One of many
trip reports under the
SilGro home page for Alan Silverstein and Cathie
Grow.
Email me at
ajs@frii.com.
Last update: March 30, 2024
(Previous trip report: 1986_0714_MountSneffels.htm)
(A
Fourteener
trip report.)
Monday, July 14: After coming down off Mount Sneffels, I made my way east heading for San Luis Peak, through Ouray with a stop at their outdoor hotsprings pool. It was big, hot (in the shallow section), murky green, $3.50 to get in, and had decent locker rooms, but the deep pool was closed Mondays and Tuesdays. It was a wonderful place to relax and get clean...
After putzing around a while I departed for Engineer Pass heading east. What a rough road! It took me 1:40 to make the 13.4 miles from Ouray to the pass at 12800'. The east side, down to Lake City, was much better (probably maintained by a different county), so it took only 1:35 to go the next 19.1 miles, with long stops. From the pass there were terrific views of Mount Sneffels to the west and Wetterhorn Peak and Uncompahgre Peak to the north, plus lots of old mines and relics.
I cruised through Lake City with a gas stop and kept going east towards Slumgullion Pass. The road crossed a weird orange valley caused by a slow, tremendous, pre-historic landslide. Using the forest map, I cut onto back roads, all 2WD, except a 1/4 mile section of terrible mud where I had to go 4WD and also pull someone out. I stopped for the night at the small, quiet, isolated Cebolla campground by a large creek.
Tuesday, July 15: The next morning I continued through the micro-town of Cathedral on the way to San Luis. Here I got a great look at the peak to the south, way the heck up a privately owned valley which the owners wouldn't allow you to enter -- I stopped to chat with them. You could climb the peak from about the same elevation on this side in half the distance.
Driving another 28 miles and about 1.5 hours east and south around the massif took me to the well-marked Stewart Creek trailhead for San Luis Peak. There were five vehicles parked in the boonies to my surprise. I put together a full backpack and started up alone at about 1250 from 10500'. I'd expected to meet Dave Landers here, but there was no sign of him.
The first 3.5 miles was pretty easy, a decent trail into a very long valley, past lots of beaver dams and lodges. Then it cut sharply uphill to the right, ending in lovely meadows and wildflowers at a ragged timberline. I stopped above a gulch at 1515 (after 2:25 for about four miles) to eat dinner and watch the weather.
By 1740 it still looked good, just some occasional puffies, so I aimed for my first overnight on a Fourteener! I added my sleeping bag, tarp, and air mattress to my daypack, stashed the backpack under bushes and a tarp with a note on it, and continued up.
I never did find a marked trail, so ended up bushwhacking through low willows for about 1/2 mile up to the real climbing at the head of the valley. Eventually I attained the 13200' saddle northeast of the peak, which was the furthest thing you could see looking up from the trailhead.
From here it was still a good long climb to the north subpeak, on which a herd of at least eight mountain goats had been resting for an hour. Unfortunately I scared them off without even getting a good picture. Then I slogged the remaining 1/2 mile up to the summit of San Luis Peak, reaching it at 1945 (2:05 from where I left my pack, total 4:30 climbing time from the trailhead).
Now it was rather eerie arriving on a new summit, at 14000', all alone, less than an hour before sunset! I wondered if I was nuts to be there. But I guess not -- based on results. I spent an hour taking pictures, snacking, and building a large oval shelter on the summit adjoining the summit cairn, which was decaying.
(I've often wondered who takes the time to build those things. It must be people who have some time to burn on top. It wasn't hard at all, and didn't take that long, only an hour, to construct a pretty good, 2' high wall around a large flat sleeping area. I even straightened up the summit cairn in the process.)
The sunset was disappointing because it started to cloud up. Ah well I thought, the sunrise will be magnificent. I went to sleep under a folded-over tarp, keeping an eye on the weather.
At 2230 it started to rain. No problem, I was dry and warm enough. At 2300 there were distant thunderstorms, but I never heard anything. It stopped raining at 0300, finally, and I relaxed... And watched fog rolling past the full moon.
I'd expected to spend the night sleeping fitfully and hallucinating due to lack of oxygen. To my surprise I didn't notice the thinness of the air at all, and I slept pretty well except for waking up occasionally. I watched the weather and was sure to stay covered.
Wednesday, July 16: At 0540 I got up and waited for sunrise... Another disappointment. Clouds blew over the peak continuously, giving me only tantalizing glimpses of the distant panorama. The whole sky turned a fiery orange for a while, but it was a murky and misty morning. And cold too, as I measured the temperature at 34 degrees F.
By 0630 I could finally see some wonderful scenery. I goofed off on the peak; packing, eating breakfast, and hoping to see Dave arrive, until 0930. Alas it remained lonely and somewhat cloudy. When I finally headed down, after 13:45 alone on the summit, I went direct -- I didn't make what would have been a very long sidetrip to Stewart Peak. (It used to be considered a separate Fourteener until re-surveyed some time ago.)
The trip down to my Jeep took me 3.5 hours, actually three hiking, actually limping the last half mile on blisters! Arriving at the trailhead at 1300, I was unsurprised to see no one else there -- due to the weather -- but disappointed not to find even Dave's truck.
I goofed around some more in the rain and eventually left at 1545, heading back to Lake City the way I came. The mud had tried out in only two days. Windy Point was an overlook on the road east of town which was definitely worth a stop, giving a commanding view of Redcloud, Wetterhorn, and Uncompahgre.
My next destination was Wetterhorn Peak.
(Next trip report: 1986_0716-18_WetterhornPeak.htm)