Introduction

It was supposed to be four nights, and I thusly packed for such. My 65L pack weighed 50 lbs... although 4.4 of those pounds was just water for the approach. This year's big Colorado backpacking trip was to South Colony Lakes with the goal of summitting the Crestone Group. I did things a little different though than most and began my approach from Grape Creek TH instead of the typical 2WD and 4WD trailheads. Crestone Needle would be my first Class 4 route.

Wednesday September 2nd: Roadtrip to the Rockies

I drove out from Omaha that morning after dropping the kids off at school. It's a long drive, about 10 hrs, but I enjoy the open road. I usually put on an audiobook and just drive and hydrate. The Subaru Ascent is a great roadtrip vehicle, smooth and comfortable. I got to the South Colony 2WD parking area around 8PM Mountain Time and there was not much light left in the sky. There was one other person parked there, a campervan with the side door open and lights on. He looked like he was getting ready to settle in for the night. I had heard of the "NO OVERNIGHT PARKING" signs at the 2WD parking area and Plan A was just to risk it. However, when I got there and saw that it also came with a tow notice, I just got spooked with the thought of leaving my car parked there for 4 nights. So I went with Plan B.

In my pre-trip research, I saw that nearby Grape Creek TH is National Forest land and it is a trailhead for Rainbow Trail, which connects to South Colony Trail. So I plugged it in the GPS and drove to Grape Greek TH, getting there about 830PM. I was relieved to see that there was a pit toilet there. It was pretty busy at the time, with guys riding back to camp on 4wheelers and campers settling in for the night. They all seemed to be hunters, and I found out that archery hunting season had just opened up. OK cool, no problem. I slept in the car without issue.

Thursday, September 3rd: South Colony Lakes Approach

12.5 miles distance, 3200 feet elevation gain

I started on the Rainbow Trail around 645AM. It runs South-North along a contour of the eastern side of the Sangres. So that morning, I had the sun to my right for most of the time and it kept me warm. I didn't see anybody on the trail, except a parked 4wheeler and a hunting blind off in the distance. I had great signal on the Rainbow Trail, so I was able to communicate with family and get the latest weather forecast on mountain-forecast. It called for great weather all weekend, though OpenSnow showed the afternoon thunderstorms typical of monsoon season on 2 of my summit days. Oh well, no problem. I planned on an alpine start each summit day, anyways.

I found the Rainbow Trail to be pleasant, with an easy rhythm to the ups/downs and a great view of the Wet Mountain Valley. There is also a waterfall about halfway on this section of the trail, Crystal Falls. It was a perfect place for a snack break. After six miles on Rainbow Trail, I got to the junction for South Colony Lakes Road around 11AM. There was about 4 more miles to go, but it was all uphill. I ate lunch (almond butter tortillas) and began the ascent. I went past the 4WD trailhead, trying to see if I could see any Subarus up here. No Subarus but I did see a Mazda SUV, I think a CX-30. Otherwise just pickup trucks, Jeeps, and 4Runners. Beyond the 4WD trailhead no motorized vehicles were allowed. I was surprised to see the quality of the informational signs further up, but then I learned that was the old trailhead and the signs were probably put there back when cars were allowed to drive up.

My watch was programmed to take the path to the right side of the creek up to the lakes, but I must've missed a junction and ended up taking the trail to the left. I didn't notice until I was like a quarter mile in that I was off-course in my Garmin watch but I had remembered seeing the path to the left of the creek in my research and knew it would still take me to the lake. I think it adds more distance but it is more gradual elevation gain. I had seen some sites on the way up but I wanted to get closer to the lake. I got to the sign for Crestone Needle standard trail junction and decided to start looking for a campsite. I ended up finding one on the top of a rock mound towards the back, with no campsites beyond it. It wasn't right by the lake or anything, but it took only a one-minute Croc-able walk to the creek to fetch water. And the best part of the site? The beauty of Crestone Needle on full display.

I ended up getting camp set up by about 230PM. I changed into my camp clothes (gym shorts, T-shirt, Crocs) and went down to the lake. I was there for about an hour just marveling at the view. I also put my feet in the water and the cold felt good on my sore muscles and ankles. I did hike 10.4 miles that day with 50 lbs on my back, after all! I didn't feel too bad though. I just kept trying to stay hydrated and watch for signs of altitude sickness. Typically I only get headaches and high resting heart rate but even that I try to manage as best I can. I ate dinner (Mountain House meal) and decided to make sure my daypack was prepped for the next day. I filled the 3L bladder and clipped in the helmet. I put all my clothes and layers in a pile in the corner of the tent. The nice thing about a 2-person tent for one person is there is plenty of room for gear.

I realized I lost my USB-C cable on the hike up. Not good... luckily one of my battery packs charges my phone wirelessly, and I can charge that battery pack from my other battery packs using MicroUSB cable. I turned in with sunset and took melanonin as I was planning on waking up at 3AM. The plan for the next day was to summit Crestone Peak first and Crestone Needle if conditions allow, but via standard routes and NOT the traverse. I knew it was going to be a big day but if I started early I could do it. I did something like it last year when I did Mt. Wilson and then El Diente in one day via standard routes.

Friday, September 4th: Crestone Peak (#23)

8 miles distance, 4250 feet elevation gain

I woke up at 3AM and went to make breakfast (oatmeal and instant coffee). As I was heating up the water, my headlamp died. No freakin' way. I know for sure I charged it before leaving home, but it must've got turned on in my daypack or something. I got the solar lantern out of the tent and kept cooking, thinking about what I was going to do. How am I going to navigate up Broken Hand Pass in the dark with trekking poles? I could use my phone but I would have to hold it the whole time. I couldn't charge the headlamp and attempt tomorrow because I lost the USB-C cable. Dang...I realized I wasn't going to start before dawn and would probably end up getting Peak and Needle on separate days. Oh well, I built this kind of flexibility into the plan. I went back into the tent and rested until about an hour before sunrise (530AM). I ended up using my Garmin watch torch for about a half hour on the way up Broken Hand Pass until it was light enough to see. The climb was a bit of a slog but not too bad in the morning. I think the cold air and sleep deprivation helped me push through quickly. I got to the top of Broken Hand Pass around 630AM.

As I got closer to Cottonwood Lake, I started seeing Crestone Peak. It was shrouded in a fast-moving cloud, and only at the summit. Little did I know, it would be like that nearly the whole ascent. I actually enjoyed it, seeing how the mountains create their own weather like that. When I was standing in front of the Peak, I consulted the route pictures downloaded on the 14ers app. I checked out the arrows in the pictures and was visualizing the route against Crestone Peak South Face. The entirety of the Red Gully was visible. I could not see anybody on the route ahead of me. Only when I was nearly 2/3 of the way up the Red Gully, did I see somebody who was on his way back down.

I got to Crestone Peak summit around 930AM. I had the whole place to myself, and I had decent visibility even with the summit cloud. I could see the Great Sand Dunes and also Kit Carson Peak. I had a tinge of self-loathing looking at that mountain. Me and my BIL got into a sticky situation on Kit Carson/Challenger back in 2023, trying to do Class 4 North Ridge route without having the route pictures downloaded and only relying on breadcrumb map on my Garmin watch. It is the only 14er I have with a failed summit attempt and I imagine when I do actually summit, it will be a good redemption arc. Anyways, I got my summit selfies and left pretty quick for the journey back to Broken Hand Pass.

My idea was that if I could make it back to the top of Broken Hand Pass by 10AM, the weather was good, and I was feeling alright, I would attempt for Crestone Needle. I had brought a water filter to fill up at Cottonwood Lake, but I didn't get to Cottonwood Lake until about 11AM. I missed my window, I didn't want to risk getting caught in a storm on a Class 4 route. I felt my day pack and felt like I still had about 1L water, which would be enough to get me back over the pass. So I just took a 30min lunch break at Cottonwood Lake, a beautiful alpine area. The march back over Broken Hand Pass was about as miserable as you can imagine, with the added emotional impact of knowing I am going to have to climb it again tomorrow. I got back to camp around 2PM and just chilled. While I was eating dinner, a sheep came up to my camp sniffing around. I snapped a couple pics and shoo'd it away. I went to bed later that night, closer to 10PM, knowing I didn't have to wake up until like 5AM. I fell asleep listening to the audiobook, which would turn out to be a bad decision.

By the way, it didn't even storm in the afternoon.

Saturday, September 5th: Crestone Needle (#24)

4.5 miles distance, 2800 feet elevation gain

I watched the alpenglow hit Crestone Needle that morning from camp, while I sipped on my instant coffee. It was glorious. I started the ascent around 645AM again, but I let myself move slower. The route up Crestone Needle is short, even with the technical portions.

There was no need to rush, so I willed myself through Broken Hand Pass slowly. This was my third time to the top of the pass, but also my last. I got to the top around 730AM and had a snack. I donned my helmet and took off my windbreaker. I stowed the trekking poles on my day pack and consulted the route on the app. The stoked-ness level was high as this was my first Class 4. There were about three groups ahead of me but we all spaced out naturally. Still, rockfall risk was high. Even I accidentally kicked up a rock down the East Gully and it was crazy how quickly it got going fast enough to be deadly. And I couldn't believe how many people I saw on the route without helmets! There were at least 9 that I can recall. Still, I got to the summit without incident around 930AM. There were about 10 people on the summit at that time, which is surprising considering it is the tip of a needle!

I ate a snack (fruit-by-the-foot) and actually it is my new favorite summit snack. You see, when I was packing food I tried to make use with what I had in the pantry mostly to limit how much supplies I would have to buy just for this trip. Well we already had fruit-by-the-foot as a kids snack and I knew its high sugar content would be good on summit days and at altitude. So I grabbed a handful and it ended up being a great choice with a big kick of energy. It also made for funny pictures.

I didn't stick long on the summit, as I wanted to get some distance between me and the other groups. There was one group that wasn't too far behind and they kicked up a couple rocks at different times. Not on purpose, of course, but it is a lasting memory to have to duck behind a boulder when someone yells "ROCK!" and you see a bouncing baby head rock coming at your face at 30MPH. Instinctively, I put my hands over my head too... which is a pretty dumb thing to do when you're already wearing a helmet. Don't be dumb like me. I got back to camp around noon, ate lunch (tuna) and rested a bit. The weather was particularly sunny so I decided to go check out the lake and see if maybe I could swim. There were a lot of people camping and fishing along the shore of the lake this day... Labor Day weekend and all, that makes sense. I didn't want to swim in the lake with all the people around so I went down to the creek crossing instead, which is my water spot. I was interested on following it downstream and maybe finding a deeper spot where I could sit in the water and icebath my legs without people around. I found something even better: a freakin' waterfall.

I was at the waterfall for like an hour and nobody came. I was elated, this was a great place to rinse off and there was a spot to sit in the sun next to it and just listen to the roaring static. And it seemed like not many people knew about it. After climbing Crestone Needle and finding my own personal waterfall, I was feeling rather chipper this day. In the afternoon, I mostly stuck around camp. I massaged my muscles and took a nap. I got my GoPro ready for a night sky timelapse, finding a good spot to shoot the transition from sunset to starry sky. I prepped my day pack and went to bed, only Humboldt Peak was left. In the middle of the night, I heard someone walk by my camp looking for a spot. This had happened a couple times over the weekend, but I wasn't expecting it when I heard the guy set up camp behind me where I thought there were no suitable sites. Oh and also this night I got a gusher of a nosebleed.

Sunday, September 6th: Humboldt Peak (#25)

5 miles distance, 2500 feet elevation gain

12.5 miles distance, 850 feet elevation gain

After the stunning alpenglow from the day before, I decided I wanted to try to catch a timelapse of the golden hour and alpenglow. This particular morning, the alpenglow was... complete. A total stunner.

Someone I talked to said Humboldt Peak was like "the long walk". I could see a lot of the route from my campsite, and yeah it just looked like a path of switchbacks mostly until you get to the saddle. The switchbacks gave a great view of the South Colony Basin and Upper South Colony Lake.

When I got to the top of the Humboldt saddle, I started getting a taste of wind. It actually turned out to be very windy in certain sections of the route. Also, people kept calling Humboldt Peak an easy 14er, and yeah I guess it's easy as 14ers go but it was still difficult navigating the talus and looking for cairns. When we got past the false summit. I wasn't expecting the sheer dropoffs on the northern edge of the ridge and summit. It was a shot of adrenaline standing near the edge. The summit is broad but surprisingly there was only windbreak wall and it was in use already. So I had to walk around a bit to find a good spot that's naturally sheltered.

While I was up there I considered breaking camp after getting back from Humboldt and then car camping instead of staying one more night at South Colony Lake. I did feel like the area was getting pretty crowded for the weekend, and I accomplished my goals. I normally don't break camp on a summit day so as to not overwork myself, but I was feeling tempted by the idea of being back at my car. I also was running out of phone battery and my battery packs were empty. Another night at camp would be cutting it close. I mulled over the idea as I hiked back to camp. I got to camp around noon and ate lunch. I checked in with myself and decided that I could hike out today. 10.5 miles, trivial elevation gain. If I left by 1PM, I was thinking I could be back to my car by dinnertime.

I didn't end up getting to my car by dinnertime. In fact, I didn't get there until about 7PM, just half-hour before sunset. I had to stop around 5PM at Crystal Falls because I needed to filter some water and also I figured I could cook up my Mountain House meal for the calorie boost. I was really feeling worn-down by this hike. I guess it would be expected after climbing 4.5 miles up and down a mountain and then hiking 10.5 miles with 50 lbs on my back (well, likely less now with how much food was eaten by this point). One thing that was nice was that the second half of the Rainbow Trail, the sun was already behind the mountains so I could hike in the shade. The contrast with the illuminated valley was stark. When I got to the Trailhead, I saw that my car was still there and it started right up. Grape Creek TH was still pretty busy so I moved up the road toward Music Pass TH and found a roadside dispersed site all to myself.

Monday, September 7th: Road to Denver

I had some time to kill today, as I couldn't check into my hotel in Denver (Well, technically Brighton) until 3PM and it was only about a 3 hour drive from Westcliffe. I decided to go get some coffee and breakfast in Westcliffe and maybe find a park to hang out at for a couple hours. Bluffs and Summit Park... amazing view of the Sangres. For lunch, I went to Dutch Pantry in Silver Cliff. A lot of restaurants were closed for the holiday it seemed, so I wasn't able to try the Reuben I wanted. When I left Westcliffe around noon, I ended up seeing the sign for Bishop Castle and decided I had enough time for a detour. Bishop Castle is SO COOL but SO SCARY. I climbed up to the top of the tallest tower and the metal cage was swaying in the wind... premium discomfort. I got to the hotel around 5PM and had plenty of time to unwind and relax in the hot tub.

Trip Statistics:

Total hiking distance: 42.5 miles

Total elevation gain: 13,500 feet

Learning lessons:

• bring petroleum jelly and eyedrops
• Bring extra USB-C cable and consider a portable solar power solution
• Strap lighter things to outside of pack like tent fabric sack instead of cot sack
• Time for a new water filter