A goat marks our departure from camp...
I drifted back to sleep ~2:45am, and slept soundly until I heard some soft scracthes on the corner of my tent at 5:45am. I checked the vestibule window for a possible critter sighting, but didn't see anything. I heard some more noises on both sides of the tent, and was now too alert for critters to go back to sleep. Later Tom said he saw the goat and hare inspecting my tent at this time.
Though we both had been awake for awhile, we got up at 7am, packed up camp, ate a bite, and were on the trail by 8:25am as a goat stood by for our exit. We had a fast pace on the easy descent, and arrived at Needleton station in 2 hrs, where we joined ~10 other hikers waiting for the 11:30am train. Tom and I snacked on trail mix under the shade of a tree near the river. There was a latrine in the vicinity, with a broken door, but it's probably worth waiting to use the nice restrooms on the train. The owners of the cabin near the bridge were piling up 20+ bags to be loaded back to Silverton. They must have had a big family reunion this weekend.
A goat marks our departure from camp...
Sunny skies as we hike back to catch the train...
A patch of columbines line the trail...
We waved as the 1st train passed by, and waited for the next train, which was scheduled to stop for us. Several other groups waiting for the train had hiked all 3 peaks yesterday too. I was also surprised at the amount of people hiking in from Purgatory TH (extra ~16 miles RT), but then again, the $91 train ticket is not cheap. Heck, people pay $100 to hike Culebra (on private land), so this is somewhat similar.
When our train arrives, there are 27 people that board with us. We wait to board last, hoping our bags get loaded last, so they get unloaded first in Silverton. The train is PACKED, and we have to stand most of the trip, despite our tickets with seat assignments. This foils my plan to sleep a bit on the train, though I did manage to find a seat for the last 15 minutes, and pleasantly zoned out...
Tom crosses the bridge leading to Needleton train stop. A look at the river...
The steam train arrived at 11:30am, pausing a good 10 minutes to load the large number of hikers and luggage...
We wandered throughout the train looking for a seat. Tom bought some candy in the snack car...
I ended up hanging out in this small archway at the end of a car for awhile, leaning against the wall for rest, and taking pics out the side. That is, until a train attendent told me I couldn't stand there...
Back in Silverton, we ate lunch at the cafe closest to our parked car. I had a large soup and small salad, while Tom had a small soup and large salad. After a walk around the block (to get a quick flavor of Silverton), we drove east to Cinnamon Pass, making a brief stop at the ghost town of Animas Forks (Tom reminisced about past adventures through these parts)...
The 4x4 road led us over the 12,600' Cinnamon Pass, where we descended into a valley near Handies Peak. Tried hard to figure out which peak was Handies (it's the tallest peak, right of center)...
We checked out the three 14ers in this valley. Handies, in the 1st pic. Redcloud and Sunshine (Sunshine out of view) in the 2nd pic...
We found a sweet campsite at the Grizzly Gulch trailhead, just ~40' from the parking lot, where we set up our tents. The sky was still cloudless, which meant I might have the opportunity to summit Handies this evening. I also wanted to climb Whitecross Mountain, to get a good pick of Handies. Didn't know if I'd be able to climb both peaks today, but I was up for the challenge, and brought my headlamp, in case it would be a long evening. Tom was pooped, from Chicago Basin, but said he'd come along for awhile, hoping to make it to the basin. We set out at 5:45pm, a very unusual time to begin hiking a 14er. It was a gift from Mother Nature.
A soft dirt trail led up through the forest, exiting us at a grassy basin, with Handies ahead...
Usually I'm used to long shadows on 14er hikes (always in the morning), but something felt different this time. I think it was the warm temperature that added a foreign flavor to this evening's hike...
I was constantly looking for a climbers trail to Whitecross on the right, hoping to save time by climbing it first, and traversing across the ridge to Handies. Tom and I made it all the way upper basin under Handies at 6:05pm, where the trail took a sharp right, towards Whitecross. Here Tom decided to call it a day, while I headed up solo. Tom gave me his extra rain pants (in case of emergency), and I told I probably wouldn't be back to camp until dark.
A short ways up the trail, I ran into a family of 4, including a young boy (9 years old?), who said the trail conditions were fine, and it was no problem to make the summit. I told them to say hi to Tom, and let him know the trail was easy, so he wouldn't worry about me. A short while further, I realized this trail led to Handies, and there was no side trail to Whitecross. After some debate, I decided to leave the trail, and cut up towards the ridge leading to Whitecross, vowing to turn back if conditions ever got more than class 2. After a bunch of tallus traversing/climbing, I reached the ridge, and admired the view.
A look back down the trail, after I took the sharp turn. Tom is out of view, in the basin...
I decided to give Whitecross a visit, and cut up towards the ridge, ascending the crest near the snow and sun. The cornice was easy to step over near the top. Whitecross is on the right..
The view of Handies from the ridge...
I climbed the rust colored rocky ridge towards Whitecross, until it flattened out, giving me a view of the rest of the ridge to the summit. I had thought there would be better lighting on Handies from this vantage point, but I was wrong, as most of Handies was in the shade. It was 6:45pm, and I knew I didn't have time to hike Whitecross and Handies before sunset, so after much debate about climbing Whitecross and hanging out for sunset, or heading over to Handies (which looked so FAR away), I decided I'd head back to the trail and push for Handies. At least sticking to a trail would be smart.
I descended down to the saddle of the ridge, and didn't consider for a minute trying to traverse up the rocky class 2+ ridge to Handies. Rather, I contoured below the ridge, across the tallus, eyeing the dirt trail ~.4 miles away. I decided to lose more elevation to cut straight to the trail, rather than wrap around the curve in the ridge. I was pleased to find myself well on the trail at 7:15pm, and wondered if I could make the summit before sunset. The trail was gentle, with switchbacks leading to the ridge below Handies. My legs were tired, but not enough to turn back. I propelled myself up the trail with my poles, breathing heavy, but feeling good.
A look towards Handies from the high point for me on the ridge, before hiking back down to the saddle...
From the saddle, I opted to avoid the craggy ridge, and hike into the shadow, towards the well worn trail...
12 minutes from the saddle, I was back on the trail at 7:15pm, realizing I was in good position to reach the top before sunset...
A look east at Redcloud (left of center) and Sunshine (right), which Tom and I planned to hike tomorrow morning, from the same trailhead as my hike this evening...
I chowed on some twizzlers during the clean. The trail was wonderful. Not too slippery. Whitecross, and the portion of the ridge I climbed 30 minutes ago is in the sunlight...
A look up the trail towards Handies...
I arrived at the ridge just before 7:30pm. Whitecross is the peak above the colored ridge...
Once gaining the ridge, it was another 450' to the top, with some steeper sections, but the trail was solid...
15 mintues later, I cleared the steep portion, and looked upon the final gradual cakewalk to the summit...
A self portrait, with the summit in view...
I reached the peak of Handies at 7:51pm, with sunlight to spare! What thrill to be on a 14er at sunset!
There was something special about being on a 14er at the end of a day, with the golden glowing mountain all to myself, looking out across the vast San Juan range. Again, I was super fortunate to have such great weather yesterday and today to bag all three Chicago Basin 14ers (which I could make out in the distance), and Handies in 1.5 days. If all went to plan, I'd bag another 2 14ers tomorrow morning too (Redcloud and Sunshine).
After ~10 minutes taking in the views, and snapping pics, I was ready to start the descent ("sprint") back to camp. At 8:05pm, with the last bit of sun still illuminating my way, I began a speedy descent, wondering if I'd be able to jog enough of the trail (once off the ridge) to get back to camp before dark. It was 3.75 miles and 3650' down to camp.
A look west towards American Basin...
A look south over the summit...
A look at Redcloud and Sunshine (tomorrow's 14er destinations), before heading back down the ridge at 8:05pm...
The trail was wonderful for jogging. In 25 minutes, I was back in the basin where I left Tom...
I had to stop for 5 minutes here to photograph the flowers, with Handies in the backdrop...
Once finished with pictures of the flowers, it was a race to reach camp before nightfall. The valley was deep within the mountains, so darkness would come early. As I jogged down the entrenched trail, my foot caught some dirt on the side, and I tumbled forward, tearing a hole in my pants on the knee. Oh well. Made a note of the narrow trail, and kept going. At one point I saw a grey object move as I sped by, and halted my run to find a porcupine working its way towards a bush (none of my pics came out - too blurry). The forest grew dim, but my eyes were only focused on the trail, and as long as I could make out roots and rocks, I kept my jog. Rather than bring out a headlamp, I let my eyes adjust to the dark, thus increasing my eyesight range (headlamp's coverage is limiting for covering ground fast). I managed to make it all the way back to camp without a headlamp, arriving to a somewhat surprised Tom (at least after I told him I left the summit at 8:05) at 9:05pm.Tom was finishing dinner and getting ready for bed. I went back to the car, ate some food, and prepped my gear for tomorrow. The latrines here had about 16 rolls of toilet paper, all empty (must have seen a lot of action over the 4th of July weekend). Always good to bring some TP along, of course.
5am wake-up call for tomorrow's 14er adventure. Pretty handy that the trailhead for Redcloud and Sunshine is on the other side of the parking lot.