Huron Peak

June 2, 2020 / 14,003’

RT STATS: TOTAL TIME - 5 HR & 8 MIN, 10.84 MILES, AND 3,825’ ELEVATION GAIN

TIME STATS: 2 HR & 40 MIN TO Summit, 18 MIN AT SUMMIT, 2 HR & 10 MIN BACK TO CAR

RATING (HOW MUCH I LIKED THE HIKE): 9/10

Exciting stuff happened yesterday out on Huron Peak!!! This was my first completely solo 14er trip (driving and hiking by myself). I have only summitted one other 14er by myself, so this was a neat experience. To begin the day, I woke up before my alarm and left my apartment around 4:15 am. Just driving and jamming to music for a couple hours….fun stuff right there haha. I ate my breakfast along the way around Buena Vista. I turned down Chaffee County Road 390 as I have done a couple times before (to hike Oxford/Belford and La Plata).

I parked my car in a grass field in Winfield—this is the area you park if you don’t want to take the 4WD road up to the trailhead. It adds on about 2 miles each way and gains only a few hundred feet in elevation (my watch measured this trailhead at 10,228’ and the 4WD trailhead at 10,630’). I took the standard Kristin selfie (haha sorry, I had to do it) and a picture of my breathtaking RAV-4, which steals the spotlight as usual smh.

I started the hike a little after 7am! These first 2 miles were a nice warmup. A little over a mile in, this dude was camping with five dogs (all of different breeds). I’m not a noisy person, but they got hella excited when they saw me and all run over to greet (…jump on) me. The guy is literally cussing the dogs out, Idk, I thought it was funny, but it took him like a minute to get them under control. I then continue on my merry way. I reached the 4WD trailhead in about 36 minutes.

To Huron Peak I go! The trail started with some steps and then was basically just switchbacks throughout the woods. Some of the pictures I took were just super blurry (see below)—this part wasn't that interesting so whatever. I got above treeline at probably just under 12,000’ elevation. The third picture below is the Three Apostles and the fourth picture is of Huron!

The first half mile above treeline causes a few hundred feet in elevation and is just a nice simple trail. At about 4 miles in, I reached the snow-covered basin! It turns out I didn't need them, but I took out my hiking poles right before I trekked across the basin and used the poles for the remainder of the hike. I post holed maybe about 10% of the steps that I took during this portion…kept the hike exciting ;).

After I got out of the snow, the trail was just like a typical 14er trail—kinda steep and a lot of switchbacks. As I approached the summit, the path had talus, but it was nothing like Princeton from last week (praise)!!

2 hours and 40 minutes/5.40 miles later, I reached the summit! I stayed up there for 18 minutes and had the summit to myself! It’s just a crazy but cool feeling being up there all by myself! I had to use a self timer on my iPhone for pictures, so, yeah, not the best quality (bad lighting), but they turned out alright!!

After I had had enough of the summit (it was starting to get a little windy up there), I started the hike down! Nothing really eventual to say about this part :) I took a picture of the snow-covered basin that I crossed from afar and it’s so cool how you can see the path taken through it.

I said that I was 10% postholing on the way out….on the way back, it was probably more like 20% of the steps that I took, I postholed. A couple times, I potholed past my knee. The snow was much more slushy and my shoes got soaked, so I was cold for awhile (you see how red my skin is around my ankles lol) but they seemed to dry pretty quickly after!

Once I got out of the snow, I picked up the pace for the remainder of the hike. I took a Kristin selfie with Huron in the background before I got back below treeline. Soon enough, I was back on the 4WD road. The guy was still there with his dogs and they ran over to me, but quickly went back to him this time hahaha. 10.84 miles/5 hours and 8 minutes later, I arrived back to my car!! Look at my RAV-4 being a social butterfly, two new friends. Shortly later, I head out…gonna make the dumb joke about the Winfield hut (4th picture) like I did for Mt. Lindsey….I can’t find that place on airbnb, why not!!!!!! Well, I then began the drive back to the Springs. Jamming to music as usual :) This was a really fun hike and it was a successful first solo 14er trip!