TR: Huron Peak (14,003') 6-19-2006

[mtnbikerskierchick]

update 2/4/2015 - The pictures for this post are missing because BigLines is no longer hosting them. Please visit a revised version of this post with pictures here.

Huron Peak (14,003ft)
6-19-2006
mtnbikerskierchick,goldenboy

I seem to be running about a week behind each of my TR’s. Sorry! Hopefully that will change soon!

Goldenboy and I met in Leadville the night before, with the intentions of skiing Mt. Massive. But, we took a better look at the peak and realized it was pretty thin and the approach was long. So, last minute we changed plans: We'll do Huron instead. We knew Huron was thin, but we'd seen lines down it while on La Plata the week before. We were pretty sure we could fine a line that went, and the approach was not as long as Mt. Massive (Okay, so maybe we were lazy ).

Huron peak is in the Northern Sawatch Mountains, as are many of the other peaks we've been tackling lately like La Plata and Elbert. Spots of the Northern Sawatch are holding snow well this summer, so we were hoping to find some of that on Huron. Huron's elevation is supposedly 14,003 feet, making is just BARELY a fourteener. Question is, what if one of these days we recalculated elevations and it turns out Huron is 13,999 feet. Will that throw the fourteener world into an uproar???

The drive in to Huron was one of the more difficult tasks- we were accessing Huron from the Rockdale Trailhead (Cloyses Lake) which is little used. Most people take the South Fork of Lake Creek Trail from Winfield to reach the peak of Huron, from it's west side. But the west side of Huron has no snow, but the east side does, and the Rockdale Trailhead works it's way up the east side of Huron.

Okay, now back to the story of why the drive was so difficult. So, Rockdale is this little old town, a row of cabins basically, on a dirt road. From here you turn onto another more rugged dirt road. The book talks about crossing the creek there like it's nothing. Yeah, um, nothing. The sun had set and it was twilight now, and there was the creek staring us in the face. But it wasn't a creek, it was a downright river. And at the other end of the river was a deer. The deer was staring us in the face with a look that said, "What the HECK are you guys doing???? No way you're going to make it across this creek." Well, we tried it anyway. A much better option than swimming and then walking up the other side of the road for miles. The creek, I mean river, was easily 3 feet deep at times. We made it to the other side, and the deer ran away. It didn't stick around for our victory celebration

Anyway, the road came to a dead end, and we camped there that night.

The next morning we got a bit of a late start. We started our hike on a trail that looked like it went somewhere, but then we realized it was not going to Huron. It was going up the valley. So, we turned around and backtracked to a point where it looked like we should be going up Huron. We bushwhacked a bit, and then found the trail. Now, when I say “trail”, I mean that quite loosely. As I said before, this trail is not widely used, and you can tell that by how many fallen trees we had to climb over, and by how many times we lost the trail and had to look around to get back on the trial. Nevertheless, the scenery was beautiful.

Goldenboy crossing a stream.


Loved this meadow!!!


Um, yeah, we’re here to ski THIS:


But first we have to get up this saddle, and work our way to the peak.


The summit register was actually not buried under snow and was not frozen shut. Yay. So, I got to sign my first summit register of the year! Yay! Any idea what actually happens to those things???

Goldenboy at the summit, ready to ski!


Goldenboy ready to drop in to the couloir.


Makin’ the turns!






Goldenboy is the only skier I know who loves runnels. He continuously made runnel jumps like this:


And on one of the runnels he pulled a full on spread-eagle! SWEET! So sad I missed that photo op! But I didn’t miss this one- goldenboy turning a runnel into a rail slide! Why go to the park when you can ski summer runnels???


More coming....

[mtnbikerskierchick]

Okay, my turn.














Looking back up the couloir we’d just skied.


When we got down to the bottom of the snow, we packed up our skis and boots for the hike down, and as I open my backpack, I pull out something VERY important… and realized I FORGOT TO WEAR MY LEI!!!!! I was so bummed! I’ve decided this TR needs to be decorated with flowers somehow. So, here’s my parting shot:

[MakersTeleMark]

Saw the pics posted on BL's yesterday and was waiting for the TR. Way to keep up the Sawach Scralping.

[bcrider]

Better late than never!


ps. way to show those runnels who's boss.

[jrbd]

People return some of the registers to the CMC in Golden, and they keep them in a file at the American Mountaineering Center. Rumor has it that some lady actually enters data from them into a computer somewhere also.

Most of the register books, of course, are eaten by marmots.

I waded that creek crossing at Rockvale once in bare feet (in late summer). It was .... interesting. Wider than I expected.

[Meadow Skipper]

Another nice one MBSC - very nice skiing. Them runnels look like all kinds of fun. After an interesting wading experience getting to Independence Mtn. a few weeks back, I now throw my waders in the rig just to be fully ready for Colorado spring skiing.

[mtnbikerskierchick]

People return some of the registers to the CMC in Golden, and they keep them in a file at the American Mountaineering Center. Rumor has it that some lady actually enters data from them into a computer somewhere also.

Most of the register books, of course, are eaten by marmots.

I have heard that they do end up in the CMC, but considering I was writing on somebody's Internet print-out of the Huron Peak trail, I highly doubt it will end up there I figured most of them would be eaten by marmots. Afterall, what else would marmots eat at the top of a mountain??

[Greguar]

Most of the register books, of course, are eaten by marmots.

Mmmmmm eating marmots.......uuuuugrglgrglgrgl

[chunder]

Nice TR, nice pix, thanks!

Too bad the coulie didn't get leid

[mtnbikerskierchick]

Greguar, did you eat THIS marmot?????

[FrankZappa]

Afterall, what else would marmots eat at the top of a mountain??

How 'bout these...


Thanks B- Adventurous TR you two had there, what with the "river", dangerous wildlife that thought you were woods-gapers, trailblazin' an' all else. Always a joy to hear about your treks.

[Greguar]

Greguar, did you eat THIS marmot?????

He looks like a spicy meatballa!!!

[iskibc]

Nice action. East face of Huron would be $$$ for an early spring descent.

[Alpine Dreams]

mtnbikerskierchick,

You rock!

[Tippster]

That looked like a fun day.

[MeatPuppet]

Greguar, did you eat THIS marmot?????

If Great White sharks are natures perfect killing machine, marmots are natures perfect chewing machine. As far as what they eat on mountain tops, my guess would be hikers backpacks...or so my experience tells me.


mtnbikerskierchick,
Keep pounding on Winters chest, there is a little bit of air left in his lungs

[mtnbikerskierchick]

If Great White sharks are natures perfect killing machine, marmots are natures perfect chewing machine. As far as what they eat on mountain tops, my guess would be hikers backpacks...or so my experience tells me.


mtnbikerskierchick,
Keep pounding on Winters chest, there is a little bit of air left in his lungs

Heh, that's funny Meat Puppet. Let me tell you my first marmot experience.... I hiked Longs when I moved out to CO when I was 18. My dad and his friend Jim came along. We were at the summit, and we saw a marmot. Jim asked, "Now, what the heck could that thing eat way up here?" He then proceeded to take a sandwich out of his pack, set it on a rock, as he went over to the side and, well, relieved himself. Well, guess what happened to the sandwhich?? We found out at least one way marmot's survive on Long's Peak

I definitely agree winter still has some air in his lungs! I'm off to find in very soon

[goldenboy]

Thanks for another great TR and another fun ski. Too bad the deer in the headlights in the river shot didn't come out, along with the sick spread. I think that runnel jumping and runnel sliding should be in the 2012 olympics in Whistler. I'm going to petition th IOC right now.

[StroupSkier]

I have heard that they do end up in the CMC, but considering I was writing on somebody's Internet print-out of the Huron Peak trail, I highly doubt it will end up there

I've turned in a couple registers that were nothing more than a printout from 14ers.com

I figured most of them would be eaten by marmots. Afterall, what else would marmots eat at the top of a mountain??

My ear.

Do you ever mountain bike, or just ski all summer and tell people you bike?

[StroupSkier]

Greguar, did you eat THIS marmot?????

That brings back memories...

Heh, that's funny Meat Puppet. Let me tell you my first marmot experience.... I hiked Longs when I moved out to CO when I was 18. My dad and his friend Jim came along. We were at the summit, and we saw a marmot. Jim asked, "Now, what the heck could that thing eat way up here?" He then proceeded to take a sandwich out of his pack, set it on a rock, as he went over to the side and, well, relieved himself. Well, guess what happened to the sandwhich?? We found out at least one way marmot's survive on Long's Peak

I was on Longs a few years ago,a nd coming back down from the summit decided to take a nap in the boulder field on the other side of the trail from the restrooms. I layed my hat down over my eyes to get some sleep,a nd the next thing I knew this guy was standing over me waving his arms franticly. I thought he was trying to attack me until I turned my head and saw one of those things just a few feet from my head about to bite my ear off.

[K-Stormchaser]

Once again, well played my dear, well played!

[bigtrubs]

Greguar, did you eat THIS marmot?????

haha! I had a camp counsellor who got bit by one of those when I was about 15. We were on a 5 day backpacking trip, and the little bugger kept stealing our socks that were laying out to dry. My counsellor tried to snatch it from the marmot and ended up almost losing the end of her finger!

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

Some of my friends call me delusional when they see me driving around with my skis on my car in the middle of June. Glad to see I am not the only one who is giving summer the finger. Nice TR.

[mtnbikerskierchick]

Do you ever mountain bike, or just ski all summer and tell people you bike?

Heh Since this is a ski forum, I prefer to talk about the skiing rather than the biking

Truly, skiing is my passion (otherwise I'd be on mtbr!), biking is plain fun. Biking I can do out of my front door, so it's no big deal. Skiing takes more time, so worth telling people about it. Also, I generally find biking pics not nearly as exciting as ski pics, unless the biker is hucking some huge cliff, which I don't do on my bike... so why bore people with my riding. If you care, I spent last weekend riding my bike 4 days straight at Crested Butte for bike races there I raced XC, super-D, and DH. It was fun, but I'll be honest.... I can't wait to ski again!

[mmcpheet]