A few days after climbing the difficult El Diente, I joined up with a friend to knock out Redcloud and Sunshine. This is a beautiful hike, and while it isn't particularly difficult (class 2 and quite easy to follow), it is long and requires a lot of elevation gain: 12 miles total and nearly 5000 feet if you return over Redcloud as recommended.

The trail starts at the Silver Creek / Grizzly Gulch trailhead, with the trail going to Handies one way and Redcloud/Sunshine the other. Getting to the trailhead from Lake City isn't too difficult: Getting to it from Silverton requires a long, rough 4wd road. So be warned. I wasn't expecting this and was surprised when my GPS said I had 18 miles but 90 minutes remaining to drive! But it was exactly right, and thankfully I had a lifted 4wd Jeep that could handle the nasty road.

Scott and I started off at 4:30am, knowing my slow pace, so we'd be in no hurry. The forecast was clear and warm. Unlike some of the more advanced climbs, this one presents no route-finding difficulty: Follow the trail.

Once upon the saddle, turn right and continue to follow the trail to Redcloud. (There is a trail that turns left as well, and while I'll bet it leads to an amazing viewpoint, it's not the way to the summit.)

As you ascend from the ridge, the path sidesteps the top of the ridge to get around a rugged, steep section. (There is even a sign here that points off to climbers' right indicating the trail is that way.) Social trails are developing all over the place here, and I strongly recommend taking the least steep trail; the one that veers the furthest away from the ridge. This is the most difficult part of this entire trek, both on the ascent and descent, because it's so steep and loose. Even following the least steep path, I still managed to fall painfully twice on the descent. Be careful. It's probably best to avoid the steeper social trails to prevent erosion, as well.

Summit views:

From the top of Redcloud, Sunshine looms a mile and a half beyond, connected by a clear trail. Before you go, be sure you're ready - going to Sunshine and back is another ~3 miles and ~1000 feet of elevation gain. (There are options to drop down nasty steep gullies, but this isn't recommended.)

On the lowest point of the saddle, my topo map marks a possible descent route (but notes it can be steep and dangerous). It must have been a problem, because there's a sign there saying (paraphrased) "Not a trail - do not descend - dangerous terrain - return over Redcloud".

Sunshine, incidentally, is Colorado's lowest 14er, just barely breaking the 14,000 foot mark. It was measured at 14,001 feet for a while, and the current figure says 14,004.

There is a route down on the far side of Sunshine, down a particular gully. Though I haven't tried it, it's hard to recommend. Finding the right gully from the top is apparently difficult, plus even the right one is steep and sketchy. The recommendation seems to be a return over Redcloud, so that's what we did. The descent is simple enough, but do be very, very careful down the rugged area beyond the false summit of Redcloud.

Redcloud and Sunshine is both easy and difficult. On one hand, it's class 2 only briefly and mostly class 1; there's no exposure; and the trail is very clear so getting off route is nearly impossible. But done as a combination, you've got a three-summit day (since you cross back over Redcloud), with a tough 4,800 feet of elevation gain over a hike of about 12 miles. And you're up over 13,500 for a long time. Keep an eye on the weather before committing to cross over to Sunshine.