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July 1-4, 2005
Overview
Hiked in and camped (at 12,000 feet) for the long weekend, climbing
Redcloud, Sunshine, and two high 13ers, Points 13,832 and 13,811.
Camping
Camp sites are sparse in the Silver Creek drainage. You might
be able to find a spot or two trailside in the first mile after the
trailhead, but further up I only observed two areas suitable for
camping.
The one I chose is in the South Fork drainage, with Sunshine prominent at
the head of the valley. Right at timberline there are a lot of
nice sites, and considering its proximity to the two 14ers, it felt
amazingly isolated -- aside from a smattering of people descending from
the saddle between Redcloud and Sunshine each afternoon, I didn't see a
soul. Downsides are that it's a considerable climb from the
junction with the main trail, water is 100 to 200 feet away, and it can
be windy (before pitching your tent, note that the trees only have
branches on one side, and adjust accordingly!).
The other option is the grand basin north of Redcloud. This a
beautiful, sprawling, meadowed expanse, and there is no wasted climbing
in getting there. Downsides are that there is not a tree in the
whole place, so there is virtually no privacy -- and a great stream of
people move up and down that trail every day! There also aren't a
lot of flat areas, so you'll have to hope they're not all taken. I
only saw three tents.
Timelines
2005-07-01
|
1:30 |
Depart Colorado Springs |
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3:45 |
Salida |
|
4:45 |
Gunnison |
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5:45 |
Lake City |
|
6:45 |
Arrive at the trailhead (stopped
to take some pictures). No problems navigating the
road to this point in my Honda Accord (which has a clearance of
approximately one centimeter). |
|
7:00 |
Leave the trailhead, hiking with pack |
|
8:00 |
Junction with South Fork of Silver Creek |
|
8:45 |
Arrive at campsite in the 'enchanted
forest' |
2005-07-02
|
8:40 |
Depart campsite |
|
10:30 |
Summit Sunshine
(Redcloud, 13,832, & 13,811 in background).
Climbing the scree to the left of the cliffs at the base of
Sunshine proved more difficult than expected. There are
two routes on this slope; I chose the one closer to Sunshine,
and in retrospect I think it was probably the more difficult of
the two. When I achieved the ridge,
I found a sign posted by the Forest
Service discouraging use of the route (photo: Deirdre ?).
Because most people ascend Redcloud first
and then go on to climb Sunshine, whether to use one of the two
trails as a descent route is a question on the tip of everyone's
tongue at the summit of Sunshine. I would not recommend
descending the route closer to Sunshine without a helmet.
However, though I did not take it myself, the route closer to Redcloud (the more obvious of the two) looked eminently usable
to me. I would just make sure I had gators on to keep
rocks out of the boots while rock skiing the incline. |
|
11:30 |
Leave Sunshine |
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12:15 |
Summit Redcloud
(13,811 & 13,832 in background). The trail between
Sunshine and Redcloud is a cake walk, and entirely enjoyable. |
|
1:00 |
Leave Redcloud |
|
1:45 |
Arrive back at campsite. I scrambled
and glissaded my way down the southernmost of the two routes
shown by Roach on the west slopes of Redcloud, and it was very
successful. |
2005-07-03
Hiking the ridgeline along which these two peaks are strung took me aback;
it was a stroll through alpine paradise! Though long, it was
relatively easy, and almost the whole way was alpine meadow sprinkled with wildflowers, sporting a unique view of many distant
peaks.
|
7:00 |
Depart campsite |
|
7:20 |
Junction of South Fork and main trail |
|
8:40 |
Achieve saddle north of Redcloud |
|
10:30 |
Summit Point 13,811
(Wetterhorn & Uncompahgre in background). Despite the
Roaches' assertion that one must summit 13,832 to get to 13,811
from the west, I found an established, well-cairned trail south
of the summit, (though one still must climb to around 13,600).
In fact, I found the trail to be good all the way along the
ridge, except for the ascents of the two peaks
themselves. |
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10:45 |
Leave 13,811 |
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11:45 |
Summit Point 13,832
(Half Peak, Sunshine, & Redcloud in background) |
|
12:30 |
Leave 13,832 |
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1:00 |
Saddle north of Redcloud |
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2:15 |
Arrive back at campsite |
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