Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 19:12:38 -0600 From: Tom Greene <<removed until I get permission>> Organization: HP Colorado Springs Division Newsgroups: rec.backcountry Trip Report: Northwest Slopes Route, Huron Peak, CO 8/9/98
I decided to try to squeeze in a climb this past Sunday morning as free time this summer has become a very precious commodity. Huron Peak fit the bill as a relatively short hike that wasn't too far of a drive from Colorado Springs. My wife was a bit reluctant as we needed to be back in the Springs by 6:00 PM, but I managed to convince her that we had plenty of time (which would prove to be untrue).
We arrived at Winfield around 8:15 AM and decided to just park there and walk the last 0.3 miles to the trailhead. The road to Winfield (County 390) is in excellent condition the whole way from US 24. By the time we had gathered up all of our stuff, it was past 8:30. A little later than I would have liked to start, but oh well. The first 1.7 miles of the trail is a mostly flat 4x4 road that follows the east side of Clear Creek beneath the ridge that Huron is a part of. We made quick work of this section passing the ruins of the Banker Mine and reaching the gate that marks the end of this road. The road is rough in spots, but could easily be managed in a 4x4.
At this point, we made what turned out to be a beneficial mistake. Roach's book says to hike southeast from where the 4x4 road ends. There is a path leading away from the gate that seems to be head in the right direction (turns out, the real trail is actually a few hundred feet past the gate). As we continued, the path started to become more faint until it was nothing more than an occasional deer path on a steep, grassy slope. It wasn't difficult to conclude that we were most likely off course. I saw some people well below us and to the south, so I figured the route must be in that direction. An ascending traverse to the south got us back on the trail.
Passing above the tree line, we entered a beautiful alpine basin below the Huron-Browns Peak ridge. Abundant wild flowers and a small pond provided a nice place to eat lunch and rest up for the summit push. We ran into a couple here with two dogs (one a large poodle and the other a huge, chocolate colored Lab). Turns out, the Lab wasn't their dog and had been following them since the parking lot. A quick check of the weather indicated that the clouds were just starting to build up a little.
We stepped up our pace hoping to beat any weather. The last part of the route starts by climbing a long, grassy alpine slope. There is currently a lot of trail work going on in this area trying to create some nice, long switchbacks. The new path was marked mostly by little flags and we tried our best to follow this path. Upon reaching the ridge, the grass gave way to a talus slope with a strong climbers trail leading to the summit. The trail was steep and loose at some points, so I walked on the rocks to either side of the trail for most the remaining distance to the summit. We reached the summit around noon joining about 10 other people who were still there. We chatted with some other climbers and took in the great views up and down the Sawatch Range. The Chocolate Lab summited not too long after us and seemed quite happy with his accomplishment despite no sign of the owners anywhere. La Plata was getting nailed by a T-storm, and the weather seemed to be getting worse all around us. We decided head down after only a few minutes at the summit hoping to beat any weather.
We made it back to the ridge quickly and there found several people gathered around a young kid who appeared to be suffering some altitude sickness. We gave his father some Advil from our first-aid kit and offered to help carry down the father's pack so he could carry down the kid. He assured us they would be all right, so we continued down passing back through the alpine basin where we ate lunch and then passing the place where we had joined the trail on the way up. Past this point, the trail became really steep and loose. A real test for the knees and ankles that left me wishing I would of brought my hiking poles. My wife's left knee was in quite a bit of pain, so we had to take the last part of this descent pretty slowly. The mystery of the Chocolate Lab was finally solved as we ran into a lady coming up the trail who was the dog's owner. We told her that the dog was probably not too much further behind us, and she continued up the trail to get him.
Mercifully, we reached the flatter terrain of Clear Creek Valley and hustled back to the car reaching it just after 3:00 PM. The drive back to Colorado Springs turned rather unpleasant as we ran into an hour long traffic jam before Woodland Park, but we made it back just a little after 6:00 PM and enjoyed a nice dinner with friends in Manitou.
All in all, a short, but rather steep hike (3500 feet of elevation in the last 2 miles) with characteristic Sawatch scenery. Another beautiful Sunday morning in God's country.
Tom
Stats:
RTD - Huron Peak by Northwest Slopes Route: ~9 miles Elevation Gain - Huron Peak by Northwest Slopes Route: 3750 ft.