Sunday, September 8th, 2024
CO 14ers: 30 of 53
Distance RT: 12 miles
Elevation gain/loss: 4100′
Starting Elevation: 10,300′
Summit: 14,006′
Rank: 52 of 53
Location: Sawatch Range, near Winfield
Route: Lulu Gulch to Middle Mountain to Browns Peak to Huron Peak (North Ridge #3), then back down Standard Route (Northwest Slopes #1), Class 2
Companion: Alan
We set off directly from our dispersed camping spot in the morning. Alan left most of his stuff in my car again, planning to day hike to the summit. The CDT and CT also pass through this valley, between Hope and Lake Ann Passes. I went right by these mountains twice on my thru hikes, on too tight of a schedule to bag peaks. Not Alan…he had all the time in the world. What a champ. We took the longer route from Lulu Gulch up the north ridge, enjoying views into the valleys and the rugged east face of Huron. It was a very quiet route, especially for a weekend. We only say 2 guys before gaining the ridge, then nobody until we rejoined the standard route.
They guys warned us that the old mining road leading across the basin to Middle Mountain might be severely washed out, according to some reports they’d read online. We went for it anyway and yes, there were a few narrow spots, but nothing we hadn’t dealt with before. I’d traversed a much worse slide area on the GDT earlier in the summer. But it’s definitely something to bear in mind…a slip in that area could be bad. We gained the ridge and took a break to admire the views down into the Winfield valley and across to La Plata Peak, where we were just standing the day before. We could almost see our campsite in the valley.
The ridge was super mellow, straightforward, and incredibly scenic. We were stoked that we picked this route, even if it was longer. When the weather’s so nice, it’s such a joy to walk these big and bold ridges. It took us awhile to go the distance, not because it was hard or that we were out of breath, but because we kept stopping to take in the views. We had to do a little boulder hopping and scree stepping in one spot, but it was no big deal.
We followed the standard route for the last push to the top of Huron, joining a stream of other hikers. This also meant more cute dogs. On the summit, Alan pulled out his summit reward… a honeybun…and a dog promptly ran up to snatch it from his hand. It was very funny…even Alan laughed despite the loss of needed calories. As penance, we made the pup take pictures with us.
Once again, we hung out on the summit for a long time, then bombed down the standard route for the return. It was a very fast descent, but then we needed to go several miles on the road to get back to my car. This was the opposite direction in which Alan needed to travel to continue on his CDT journey. A few 4wd vehicles passed by and one stopped to offer a ride, but only had room for one. I implored Alan to take the ride, but he opted to just keep walking. I think he was just looking for another excuse to camp with me another night. A few leftover beers sealed the deal. It was another great day and I’m grateful to Alan for his company on so many different and unexpected occasions this summer. It was finally time to set him free to continue south. God Speed!