.3" SUV clearance isn't going to cut it.

Right before 11,200' and before a hairpin turn to head up a switchback, this is your destination. I vaguely recall a fence-like structure and an obvious opening in the woods leading to the southwest.

THE HIKE

This route travels through the beautiful American Flats Wilderness Study Area, so take heed that wilderness rules apply. The hike begins by heading southwest into the forest on an established trail, trekking along to the bubbly sounds of North Fork Henson Creek. You'll see a beautiful little waterfall to your left after a little ways and some gradual uphilling, and it's here that trees will begin to thin.

Soon, you'll find yourself not in any trees at all but instead with clear views of an intimidating angle of Unnamed 13,093. Around 11,440', your thoughts should turn to deviating from the standard trail in a more southerly fashion, crossing the creek. NOTE: We had a little bit of trouble finding a good crossing. Depending on the season, expect that you might have to get your boots a little wet.

Once across the creek, the goal is to now head southeasterly straight up through the trees. It was steep and a little bushwhacky but not terrible. After emerging from the trees right around 12,000', this is where the real fun begins: views! As you ascend further, great views of Wetterhorn, Uncompahgre, and the great wave of the alpine, Wildhorse Peak, will become more prominent.

The hike itself is enjoyable with very little interruption in the carpet of tundra; very few rocky encounters.

The point to which you are aiming as you cross the slope and head much more easterly is essentially a false summit at approximately 13,100'. You skirt between some rocks and boulders, gain "point 13,100", and from there you finally gain a view of the summit. The remaining stretch to the summit is under .35 miles, and remaining gain is approximately 221'. Your new direction is sharp southeasterly toward the top of the rocky outcropping, and before you know it, you'll be on the summit!

Gems of the day: lots of wildflowers and a remarkable herd of elk we could gaze down on from the summit!

Unfortunately, I was having some struggles, so I wasn't going to be able to book it over to Unnamed 13,093 (booking speed needed due to incoming weather). As such, RyGuy and I descended essentially the same way we came up, and took in views along the way.

We especially enjoyed watching the mood change over Wetterhorn, hoping nobody was still on the summit since the weather was moving fast and looked quite suspect, and we watching our three friends make a quick summit of Unnamed 13,093.

Noteworthy mention: we took a minor detour at 11,480' to go check out the waterfall, so that's the "blip" on the GPX track where you might wonder where we wander.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

It's a short, pleasant peak, relatively easy trek, easily navigable, and kind of tucked away in a fairly unassuming fashion. The real gems exist around the peak, not necessarily on the peak, but that is a special reward especially in the San Juans where there's so much to see. It was really neat to see Wetterhorn (which I would summit successfully the following day), and now I am back to daydreaming about pursuing Wildhorse this summer. Of course, I'll also probably go back for Unnamed 13,093 someday, as well. Excuses to return to beautiful places are the best kind of excuses, aren't they?

As with all things beautifully outdoors, please practice Leave No Trace principles, but by all means take pictures and leave a trip report. Happy 13ering to all!