Scramblin Scout and I left Gunnison on the morning of the fourth and headed down to Lake City and to the Slver Creek trailhead meet up with LAV, Midway, Slider, and Leap of Faith. They had left Texas the night before and were driving through the night to join us in a hike up the Silver Creek trail and an eventual climb of Redcloud and Sunshine.

Scramblin Scout and I arrived at the trailhead well before the others and had time to sort through gear and get everything in order. When they did arrive the first thing I noticed was that LAV\\\'s truck was making a hissing noise. I immediately thought about a leak in the tire and sure enough that was the case. Fortuntely there was a lot of air still in it and the can of fix-a-flat I had in my trunk remedied the situation.

They all looked tired and road weary but excited and ready to go. Though Scramblin Scout and I had only been in CO for 9 days, you could see the difference in our pace in comparison to theirs. We were relaxed and in no hurry. Their vigor and excitement reminded me of how S Scout and I felt 9 days ago when we first arrived in CO and prepared to summit Shavano and Tabby. Everything for them was go go go at that point. Now we were in no hurry. We were definitely just as excited, just not moving at as frantic a pace. We had abandoned the speed hikes and the 4:00 am wake up times for summit attempts, for laid back hikes into the basins and waking at sunrise and getting what we could. It was relaxing and enjoyable.

When everyone finally had their gear in order we headed up the Silver Creek trail. Scramblin Scout was moving at a good clip along side LAV. By now he was acclimated and simply casually cruised along. Slider and Leap of Faith (LOF from now on) were pushing ahead behind them while Midway and I took it in stride, enjoyed the scenery and decided the basin would be there when we got there.

Though we knew that CO had had an unusaully high snow year, we encountered far more snow than we expected. The last time I was on the Silver Creek trail in 2006 there was almost none.

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almost no snow to be seen anywhere except at the highest points of the peaks, and yet now we found ourselves walking, sliding and postholing at times across large snow fileds that appeared to be the result of avalnches. Downed trees littered the area and good portions of the Silver Creek were far below us under the ice and snow. Then, a while later, it would reappear, suddenly cutting through the snow and rushing and roaring along side the trail.





Each time we crossed a snow field we would see another rising up in the distance as we drew closer to the basin. These snowfields were not particulary troublesome to cross but were a bit of a bother and were perhaps a bit annoying to some, due to the fact that there was a decent grade on incline and decline along them.

Eventually we cleared the snowfields and began to rise above treeline. The crest that hid the bowl of the basin was in view. One by one we cleared the crest. We dropped our packs, took a moment to relax, survey the campsite situation, grab some water and a snack and then began setting up our camp below Redcloud Peak.




We passed the day hanging out at camp and taking in the phenomenal view of Handies peak across from us in the distance. A year ago LAV, Slider, Scramblin Scout, and I had camped in the basin below Handies and spent our day gazing back towards Redcloud and Sunshine. The view from here was just as beautiful, if not more so. After some discussion it was agreed that we would follow the schedule Scramblin Scout and I had been using for summiting. No 4:30 am wakeup calls. Everyone gets to sleep in till sunrise and then we would head out.

The next morning we all awoke around sunrise, checked and double checked our summit packs, grabbed a cup of coffee and/or snack if we were so inclined, and headed towards RedCloud\'s ridge. Midway had decided he wanted to skip the summit attempts and hang in the basin and enjoy the views. I left him one of the two way radios, he snapped a quick pick of us all, and then LAV, Scramblin Scout, Slider, LOF, and I headed towards the ridge.



The trail to the ridge is worn and extremely well defined. It is obvious this is a popular destination for hikers as the trail is deeply rutted. A portion of the trail was under restoration and a new one had been cut. I am uncertain when this took place, but I am fairly certain that though some of this was under restoration when I was here in 2006, not as much of it was.

LAV and Scramblin Scout jumped out ahead quickly, just as the day before on the hike in. Slider moved ahead a bit, and LOF and I took a nice steady pace and allowed for breaks at times. This was LOF\'s first 14er summit attempt and she was adjusting to the thin air and the toll it takes on the body when one is exerting oneself. We could see LAV and Slider make the ridge and the continue up it. Then Slider hit the ridge and waited for us. When we reached the ridge line we stopped to take in the splendor of the view and to get a little breather. Slider and I smiled as LOF took in the view. It was her first 14er ridge, and though the view is always impressive, the first time someone experiences it, it is a unique, breathtaking experience.



The trail up Redcloud is not difficult in the least. For the most part it is nothing more than walking up. Where it may become a challenge is simply in the endurance factor. If one is not use to the conditions or the altitude you might find youreself taking breaks repeatedly as you work your way to the summit. Don\'t fret. That\'s just fine. It isn\'t a race. Enjoy yourself. Take in the views. Relax a bit on the way up. Your biggest concern will be making certain you are off the summit when the afternoon storms that inevitably move into the San Juans on a daily basis do so.



The trail up....and it is a trail....is well defined and not very rugged at all. It is smooth and covered in the occasional scree. The trail swithbacks repeatedly as it works its way towards the summit. When you reach the false summit you can see that you are extremely close. The true summit looms over you and is but one final push away. On this day LAV, Scramblin Scout and I all summitted together for the most part. We then awaited Slider and anxiously awaited LOF as well, taking pictures and congratulating her as she bagged her first 14er! Congrats also went to Slider who summitted wearing the honorary Dana Design Kompressor.



After taking in the view (particulary of Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre), signing the summit register, and taking the customary group summit shot, we headed for the ridge and Sunshine Peak. LAV, Scramblin Scout, and I moved across the ridge quickly. Behind us, Slider and LOF were moving a bit slower. LOF was not used to the talus and scree, nor was she used to descending on it. That and the fact that she had never been at 14,000ft made her move very cautiously. Slider hung with her along the way. As we traversed the ridge we were able to relax, take pics, and meet and greet people along the way. There were plenty on the ridge on this day. Redcloud and Sunshine are always popular climbs due to the easy hike in to the basin and the ease of the routes. This being the holiday weekend made the route a busy one.



We reached the saddle proper and took a moment to talk to a couple of other climbers who had already bagged Sunshine and were taking one of the alternate routes down. The weather was becoming a factor at this point. Storms were developing and that meant lightening and rain and hail. We had not heard thunder nor seen lightening yet, but we were paying close attention. Fortunately it looked as if the storms were moving east and away from the summit and ridge.

We pushed forward, LAV, Scarmblin Scout and myself, well ahead of Slider and LOF at this point. We began our ascent to the summit from the ridge. This portion is similar to the final ascent of Redcloud in that it is a series of short switchbacks to the top. The difference is that Sunshine possesses significant amounts of talus as where Redcloud has more scree on the final approach. Finally we reached the summit.



We spent some time enjoying being there, signed the log, celebrated that LOF summited with the Dana, took photos, snacked and hydrated, and then started down. LAV and I moved down quickly. On the way up we had already been discussing descending a route other than back over Redcloud. Now, as the others were working their way down Sunshine\\\'s summit, we stood on the ridge below it and looked over the possible descent route. The trail could be seen clearly, appearing almost as a tier just below the ridge. It began as a series of long switchbacks covered in the now familiar brownish red talus. It appeared steeper than it actually was in my opinion, but in all honesty, this was the easy part of the descent. LAV and I knew that eventually we would level out below and then be faced with a series of steep gullies that cut through the ledge far below. We had studied these gullies from the ridge and summit and seen that most were snow filled. We did not have ice axes nor crampons, so deciding which gully we would eventually take would be saved for until we could actually stand near them and get a better look.



We made our way down Sunshine\\\'s Northwest face with relative ease. LAV and I were far in front of the others. This was LOF\'s first descent and the grade combined with the talus and scree made her a bit nervous. She moved cautiously and slowly and Scramblin Scout stayed with her the entire way, providing help, advice and any necessary route finding. Eventually, the route levels out and we crossed a series of snow fields just above the gullies.



LAV had gone ahead a bit more to investigate various gullies. I worked my way nearer to him and we discussed our options. All the gullies offered their own hazards and most offered snow for which we weren\'t prepared for. There was, however, one that possessed no snow in the gully proper. It did however possess some water from the melt that was flowing through the gully at the point we would like to lower ourselves through. The water flow wasn\'t heavy at all, but it would force us to make a creative move that some of the others might rather not. After very little debate (we didn\'t really have many options) we chose to take that gully and downclimb to the steep snowfield below the gullies mouth.






I climbed my way back across the gully, checking each hand and foothold ever so carefully and hugging the gully wall as much as possible. The rock was rotten and for evey solid hold, there seemed to be two that weren\'t. It makes one keenly aware not to let go of the previous hold and placement until the next is checked soundly.



After working my way to a point that I could lock in and see the others up above, I began to instruct them on working there way down. Scramblin Scout moved down with ease. LOF and Slider were a bit more hesitant. I had settled into a spot with a bit of a verticle ridge that was more or less solid as I helped route find. This was fortunate because with nearly every other step they descended, rotten rock came tumbling down towards me. I was able to lean to my right and pull myself around the ridge while the rocks tumbled past me. Slowly and ever so carefully they worked there way down the gully under my and LAV\'s watchful eyes.





LAV had come down a bit of a different channel within the same gully. Now, as he reached the mouth of the gully, he called to me. We had reached the mouth of the gully that emptied into the snow field below. Water running through the mouth made it precarious and out of the question to downclimb. So LAV made a decision. We would jump across the opening of the mouth of the gully, to the other side, and then down climb from there. A few things made this a bit nerve wracking. One, LAV would make the first jump without knowledge of the true condition of the rock he would be landing on and grabbing on the other side. It appeared strong and more than likely it was, but there was always a chance it was rotten. Two, the fall below was on rock and the subsequent tumble was hundreds of feet. Three, though LAV and I were confident in our ability to make the jump safely, we had to think of the others and their abilities. I believed they could all make it. That wasn\'t enough though. They had to believe they could make it.

We decided on a plan. After LAV made it across, he down climbed a bit. I then jumped across placing my landing foot on the exact same spot he had. Then I found solid footholds and positioned myself across from the others. The plan was as follows. Each of the others, (Scramblin Scout, Slider, and Leap of Faith) would jump across the gully and focus soley on their right foot landing on the spot that LAV and I knew was strong. As they jumped and their foot landed on the spot, I would reach out and catch them and pull them up and onto the small ledge I was postioned on. (the spot to land ones right foot on was roughly the size of a CD case.)From there LAV would guide them down the ledge below to a rock and snow field.

Scramblin Scout was first and was a bit hesitant. I told him to trust me. I threw a small rock down at the spot where he needed to land his foot. He looked down at the opening of the gully and shook his head and then looked back up. Again I told him to trust me and told him to just focus on landing his foot on the spot. I would take care of the rest. He took a breath and then....

He jumped.....

I caught him. He had landed his foot perfectly. I had him in my arms and helped him up and then behind me. From there LAV began to help him down the next section.

Leap of Faith was next. 6 hours ago she had never been atop a 14er. 24 hours ago she had never backpacked in Colorado. Now she was about to leap across a gully, trusting that a person she had only met the day before (that would be me), would catch her and pull her to safety. I pointed to the landing spot and hit it with a small rock again so she was certain which one it was. She took a few breaths and looked ready to go as she rocked back and forth a bit. Then she looked down, shook her head in almost disbelief, let out a expletive under her breath, and looked across at me. I told her to trust me. Just get her foot on the spot, I told her. I would catch her and do the rest. She rocked back and forth again as if ready to go.

\"Come on\" I said\" Trust me. Just land your foot there\"

She jumped....

Her foot hit the spot....

I caught her.

At this point she seemed to almost freeze a bit, as if either from fear, or relief that she was in my grip and on the spot. I urged her to to climb up while I helped pull her. She did so and eventually worked her way down to LAV. It was a gutsy move for a newbie and a lot of trust on her part. She did great.

Next was Slider. He had watched the other two jump and had decided not hesitating was the best idea.

\"Okay\" he said to m\" Are you ready? I\'m not waiting. I\'m just jumping. Which rock is it again\"

I tossed a small rock at the landing spot once again to confirm where he needed to land his foot.

\"Ready\" He asked.

\"I\'m ready\" I replied.\" I got ya. Come on\"

\" One...\" he counted.

\"two...\"

\"Three\" He jumped.....

His foot hit squarely....I caught him.



LAV helped get everyone down to the rocks and snow below. From there LAV and Scramblin Scout glissaded down the snow field while Slider and LOF and I came down the talus. It is still a long way from this point to the basin and it requires you to meet the trail below the basin and then work your way back up to camp.



While LAV, Scramblin Scout and Slider headed back towards camp, LOF and I headed for the trailhead and the cars. She had had an adventurous day to say the least, and no doubt, more than she had bargained for.

\" Now that your back down safely, I see that familiar smile and gleam in your eye that climbers get\" I said to her.

\"I think you will be back to climb again\"

\"Who knows\" she replied with a smile.\"I might just be a crazy woman for a weekend again\"