Day 31-37: Redcloud Peak (#26), Sunshine Peak (#27), Handies Peak (#28), Wetterhorn Peak (#29), Mt.

The San Juan Range has brought an interesting mix of beauty and challenge--and as a result: Adventure.

We were greeted by the sun when we summited Redcloud, and saw the surrounding wilderness (including the iconic Uncompahgre Peak and Wetterhorn Peak) dipped in pink shadow. The cold, bone-chilling wind wasn't as generous to us, however. After a quick traverse over to Sunshine Peak, the shortest of the 14ers, and a re-ascent on Redcloud, we made our way back into the basin and arrived at the van.

The next day, we summited Handies Peak. Handies was our easiest peak so far--considering it only took 3 hours and 15 minutes from car to summit to car. Interestingly enough, it had snowed about two inches on Handies' summit the night before. As we stood on a white summit, everywhere around us was lush green; it felt contradictory, but it felt uniquely beautiful because of that contradiction.

The following day, we re-attempted Wetterhorn Peak, our first Class 3 summit-route. When we climbed Uncompahgre about 5 days earlier, we had planned on summiting Wetterhorn as well, but were turned around due to weather. It was our first time having an unsuccessful summit, so we all had mixed feelings about our second attempt. Was it going to be easier or harder to turn around again if we needed to? What would happen if we did turn around? When would we be able to come back again? Would it be worth wasting another day without a summit?

We had all these questions, but it all depended on the weather. And, well, it seemed to be our lucky day, because our second summit attempt was a success! Being on the top of Wetterhorn after being unsuccessful the first time made the views of the San Juans and the Grand Mesa so much sweeter.

After enjoying a day off, we climbed Mt. Sneffels--one of the more popular mountains of Colorado--and then headed over to the Wilson group near Telluride: Wilson Peak, Mt. Wilson, and El Diente Peak. Our plan was to hike up to the saddle beneath Wilson Peak, drop off our overnight gear, climb Wilson Peak, grab our overnight gear and spend the night in the adjacent basin, then climb Mt. Wilson and El Diente the following day.

Everything was going smoothly on our extended Class 3 route. That is, until we started our descent. It began hailing on us and didn't let up for an entire hour. The hail only changed to cold rain once we reached the saddle again, and by that time, we were tired physically and exhausted mentally. We decided to hold off on Mt. Wilson and El Diente and come back to the San Juans another time--probably at the very end of our trip.

The weather in the San Juans has been unpredictable, and it is dangerous business playing poker with it. After peak-bagging Wilson Peak, we decided to take a necessary 5-day break in Durango--hence the delay in pictures and blogs (my apologies). We have since moved to the Sangre De Cristo Range (translated: "Blood of Christ" Range) and will soon blog about our amazing experiences here.

Until next time,

COTD

Redcloud Peak

Start Time: 2:45am

Summit Time: 6:30am

Finish Time: 10:30am

Elevation Gain: 4,700ft

Distance: 11.4 miles

Elevation: 14,034ft

Sunshine Peak

Start Time: 2:45am

Summit Time: 7:15am