| Report Type | Full |
| Peak(s) |
Handies Peak - 14,058 feet |
| Date Posted | 07/27/2009 |
| Date Climbed | 07/03/2009 |
| Author | jonesdcu |
| Our First 3 Fourteeners-Part One |
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Handies Peak (14,048') July 3rd, 2009 I moved out to Albuquerque, New Mexico from Ohio about a year ago. I'd always been interested in hiking and climbing, but it had mostly been something I'd do once or twice a year. As soon as I got to Albuquerque and looked up at the Sandia Mountains, everything changed. In time I learned what a "14er" was and gradually felt the pull of the steep rocky climbs, never-ending views and thin mountain air. Over the next 6 months or so I gradually worked my way up the ladder here in New Mexico: San Mateo Peak (10,139'), Sierra Blanca (11,973'), Gold Hill (12,711') and finally New Mexico's highest, Wheeler Peak (13,161'). I decided that this summer I had to get up to Colorado and test my mettle on a 14er. After hours of browsing around 14ers.com, I decided on Handies, Sunshine and Redcloud to make my 14,000' debut, mostly because of the relative proximity to New Mexico. I also like that they were all rated pretty easy. I had no problems at 13,000', but from everything I had heard, 14,000 was a whole different story. Okay enough background. We drove up from ABQ Thursday and camped near Molas Pass just south of Silverton. On friday morning we drove up and over Cinnamon Pass, reaching American Basin through the back way. We had heard from a friend that the Grizzly Gulch trailhead was packed, so we opted to set up camp near the Handies Peak trailhead in American Basin. A little cloudy on Cinnamon Pass  View from our campsite near the trailhead.  The clouds started to clear up once we had our campsite staked out. It was getting late, but I was too anxious to get started and I didn't want to miss a chance to hit Redcloud and Sunshine the next day. We decided to start hiking and go as far as we could, turning around if the weather got bad. It was about 10:30 AM. At first I tried to keep a sort of touch-and-go with the rest of the group, but we hadn't even gotten to Sloan Lake before I got ahead of everyone. Once I broke 13,000', however, the altitude started to slow me down. I had to take a break every few hundred feet to catch my breath. Clouds were starting to build to the West and I felt like I was racing against them to reach the summit. They held off though, and I topped out about just after noon. Sloan Lake was still pretty icy  The last pitch to the summit. I took at least 10 breaks during the last few hundred feet.  Redcloud and Sunshine from the summit  The ridge to Whitecross Mountain. I think that's Uncompahgre on the left.  Tory was close behind me, and Randy and Jim showed up a few minutes later. We made it!  We shared a bottle of bubbly to celebrate at the top, then began the long descent. The clouds had given way to sunlight by the time we reached sloan lake, so we took a long break to enjoy the weather and scenery. Sloan Lake  Looking back up at Handies  Vuyo testing the ice (which he learned, after an icy plunge, would not hold his weight).  The rest of the hike down was relaxing and beautiful. Tory and I spent some time hiking off-trail to get a close up of some of the scenery, which was very rewarding. The creek tumbling down some rocks  Me on a boulder.  Some wildflowers. Anyone know what type?  The rest of the afternoon was spent at camp: napping, eating and a few brews. The night ended with an early bedtime just after the alpenglow faded from the walls of the basin. American basin is incredible. It was like everything was at 110%. The flowers were everywhere and as bright as possible. The grass seemed greener than usual. The mountains were rugged, the sun was warm, the lake blue and cold. I would highly recommend it even if Handies weren't a 14er. One important thing I learned on this hike is not to underestimate the difference between 13 and 14,000'. On my previous summits, in New Mexico, I had no problems with breathing, but at Handies, it seemed like I just couldn't win. In the future I will be sure to get very early starts so I don't have to rush up the mountain. On the next day we got up early to get Redcloud and Sunshine. I was going to include those here but it's starting to get a little lengthy. I'll start a new report for those. Thanks for reading! -jonesdcu PS Thanks Randy for some of the pictures in this report (the good ones). Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow): 
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