HORN PEAK
(13,450')November 25, 2008
By Tim Briese
9 miles, 4600' elevation gain, 7:10 roundtrip time
Horn Peak rises dramatically above the Wet Mountain Valley a few miles southwest of Westcliffe. It has a very prominent appearance from the valley due to its pointed shape and its location along the eastern flank of the Sangre de Cristos. I had admired this noble peak for many years on trips to the area, both from the valley itself as well as from the vantage point of several surrounding peaks, and knew it was a mountain I ought to climb one day.
The autumn weather this year was incredibly mild and dry, and it was hard to believe I could climb this peak two days before Thanksgiving without need of either snowshoes or ice axe. I drove to a pulloff on the road just west of the Horn Creek Conference Center, a quarter of a mile before the Horn Creek Trailhead, where a sign said ARainbow Trail, 0.25 miles.@ At 8:10 I struck off up the trail through the woods with my lab Allie. The day was pleasant and overcast with only a slight wind blowing. After 0.45 miles I reached the Rainbow Trail and turned to the right. I soon passed a turnoff for the Dry Lakes Trail and continued three-fourths of a mile to a turnoff for the signed Horn Peak Trail. I stopped to sign a trail register and noted that about 30 climbers had signed in since the register was placed here in late August. That number indicated that Horn Peak is one of the more heavily climbed 13ers I had done in a while, assuming that most of the registrants actually made it to the summit.
At this point it was about three miles and 4000 vertical feet to the summit, so I knew some steep climbing lay ahead. The nice trail climbed vigorously up through the woods to the west for a while before leveling off somewhat and even dropping a bit before crossing to the north side of frozen Hennequin Creek. There was a little snow laying on the trail in shady places, perhaps an inch or two, but it had been packed down by previous hikers and presented no trouble at all. After crossing the creek the trail turned to the northeast and made an ascending traverse that climbed several hundred feet to the crest of Horn=s northeast ridge. Then it turned sharply to the southwest and followed the crest of the ridge up through the woods toward the peak. A rocky outcropping along the way afforded a nice view of the rest of the route to the summit.
I abruptly broke out of the trees at about 11,600 feet. The trail became more nebulous after that but it didn=t matter because the route was very straightforward, involving a direct ascent southwest up the steep, grassy ridge. I gained over a thousand feet of elevation in less than half a mile while puffing up this steep grade, but thankfully the footing was excellent on the grassy slope. At 12,700 feet the grade eased somewhat for the final half mile to the summit. A stiff wind now blew out of the northwest so I elected to stay mostly below the left side of the ridge. The gale made an impressive roar as it whipped over the crest a few feet away. I was able to stay mostly on grassy slopes with occasional Class 2 rocky areas. The grade steepened again for the final 200 foot push up to the summit.
I stepped on top at 12:15, just over four hours after leaving my truck. After resting for a few minutes I began to soak up the fine views afforded by this magnificent vantage point. A sweeping view of the entire Wet Mountain Valley was spread out in maplike fashion below. Around to the southwest and west the Crestones, Mt. Adams, and Comanche Peak jutted into the November sky. The pointed summit of Adams was particularly impressive from here. Allie lay down to take a quick nap while I took advantage of the photographic opportunities. There was no register to be found on this small rocky summit. My thermometer registered 33 degrees, which was relatively pleasant for a high summit at this time of year, but the moderate wind made it feel much colder so I departed the summit after only 15 minutes and began my descent.
While going down the steep grassy ridge I couldn=t help but stop occasionally to admire the incredible bird=s-eye view of the valley spread out thousands of feet below. Soon I returned to the woods and hiked back down the trail to my truck, where I arrived at 3:20. I set a fairly rapid pace today because daylight hours are so limited at this late season, with the sun setting by 4:30.
Horn Peak ranks among my favorite Sangre climbs. It is a scenic and rewarding climb to a beautifully pointed and prominent peak, with outstanding views of the rugged heart of the Sangres as well as the Wet Mountain Valley. Access is easy, too, with a paved road running nearly all the way to the trailhead. I may have to pay this fine peak another visit sometime.
