Searching for a pile of rocks on top of rocks amidst rocks… That’s how I would describe the fifth highest summit in Colorado (La Plata). This is particularly true after one gets past the ridge. Each mountain presents different experiences in difficulty as well as scenery. Some feel much easier than others. Some have great trails but are tough to ascend. Some start above treeline and are short. Some present route-finding difficulty.
My adventure started by arriving at the trailhead, which is right off the main paved road, around 12:30 pm MT (about 10,800 ft in elevation according to my GPS). I camped in the cab of my truck. I have a well-insulated sleeping back that is good up to five degrees Fahrenheit, a blow-up camping pillow, and camping air mattress. It would get pretty chilly that night, just as it has every night I stay in the mountains. I recently purchased an indoor/outdoor propane heater but did not feel comfortable trying it out in the cab of a truck. I woke a little after 5 am and got ready to start the trek. I was meeting up with a friend who is also working on her own list. We left the vehicles at 6:15 am.
The first half of the hike up La Plata is straightforward and “easy.” I, of course, put easily in quotation marks because there is nothing easy about hiking up a mountain. There are a few steep spots, including one short section that reminds me of the Manitou Springs incline (although not nearly as strenuous in length or elevation gain), because of the stairs and steepness.
Don’t let this first part of the hike fool you because the next part is hard. Once one gets to the boulder, as described by 14ers.com, the pitch up to the northwest ridge is very steep and all the switchbacks will drive you insane (wait until you have to come back down this section). You will reach the ridge and start-up ridge crest. This is where it gets fun trying to locate where the trail goes. Eventually, one will begin the ascent even further when they arrive at the crest. From here, just keep climbing up another thousand feet in elevation or so. I reached the summit before 11:30 am
On the descent, there are couple sections that could end very badly if one were to lose his or her footing due to the steepness. I recall slipping and sliding a few times. In fact, the ascent may have been just half the battle in climbing the mountain. We got back to the trailhead a little after 3:00 pm. The skies were getting cloudy, but no thunderstorms or rain. The trail up and down was clear, no snow.
Next on her list was Huron the next day. The forecast was not promising, so the issue was when to wake the next morning. We were both going to split up for the time being and head into town. I headed to Buena Vista to get something to eat and get some cell service. I decided I would head back up to the Huron lower trailhead and try for another peak on Sunday. Sunday came and my back and neck were in too much pain from the day before that I decided the ascent would be too long and miserable for me (we were going to do the north ridge ascent). She continued on, and I headed home. I found out later on that she both summited and beat the rain! Although, she didn’t seem to recommend that back way of ascending the mountain (for reasons unknown). I don’t count this as a failed peak because I only made it a tentative plan, and I didn’t attempt to summit. I did take a little walk and explored the Winfield area. Here’s to another adventure!
