SAN LUIS PEAK
14,014 ft.
September 16, 2000
By Tim Briese
(I climbed San Luis again in 2006. Here is a trip report on that climb.)
San Luis Peak was my 54th and final new 14er to climb. I had purposely saved an easy one for last, so that family or friends could join me if they wished. I also wanted to be able to relax and really enjoy the experience of climbing the final one, unconcerned about difficulties of rock climbing or routefinding.
I picked up my daughter Emily at school on Friday afternoon and we headed off into the mountains. We went up over Monarch Pass and then left Highway 50 and headed southwest toward the La Garita Wilderness Area.
This was lovely country, with rolling hills and open meadows, and stands of pine and yellow aspens flaming in the late afternoon sun. It was also a very remote area off the beaten path, as we drove over 30 miles on backcountry roads, with few signs of civilization along the way. There were only a few hunter’s vehicles parked here and there. One of the things I have enjoyed about climbing 14ers is getting to see new parts of the state like this that I had never visited before.
We arrived at the Stewart Creek trailhead about 7 p.m. and found a splendid campsite about 200 yards below the trailhead along the creek. We set up our tent by a big pine tree in a meadow with a beaver pond about 30 feet away. There were yellow aspens on a hill just above us. We got a big campfire roaring, the first we’d been allowed to have on this dry summer of campfire bans, and cooked our dinner. We crawled into the tent at 8:15, as a big moon was rising in the east. It was a chilly 30 degrees outside, but we were cozy and warm in our mummy sleeping bags. I fell into a sound sleep listening to the soothing music of the stream nearby.
We awoke to a frosty morning at 6:30 and sat in our 4-Runner to keep warm while we ate breakfast. At 7:25 we hit the trail. I was in a mood of celebration for this climb, for it was a special one. As I looked at the deep blue skies above, I thought about how nice it was to have no concerns about weather, trail difficulties, or schedule.
It was a beautiful hike up the valley along Stewart Creek. This is one of the most remote of any 14er climbs, in the midst of untrampled wilderness in the La Garita Wilderness Area. The trail climbed gradually through alternating meadows and timber. There were frequent stands of yellow and orange aspens along the way. The blue skies and yellow aspens were just what I had hoped for on this climb.
There were dozens of beaver ponds along the valley floor, the most I had ever seen on any hike. Our dog Allie was in and out of the water all morning retrieving countless sticks that we threw in for her. We made many stops, for Emily was feeling somewhat ill. I could see that she was really pushing herself, for she dearly wanted to climb this mountain with me. Although San Luis is technically easy to climb, it requires a twelve mile hike. At one stop Emily spotted five elk on a slope high above. A little later she slipped off a log at a stream crossing and got her leg wet.
At about 11 a.m. we stopped to filter water at a stream crossing at 12,300 feet. Here we met a nice older gentleman hiking up the trail. He was a dentist from New Mexico, and was hiking with his son-in-law, who came puffing along behind. He told us he had climbed all the 14ers before.
Emily and I had some nice talks together as we continued on up through the yellow bushes above timberline, discussing careers, family, and, of course, 14er climbs. We hiked up the easy grade to a saddle at 13,100 feet, and then followed the gentle slope up around the curving northeast ridge toward the summit. We had our first view of the magnificent San Juans off to the west at about 13,800 feet.
When we were about 100 feet from the summit Emily let me go ahead. There were a few tears in my eyes as I walked up those last few steps. I realized this was the completion of a great odyssey for me. After hundreds of miles of hiking, and hundreds of thousands of feet of elevation gain, I had achieved the final 14er! Emily and I hugged each other, and then looked around at the small summit. It was about 40 feet by 10 feet, with rounded edges sloping away, as opposed to the cliffy dropoffs I had seen on several other 14er summits this summer. I collected a few rock samples for souvenirs and looked around for a register to sign, but found none.
We had the summit all to ourselves for a few minutes before the New Mexico hikers arrived. We chatted with them for a little bit, and I told them that this was number 54 for me. They congratulated me, and we shared stories about a few of the 14ers.
As we lounged about on the summit, I reflected on the triumph of this exhilarating moment. It was an incredible feeling! It was so nice to be here with Emily, too. I told her I wanted to be with her on her 54th one, too.
It was remarkably pleasant on top. We didn’t even need to wear our coats. It was about 60 degrees with a slight breeze blowing, which is about as pleasant as it ever gets on top of a 14er. This was a sharp contrast to the chilly 30 degree conditions I had faced on Mt. Wilson and El Diente the weekend before. This was probably the finest weather I had ever seen on a September climb. It was the perfect day I had envisioned and hoped for.
The views from the summit were magnificent. We could see Uncompahgre Peak, Wetterhorn, and Mt. Sneffels off to the west, with stands of yellow aspens filling the valleys below. To the north and east we could see the Elk, Sawatch, and Sangre de Cristo ranges in the distance. Nearby were 13ers Stewart Peak and Organ Mountain.
We reluctantly left the summit at 1:45, after spending nearly an hour there. As we began our descent we met a girl coming up with two dogs. We stopped for Emily to rest her legs a couple of times as we rapidly descended back down to the stream crossing where we had stopped on our way up. We filtered more water there and rested for a while. Emily was still feeling ill, but we kept ourselves going with laughter and jokes all the way down the trail from there. Allie was becoming quite tired as well, but nonetheless still retrieved a few more sticks out of the beaver ponds.
A few clouds drifted across the sky as we made our way down the valley. At 5:20 we dragged ourselves back to the trailhead. It seemed like a rather long 12 mile hike. Fortunately my troublesome knee had not hurt all day, thanks to our slow pace and the lack of any steep terrain.
It was a beautiful drive back out of this remote area in the late afternoon sun, with the aspen trees glowing at the peak of their color. As we drove over the hills on the Highway 114 cutoff south of Gunnison we glimpsed some spectacular views of the distant Elk Range off to the north just before sunset. As we drove back over Monarch Pass my two companions fell asleep. Our tired dog was lying on her back asleep with her legs in the air, on a pillow beside Emily. Those two tired hikers sleeping together were quite a sight. We arrived home that evening about 10:30, after a very long day.
It was an immensely satisfying feeling to have completed my quest to climb all the 14ers. All of those hikes out in the grandeur of Nature had strengthened my lungs and my legs, as well as my mind and heart, and brought a deep peace and refreshment to my soul. It had been an incredible series of adventures that had taken me to magnificent places and many exhilarating mountain top experiences.
--"Wherever we go in the mountains, or indeed in any of God’s wild fields, we find more than we seek." --John Muir
