We ended up camping just past Lake City and Lake San Cristobal in the old Sherman mining town. There is little left of the town at this point except a few old broken down cabins, so we found a likely spot off the forest road and pitched camp there. The next day would just be an 8
mile or so drive up to the trail head for the two peaks we were going to try and climb, Redcloud and Sunshine. We arrived at camp mid afternoon and it wasn't until early the next morning that I realized I had imbibed a little too much the night before...fun though: the weather was warm, the storm held off and we were able to get a good fire lit to keep the mozzies and biting flies at bay!Here's Nick enjoying the serenity...
some views from the camping site
The alarm went off around 5.30 and even Nick debated on turning it off, rolling over and going back to sleep - obviously I wasn't the only one who had had a few too many! We finally got ourselves moving and arrived at the trail head at 7 am. I felt a little rough and was seriously starting to wonder about making it to the top, so we stopped while I ate something and had some water. It was the right thing to do - before long I felt much improved and was ready for anything the trail could throw at me...or so I thought at the time!
The trail started at the Silver Creek trail head at 10,400, meaning a hike up of 3,600 feet minimum to reach 14,000 feet. The trail on the other side led to the top of Handies, another 14er, so we will have to come back and do that again someday soon, as it was such a lovely area: right on the Alpine Loop, a four wheel drive trail that runs from Silverton and Ouray through to Lake City.
The views were beautiful as we headed up the valley but we were both surprised at how steep the trail was from the start I think - although that could also have been a consequence of the evening before! So when we were presented with the opportunity of making the hike a little shorter than the expected 11.5 miles, we decided to take it. The "normal" route up the two mountains entails climbing up and over the summit of Redcloud twice on the way to and from Sunshine. So up to 14,034, a mile and a half across the saddle to 14,001 Sunshine (the lowest 14er) and then back over Redcloud and down. The guide book we have lists an alternative route where you turn off the trail at 1.5 miles and head up a drainage "through an enchanted forest " and a "picturesque cirque". It also states that doing the hike this way allows you to "start with the more difficult terrain". Fine we thought: we'll get the tough bit over and done with and we won't have to hit Redcloud twice. Lesson number one as Lisa, a friend in CB who used to work for the Colorado Fourteener Initiative at the Forest Service later confirmed: always climb the standard route.
Heading up to the Cirque...hmmm, no way out yet...
What we didn't see until later was an earlier description of the route, which said "climb a steep slope onto a rock glacier...At 12,800 feet the route steepens dramatically...When snow-free, the trail dodges some small rock outcrops as it winds upward. Loose rocks can be a hazard on this slope". Boy oh boy, wish we'd seen that one earlier! True to the book's description, the trail is beautiful as it winds up through the trees. Her I am taking a breather.
Then it follows a creek as it keeps heading up. The cirque it ends in is gorgeous. Problem was, we couldn't see a way out...oh oh.
We kept following a climbers trail and at this point decided to just try and follow it as best we could as we didn't want to head all the way back down and pretty much start over again...the trail kept getting sketchier and sketchier though, and steeper and steeper. Eventually it wasn't there anymore, or at least not that we could see. So we just started heading up to the saddle above...easier said than done. I am not a climber, nor do I want to be. But when I looked back at one point as I started to panic and wanted to head back down I realized that that was simply not an option...I would just have to take deep breaths, grit my teeth and climb.
The slope was at an angle where we had to be on all fours going up (or at least I did). And yes, the photo on the left is the slope - but what a view! The scree we were scrambling up kept slipping, and I was suddenly glad when there was an outcrop of rocks that I was able to climb on because at least they weren't moving. Nick was worried that I was going to have a total panic attack and had no idea how he was going to get me down, and then even he got worried at one point when the slope we were on all started moving.
Eventually though, after an hour and a half, some very shaky legs, and a lot of deep breathing, we reached the saddle. There was an older guy at the top with his dog - he couldn't believe the way we had come up. Then we saw the sign that was close to where I had finally pulled myself onto the trail. Yep, that's the way we came up!!! It says "Dangerous area. Not a trail. Please return via Redcloud"...wish they'd had a sign like that at the bottom where we hooked up with the trail!
Here's the trail down...yes, exactly, what trail?!
Oh boy. But here we are on Sunshine. We rested and ate at the top and chatted to a few people who were thinking of hiking back down the way we had come - we advised them not too - way too steep and dangerous. One guy even told us that his guidebook specifically said not to go that way...guess in future I will look at more sources than my "Colorado Fourteeners" handbook!
Views from the top of Sunshine Peak, 14,001 feet above sea level
After soaking in the view, we headed along the saddle and up the trail to Redcloud, here above.
The top of the mountain is gorgeous - very red! And the views all around were incredible. We were able to pick out several more 14ers that are on the list - Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn for starters. A storm started to roll in and we decided that we had better start heading down. The hike up had taken us a lot longer than we expected and we were on the summit far later than we normally are - didn't help that we were late setting out either.
From the top of Redcloud, the trail and the views down are gorgeous. I think this has to be one of my all time favourite trails. Just amazing wide open vistas and a trail along the ridge.
Second of the day
the trail down
These photos show two or three people heading down - they are the specs in the middle of the second photo - the first photo isn't zoomed in. Kind of helps the perspective of it all!!!
Heading down...finally!
We finally arrived back at the car around 2 with a great sense of accomplishment and a story to tell. An hour later than expected at 7 hours round trip, but what a trip - definitely one I would recommend - as long as you stick to the recommended route!
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