My Wife's First 14er may be the Most Beautiful - Mount Huron
Climb Info
Climbed: July 21, 2024
Car to Car: 10 miles, 4,00ft of elevation
Summit Elevation= 14,011 ft
Trip Report
The night before our climb we set up camp along the road leading to Huron after I biked section 6 of the CO trail from Kenosha pass to near Breckenridge that day. Due to some communication issues I cut the bike a bit short but it still wound up being 25 miles with over 3,000 of climbing which had me nice and sore to help match my wifes pace.
We got started a little after 6am and figured we would just leave from our car vs. driving up the road all the way. In retrospect this added ~4 miles on the road didn't add anything and we wish we would have driven farther up to camp or just drove up in the morning.
This trail is incredible and the river and canyon you start out of were breathtaking. This takes the cake for the most scenic starting area for any 14er I have done and can’t wait to get back to this area to fish and explore. Some highlights of the climb were the views of Ice Mountain (what a good looking peak), the peaking flowers throughout, and the direct view of the Huron summit once you pop into the alpine and cross perfect meadows crosscut with snowmelt streams.
My wife had not done a ton of hiking this year but raw dogged the climb without complaint and showcased some serious mental toughness. I am so proud of her and it was eye opening for me to experience a bigger climb with her to remind me how difficult these climbs are for people not doing them throughout the year. We really took our time and I went into the climb prioritizing patience and taking as long as we needed.
The summit of Huron was as stunning as the climb and cemented this as one of my favorite 14ers in terms of scenery. This peak is nestled in the middle of the Sawatch Range and the views in every direction are incredible. The longer drive to the trailhead also makes it feel more remote and wilderness like than many other 14ers and also keeps the worst of the crowds away.
After just beating the rain back to our car we made the bumpy journey to Leadville for a much needed Coors Banquet and some BBQ. Going to Mo’s has become a post big climb tradition for me when in the Leadville area.
Tips/learnings
- I felt so much better with the slower pace than I am accustomed to. I generally climb big peaks on the very fast side and tend to not eat enough and push my body harder than probably necessary. My big bike ride the day before also helped me go slow on this climb. I also had time to take in a lot more views than I usually would with this pace and really enjoyed climbing at a slower pace…. Although I don’t foresee doing this on my own anytime soon.
- There were plenty of water sources on this trail which I did not research ahead of time. There is a creek you cross and follow up through the trees and a perfect spring right before you start the switchbacks up the last ~1,500’ to the summit
- Ice Mountain and the Three Apostles are pretty epic in person and have been added to the must climb/ski list
Photos
