It took me 58 years & 8 months – and after hundreds of miles hiking in mountains – but last week I made my first summit of a mountain higher than 14,000 feet in elevation: Huron Peak, in Colorado’s Sawatch Range.  I’ve climbed mountains higher than 13k’ (mostly recently, Mt Dana in Yosemite last September) but hadn’t gone higher than that.

Miles: ~8.  Elevation gain: ~3900′

After a business trip to the Pantex site in Amarillo, TX, I drove about eight hours to the trailhead, northeast of Buena Vista, CO – a region I know and love.  Powerful storms rolled in as I turned on to the dirt road, 13 miles from the trailhead.  Lightning, rain and hail continued through the evening.  The last two miles are along a wickedly rough 4X4 ‘road’, made more difficult by the rain and darkness.  I didn’t even pitch my tent, sleeping in the truck instead.

Photos can be seen here: http://s44.photobucket.com/user/baypiper/library/Huron%20Peak?sort=3&page=1

I woke in darkness about 5 a.m., ate breakfast in the cold (the truck gate had frozen shut), packed the daypack, and made my way about .5 miles to the trailhead by dawn.  The weather had cleared and the sun came out as I began the climb through a sub-alpine forest. This section was an unbroken climb, mostly along switchbacks, with occasional views of mountains beyond.

After about three miles the trail transitioned above treeline, and after a short, steep climb entered a lovely alpine meadow studded with a single small lake.  The hike across the meadow was the only relatively flat stretch.

The trail exits the meadow and begins a sharp climb up a verdant wall to a saddle that connects Huron and its neighbor, Browns Peak.  After crossing the saddle, I came to the beginning of a long rocky ridge that climbs to the base of Huron.  The trail fades along the ridge, but navigation is easy: follow the ridge line as far as it goes.

The ridge eventually ends at the base of Huron’s rocky cone.  From here to the peak is a very steep scramble up loose talus.  The going is slow, and I had to backtrack or move horizontally two or three times when I came to an impassable mass of loose rocks.  (The descent down this talus was more precarious.)

I reached the summit before 1100 (target was noon, to be off before afternoon thunderstorms). The peak is wide and long enough to walk around and to find a place out of the wind to sit for lunch.  Views of mountains – including Elbert, Colorado’s highest peak – extend in every direction.  A brother and sister – 22 years apart! – joined me 20 minutes later.  They were wonderful company in that high, lonely place.