Next up on our 14er climb list was Huron Peak. At 14,003 feet Huron just makes the list of Colorado 14ers but what it lacks in altitude list-topping, it makes up for in remoteness and rugged beauty. Huron has the distinction of being the Sawatch 14er farthest from a paved road. What that means is that when you approach it from the lovely Lake Ann basin you are surrounded by nothing but wilderness for miles in every direction. No towns, highways or civilization of any kind are visible from Huron’s slopes. A perfect place for quiet seclusion.
Or so we thought.
Our first indication that we might not be able to achieve the solitude we were seeking came as we drove past the 2WD trailhead just above the town of Winfield. The parking area was packed with cars, including two church-camp vans. On a Thursday. I’d read that Huron is one of the more popular 14ers but this caught me by surprise.
No reason to panic though. Our Jeep has some high-clearance 4WD chops and the 4WD trailhead is another two miles up the road. It was still before 7:00 a.m. so we’d just pick our way up the rugged road and get a jump on the people hiking from the 2WD trailhead. No problem. Well, we did manage to pass several groups of hikers going up the road but when we arrived at the 4WD trailhead, it was packed with vehicles too. What the !@#$ is going on? Judging by the number of tents at the 4WD trailhead, some of the folks had been there overnight or longer and were probably there just for the camping. And some folks were obviously heading up to Lake Ann, a popular day hike, but for such a remote place, I couldn’t believe the number of people.
I wedged the Jeep into a spot between an old Ford Expedition and a pine tree. We grabbed our packs, hats, sunglasses and hiking poles and started up the trail. The sun was just hitting the top of the ridge across the valley as we were heading out. The sign at the trailhead said the summit was 3.5 miles away.
Silver Basin in the morning sun.
Virginia Peak across the valley.
Cascade along the trail.
Approaching timberline we get the first sight of our objective for the day…
…and the always-impressive Three Apostles.
On the way up we passed a few people and got passed by many more — trail runners, kids, dogs, people that looked like they just got off the plane from Wichita. It wasn’t until we broke above timberline and entered Huron’s upper basin that the number of people on the trail became obvious.
But the scenery and wildflowers went a long way toward keeping us focused on the natural surroundings.
Not to mention the task at hand, looming large over our heads.
From the basin we could see people queuing up on Huron’s Northwest Ridge above us. I was reminded of the recent photos I’d seen of the lines of people climbing Everest, without the glaciers, snow and frozen bodies, of course, but way, way too many people. So much for solitude.
View of the basin and the trail we just covered from the NW Ridge.
Starting up the NW Ridge.
It definitely wasn’t what we expected to experience from a remote 14er but really, it wasn’t that bad. The thing about being in the backcountry is everyone you meet is friendly and in a generally good mood (we’re outside in the mountains!). As we got higher on Huron’s northwest ridge, we started encountering early summiters coming back down. Everyone was courteous passing in the steep talus slope.
Towers on Huron’s east face.
The basin from high on the NW Ridge.
Almost there.
Huron’s smallish summit was a sight to behold. A few people were sitting but for the most part it was standing room only, 25 or 30 people all crammed on that postage-stamp sized piece of real estate. I looked around for the summit marker but there were so many people I could barely move without stepping on someone’s pack or hiking poles. People were taking selfies with a hand-drawn Huron altitude sign. People were on their phones talking to friends, “Hey guess where I’m calling from!” Someone had brought a blue-tooth speaker and was generously sharing their taste in music with the rest of us. It felt like we had stumbled into some kind of high-altitude outdoor club and I needed to find the bartender before happy hour was over.
But, as expected the views made it all — the early morning start, the climb, the crowd — worthwhile.
The view east to Missouri Mountain, I believe?
La Plata Peak to the north.
There are a few classic pictures that just say “Colorado” to me: the Maroon Bells near Aspen, the Crystal Mill near Marble, the Flatirons above Boulder. To that list I’d like to add the Apostles and emerald green Lake Ann from the summit of Huron Peak.
From our airy perch we could even see Taylor reservoir on the Gunnison side of the Continental Divide!
It seemed like more people were arriving on the summit than were leaving so despite the beautiful, windless day we only stayed long enough for a quick lunch, then headed back down.
More wildflowers!
One last look at the Three Apostles.
