In between the dreadful days of job hunting this past summer, I got out peak bagging in the Rocky Mountains. As the snow finally melted out above treeline in mid-June, I set my sights high. There is something wonderful about the alpine that I can’t put into words. The clear air, the wide open views, only wind in your ears – it all culminates in a primal feeling that overwhelms me when I stand on a lofty summit.
11 June 2023 – Santa Fe Baldy
I was feeling fairly strong with my running fitness and was eager to do something big in the mountains. I was spending a couple weeks in Santa Fe, and something I had wanted to do in the area was Santa Fe Baldy and Redonda Peak in a day. It is a burly outing at 19.5 miles with 5,000 feet of vert. My friend Tony was up for it, so we hit the trail around 8:30 am, planning to run as much as possible.
There was still some snow to contend with, but it was totally manageable. We hiked a lot of the way up and summited Baldy just before 11 am. We felt ok, but the extra 3 miles to Redonda looked like a lot. Lunchtime hunger pangs were hitting, and we both didn’t really bring enough food for the full journey we set off to do. Tony and I ran a little further past Baldy, but turned back for a respectable 15 mile day with 4k of vert. The snow and frozen Lake Katherine made for some epic views!
1 July 2023 – Uncompahgre & Wetterhorn Peaks
My friend Ryan is highly motivated individual and is determined to climb all 58 of Colorado’s 14ers. Whenever he puts out the 14er bat signal, I try to join him. Ryan’s partner, Amber, and Tony were joining the fun as well.
Standing at 14,318′ on the north end of the San Juan Mountains, Uncompahgre is the 6th tallest 14er in Colorado, and the tallest in the San Juans. To quote 14er guide book author, Gerry Roach, “Uncompahgre is uncomparable,” and I couldn’t agree more. Wetterhorn is also awesome, with a pointy peak requiring some scrambling to reach the summit.
We were up at 3 am and on trail by 4, hiking into the slowly glowing dawn. Getting the first glimpse of Uncompahgre was unreal as the top of the mountain came into view. It is simply massive and daunting.
Dawn broke with orange alpenglow as we hiked around the base of Uncompahgre, traversing snowfields, tundra, and talus. There was one easy scramble near the top, and we summited around 7:30 am. We had the summit to ourselves for quite a while, which was a nice treat.
After 11 miles of hiking, we were back in the valley at the turn off for Wetterhorn peak. We were all pretty tired, and I think we could have happily gone back to the car, but we mustered the will to climb another 2,000 foot stair stepper.
Navigating between surly marmots and soft afternoon snow, we made it to Wetterhorn’s south east ridge, where the fun really began. The route was solid Class 3 with some serious exposure down the steep south face of the mountain. However, this made climbing up Wetterhorn an aboslute blast! We once again had the summit to ourselves, where we took in the 14,000 foot view of a snowy San Juan range.
The hike out was a bit of a slog, and we ended the day at 17.5 miles with 6,000 feet of vert. After one beer back at the car, I decided I was too smoked to even drive home, so we camped out for another night. It was an epic day, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!
13 July 2023 – East Pecos Baldy
While the west side of the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains see a lot of foot traffic near Santa Fe, the east side in the Pecos Wilderness is often a quiet escape. I had first done East Pecos Baldy (EPB) in 2019, backpacking in with friends to hit the Truchas Peaks as well. For some reason, I remember it taking all day, but the peak is only 8 miles from the trailhead.
I ran EPB on this day, and loved the cruisey, gentle climb up to the base of the mountain at 11,000 feet. Wildflowers were blooming everywhere! The final bit to the summit is quite steep, slowing me to a crawl, but I made it to the top in a little over 2 hours. I felt like a super hero!
I spent a good half hour chilling on the summit before cruising back down to the car. It was a 16.6 mile day with 3,900 feet of vert.
17 July 2023 – San Luis Peak
Another San Juan 14er, San Luis Peak is relatively mellow. Maggie had already climbed it when she did the Colorado trail, so it was time for me to experience this peak for myself. I drove through Creede, CO and camped out on a Forest Service road on Sunday night. It was quiet and I believed I would mostly be alone…
The trail up San Luis is mostly Class 1, easy trail, so I ran as much as I could. A lovely patch of elephant heads got the day off to a good start. There were only a handful of Colorado Trail hikers and a few other day hikers, so traffic was light.
I cruised up to the summit where I once again had half an hour of alone time at 14,000 feet. I could clearly see Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn from this aweseom vantage point. A pair of retired guys joined me on the summit for some pics and conversation, then I made my way back to the car. The route was 12.5 miles with 3,600 feet of vert.
What I thought was a remote forest road was in fact a popular 4-wheeling destination – a literal train of side-by-sides drove by as I ate lunch at my car. Some of them were surprised to see a Subaru so high. When I got to the bottom of the road in Creede, I saw a zoo of giant pickup trucks with trailers for their side-by-sides. I’m just glad they’re confined to the roads so I can enjoy the alpine solitude on trail.
Peak baggin’ season was off to a great start! Getting outside was keeping me from going insane. I was feeling strong and fit, so I would surely throw some more peaks in the bag…
Distance Over Time 