Guest Post by Margaret

Greetings, dedicated blog readers. I’m Margaret, Joey’s other younger sister, here to tell you about our hike up Huron Peak, a fourteener (one of 54 mountains in CO above 14,000 ft) near Buena Vista. This was the first fourteener for Christine, Adrianne, and me, and Joey’s second.


Since the trailhead was about a 2.5 hour drive away and since it’s recommended that hikers reach the top of fourteeners by noon to avoid the regular afternoon thunderstorms (lightning is a major concern above treeline), we rolled out of the driveway at about 4:40 am. The sunrise drive through the mountains was beautiful, featuring a huge full moon that was setting just as the sun was coming up. We made it up to Buena Vista in good time, and soon were on dirt roads heading to the trailhead, when we accidentally took a detour.

The guidebook was not intuitively organized, so we followed the directions to the wrong trailhead. We were expecting a bit of a bumpy, 4WD road, but nothing quite this intense. Joey had fun using all the nice features of our trusty Suburban and no damage was done, though there were a few close calls where we were happy to not hear any scraping. Along the way we saw some deer and bunnies. We even got to ford a river!

Fording the river, just like in Oregon Trail!

The trail from the trailhead we went to was more intense then we were prepared for, so we decided it would be better to turn back and go to the trailhead we had planned, even though we had lost some time. On the way back, we turned on the radio and the only station we could get was a country station. Just as we were lamenting the rough driving we had to do again Carrie Underwood’s song, “Jesus, Take the Wheel” came on, which was thoroughly appropriate. Joey particularly enjoyed it. When the next song that came on was Elvira, Joey determined we needed to whip out some tapes. We found Anne Murray and jammed the rest of the way to the right trailhead, singing along to “Danny’s Song” and “Daydream Believer.”

Finally, we made it to our trailhead at about 9:30. We were about an hour later than we wanted to be, but with perfectly blue skies, we still thought we had time to make it up. With no heavy winds and a temperature of about 45°F, which warmed up a bit during the day, it was perfect weather for hiking.

Ready for the hike.

The hike started in an evergreen forest with occasional glimpses of the surrounding mountains. The trail was in good shape, and we kept a decent pace at the beginning, but the 20 switchbacks below treeline definitely took a toll on our energy level. The trail started at above 10,000 feet, so even though the switchbacks weren’t super steep, I was breathing heavily from the start. We took a few breaks in the trees, refueling on water and snacks (primarily delicious cookies, thanks Mom!).

This bird flew right up to us, searching for a snack.

We emerged from the trees onto a big basin from which we could see all the way to the top of the mountain. The grassy open space was speckled with boulders and a few ponds and was relatively flat, which provided a nice reprieve from the climb in the trees. At this point I was feeling quite accomplished. It was around 11 and all we had left was the bit above treeline, how long could that take? We saw some people coming down the mountain, and though they were just moving dots compared to the peak, I still didn’t quite realize how much further we still had to go.

Emerging from the trees, with the peak ahead.

Margaret and Christine.

Joey.

Adrianne.

After crossing the basin, the trail led us up to the saddle between Huron Peak and its neighbor Browns Peak. First we went up a set of stone stairs that had us pining for the flat basin below. Then the trail switchbacked up to the saddle, as the grass became more and more interrupted with rocks. This part was slow-going. The stairs were tough and the thinning air was becoming more noticeable. We had to take more frequent breaks and some high clouds had appeared around us reminding us that we shouldn’t linger too long. As we crept up the mountain against the protests of our (or at least my) tired legs, the 2,000 ft of elevation gain above treeline became more real to me.

Approaching the saddle.

We finally made it to the saddle and were rewarded with a great view on the other side (we’d had good views ever since we got above the trees, but this part had been blocked by the peak in front of us). At this point, all that stood between us and the summit was a huge mound of rocks. There was still a decent trail, and our closeness to the top, along with the multiplying clouds caused us to hasten our steps…from a creep to a crawl.

The trail through the rocks.

This part was tough because it required more careful footing, just as our brains and legs were getting the least oxygen of the hike. We reached a false summit, but it was just a short way from there to the top. We were triumphant!!

We made it!!!

The views were 360 degrees of beauty with mountains as far as we could see in every direction. We took some pictures, signed the register, and would have loved to spend a while up there, but the clouds were thickening, so we had to get back down. Just as we started down the mountain it started to snow! Joey and I thought we saw a few flakes, but couldn’t be sure until a brief downpour of snow pellets – which actually hurt a bit when they hit us – confirmed it. It snowed for about five or ten minutes, just enough to make this rocky part of the trail slick. We made our way quickly but carefully down to the saddle where we were happy to make it to the smoother trail, a slightly less exposed position, and the relatively richer air.

Snow pellets!

The snow had stopped and the descent from there on was relatively enjoyable, though we didn’t feel totally safe until we were back in the trees. On the way down we saw a bunch of marmots and pikas scampering across the rocks. We saw a few on the way up, but in our tired state, in which we had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, hadn’t paid too much attention to them. The marmots were quite chubby and the pikas were super cute. One of the pikas, with a mouthful of dead grass (presumably for building a nest) brushed my ankle as it ran between my legs to get across the trail! Another disguised itself as a rock, only to escape just before Adrianne was about to step on it. We eventually made it back to the forest, took a final refueling break, and then went down the many switchbacks to the trailhead.

Happy hikers.

We were pretty exhausted, but definitely satisfied with our day. I was quite happy to have climbed my first fourteener, and Joey, Adrianne, and Christine were quite encouraging companions. The altitude made a much bigger difference than I had anticipated, and it was a tough but rewarding hike. We started the drive back, stopping for some chocolate dipped ice cream cones on the way (though our primary food group for the day had been cookies) before returning home to a delicious beef stroganoff dinner.