Redcloud Peak Trip Report 07/29/2024

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Redcloud Peak - 14,037 feet Sunshine Peak - 14,004 feet
Date Posted	07/29/2024
Date Climbed	07/27/2024
Author	calebtk

Long Hot Day & Made the call to 911 for Help
Climbed Saturday July 27. Got to trailhead and probably had 40 cars up there, parking was tight. Many people camping overnight in the meadow. We made the 35 minute drive from Mill Creek Campground up to the trailhead, leaving the campsite at 5am and arrive to trailhead at 535. Our group of 18 guys loaded up and got ready to start on the trail at 6am. Be ready for long bathroom lines as there are only 4 toilets at the base of the trail head and this serves many people. Weather was pretty warm to start the day and got hotter throughout the hike. Estimated temps at the summit were mid to upper 80's with extreme sun and winds, to be expected at that elevation. We had some slow rollers in the group and made it to the 2 mile hike and then waited for our slower hikers to catch up. Lost about 45 minutes there, but continued on after that. The route is very clear going up through the valley with more switchbacks as you make your way to the ridge at approximately 13,000' Once past the ridge we continued up to Redcloud. The trail is not marked well here as there are large, loose boulders and rocks. The rock field had several spots where people looked to make their own way, by scrambling straight up. There were a few orange flags on the switch backs and so we used those at our guide for continuing to summit. Climbing without poles was very difficult for our group that didn't have them because of the loose rock and shifting footing. Once to the summit of Redcloud we had a clear view of Sunshine and the path over. Don't be deceived, what looks like an easy dirt path actually has a lot of loose rock fields and 1000' + of elevation gain to get to Sunshine. We told our group you needed to be at 70% still in the tank to make the climb over to Sunshine and then re-summit Redcloud. We did a check on water/fuel too and everyone was good. The route to Sunshine was more difficult than expected, very steep/tight switchbacks going up to the summit. Once there the views all around are amazing. We had a few in our group that were really spent and needed extra time to rest. One member said he had given everything he had, this was scary because we had to re-summit Redcloud and had a 6 mile journey back to base of trail. We started sending guys back to Redclould and the group splintered into 2-3 smaller groups as some were running low on speed/energy. Our last 2 guys were really struggling and we kept back 2 of our strongest guys to help them down the mountain. As I got down to the ridge line I got a text from our guys till on Redcloud to call 911 because we had a guy getting delirious and we didn't know if he could make it down. I made the call with spotty reception and 911 said they'd get an ambulance to the trail head. My group continued down the mountain and quickly lost cell service for the next 3 hours. After gettin to the trail head we did not see any emergency services or S&R. We had no cell service at trailhead and so after leaving water and electoylyte mix for our guys we headed back to camp to call 911 and see where the help was. Back at camp I had several calls/text from 911 and S&R. They let me know they were sending up a S&R guy to the trailhead to asses the situation. They said they only had one ambulance for the county and couldn't send it to the trailhead to wait. It was a scary couple of hours not knowing what was going on with our friends still coming down. By 6:30pm the last of our group arrived and the S&R supervisor shuttled our guy down to the ambulance near Lake City to get checked out. EMT's checked his BP, glucose, etc and told him if they administered and IV they'd have to take him to Gunnison for an overnight stay at the hospital. He declined that and was dropped back at camp where we continued to monitor him and give him water, salty snacks, etc. Thanks to Sam, our mountain angel who waited with our other guy for 2 hours while the last 3 made it back from Sunshine. We had a few Garmin SOS devices to get help if needed. Moral of the story is don't be a "macho man" and push yourself past what you are capable of. It put several in our group at risk because they were on the mountain way too long and storms were rolling in. We even encountered a group of 2 going up to try and summit at 3pm and we begged them to turn around but they refused. Hope they are ok. This mountain is challenging and you must be ready for the challenge or things can get bad quickly. This had some of the worst cell coverage of any of the 14ers I've done so far. So make sure to have some type of GPS Satellite device if you need to call for help. I went up the mountain with 3.5 liters of water and ran out of water 3 miles from the trailhead. Fortunately I had water purifying tablets and there was a stream to get water from. I am glad we did the hike and it was fun to capture 2, 14ers in a day for my first time. But it was also a reminder to me to always be prepared for the worst and keep yours eye open on your trail mates and don't be afraid to make the call too send them back down if they are not looking good or performing well that day. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Long Hot Day & Made the call to 911 for Help

Climbed Saturday July 27. Got to trailhead and probably had 40 cars up there, parking was tight. Many people camping overnight in the meadow. We made the 35 minute drive from Mill Creek Campground up to the trailhead, leaving the campsite at 5am and arrive to trailhead at 535. Our group of 18 guys loaded up and got ready to start on the trail at 6am.

Be ready for long bathroom lines as there are only 4 toilets at the base of the trail head and this serves many people. Weather was pretty warm to start the day and got hotter throughout the hike. Estimated temps at the summit were mid to upper 80's with extreme sun and winds, to be expected at that elevation.

We had some slow rollers in the group and made it to the 2 mile hike and then waited for our slower hikers to catch up. Lost about 45 minutes there, but continued on after that. The route is very clear going up through the valley with more switchbacks as you make your way to the ridge at approximately 13,000'

Once past the ridge we continued up to Redcloud. The trail is not marked well here as there are large, loose boulders and rocks. The rock field had several spots where people looked to make their own way, by scrambling straight up. There were a few orange flags on the switch backs and so we used those at our guide for continuing to summit. Climbing without poles was very difficult for our group that didn't have them because of the loose rock and shifting footing.

Once to the summit of Redcloud 22660_09 we had a clear view of Sunshine and the path over. Don't be deceived, what looks like an easy dirt path actually has a lot of loose rock fields and 1000' + of elevation gain to get to Sunshine. We told our group you needed to be at 70% still in the tank to make the climb over to Sunshine and then re-summit Redcloud. We did a check on water/fuel too and everyone was good.

The route to Sunshine was more difficult than expected, very steep/tight switchbacks going up to the summit. Once there the views all around are amazing. 22660_10 We had a few in our group that were really spent and needed extra time to rest. One member said he had given everything he had, this was scary because we had to re-summit Redcloud and had a 6 mile journey back to base of trail.

We started sending guys back to Redclould and the group splintered into 2-3 smaller groups as some were running low on speed/energy. Our last 2 guys were really struggling and we kept back 2 of our strongest guys to help them down the mountain. As I got down to the ridge line I got a text from our guys till on Redcloud to call 911 because we had a guy getting delirious and we didn't know if he could make it down. I made the call with spotty reception and 911 said they'd get an ambulance to the trail head. My group continued down the mountain and quickly lost cell service for the next 3 hours.

After gettin to the trail head we did not see any emergency services or S&R. We had no cell service at trailhead and so after leaving water and electoylyte mix for our guys we headed back to camp to call 911 and see where the help was. Back at camp I had several calls/text from 911 and S&R. They let me know they were sending up a S&R guy to the trailhead to asses the situation. They said they only had one ambulance for the county and couldn't send it to the trailhead to wait.

It was a scary couple of hours not knowing what was going on with our friends still coming down. By 6:30pm the last of our group arrived and the S&R supervisor shuttled our guy down to the ambulance near Lake City to get checked out. EMT's checked his BP, glucose, etc and told him if they administered and IV they'd have to take him to Gunnison for an overnight stay at the hospital. He declined that and was dropped back at camp where we continued to monitor him and give him water, salty snacks, etc.

Thanks to Sam, our mountain angel who waited with our other guy for 2 hours while the last 3 made it back from Sunshine. We had a few Garmin SOS devices to get help if needed.

Moral of the story is don't be a "macho man" and push yourself past what you are capable of. It put several in our group at risk because they were on the mountain way too long and storms were rolling in. We even encountered a group of 2 going up to try and summit at 3pm and we begged them to turn around but they refused. Hope they are ok. This mountain is challenging and you must be ready for the challenge or things can get bad quickly. This had some of the worst cell coverage of any of the 14ers I've done so far. So make sure to have some type of GPS Satellite device if you need to call for help.

I went up the mountain with 3.5 liters of water and ran out of water 3 miles from the trailhead. Fortunately I had water purifying tablets and there was a stream to get water from. I am glad we did the hike and it was fun to capture 2, 14ers in a day for my first time. But it was also a reminder to me to always be prepared for the worst and keep yours eye open on your trail mates and don't be afraid to make the call too send them back down if they are not looking good or performing well that day.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

BillMiddlebrook	Safety 7/29/2024 4:46pm Yup, climbing these mountains is quite difficult and hikers should know their limitations, do plenty of research, and know when to turn back. And we have to realize how remote these locations are and how difficult it is for Search and Rescue to get there in an emergency; They don't just up and pluck you off the mountain if you call 911. It's great that your group learned this lessen without anyone getting injured or worse. I'm glad everyone made it out ok and SAR was not required to ascend the mountain!
Skimo95	Yikes 7/29/2024 5:36pm Glad your group ended up okay
Trotter	An important lesson 7/31/2024 12:43pm I'm glad everyone ended up ok, but yall did learn an important lesson. You and your buddies are the primary ones responsible for your lives. SAR members are off doing normal jobs, normal lives, etc. So while they do drop everything and come if they get a call, it can be hours or sometimes days until they can make it to the caller. Especially for the less populous counties/cities some of these 14ers are in. If you aren't feeling it that day, turn around and come back later. The mountain will still be there.
Marmot72	how times have changed 8/9/2024 6:15pm I climbed those two in 2005; I doubt there were more than 18 people on the mountain that day. A group of 18 is pretty large for wilderness travel. For perspective, group reservations at backcountry campgrounds are routinely capped at 15 total members.

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