These photos were taken on June 22th and 23th on a trip to hike San Luis peak in Colorado. Several people had cameras, and the photos are assembled here.

Here's the topo-map of the area with the the ``trails'' we hiked marked:

The green squares is a class 1 trail and is the one we should have taken if we actually wanted to reach San Luis. The blue squares is a class 2 trail, and the purple squares is a class 3 trail.

Being the brave souls we are, we thought we'd take the more difficult route that lets you hit three 13ers on the way (Class 2 and Class 3). As a group we headed south from the Willow Creek/Equity Mine trail-head, then west and north (Marked in red X's). We stopped at the first flat area for a water and food break, then pressed on to the first 13er in our planned route. At that point, Aaron, Eric, and Scott ran off to try and make the summit of San Luis (their trail marked in blue X's), while everyone else came to their senses and turned around (still red X's). The worst they had to do was a fairly steep descent to return to the trail head.

The three who kept going made a fatal mistake; they went too far to the south-west and down a sheer scree slope rather that finding the continental divide trail. We didn't actually realize this until we hit the creek at the bottom of the canyon, at which point we turned north to get back on track.

We climbed back up to the top of the first ridge, descended into a valley, and then back up another ridge. At this point, we were all tired and just wanted to get back to the green trail and get the heck off the mountain. It was getting late, and clouds were building. We descended again, found the trail, and started the death march back to the trail-head. Eventually we made it back... the timer on my watch read 8 hours and 21 minutes since we left the trail-head. Ouch.


Photos with names like:

This set of photos is of the whole group together


Cows on the way to San Luis

More cows on the way to San Luis

Landscape & mountains on the way to San Luis

My car and mountains just outside of Pagosa springs

A farm and mountains on the way to wolf creek pass

Trees (find-the-deer) on the way to wolf creek pass

Another of my car and mountains on the way to wolf creek pass

Getting out of cars at the trail head/equity mine

Getting out of cars at the trail head/equity mine

Akaela and her hat

First group photo

Aaron's copy of group photo.

(Panoramic) Mountain & scree by equity mine (trail head)

Group at the top of the first hill

At top of first hill, before 13er

Wu/Akaela & Scott at top of first hill

Overlooking drop at top of first hill

(Panoramic) Looking down at creek from top of first hill

Climbing up to 13er

Climbing up to 13er

A dandelion in the path

Eric watching his feet on the way to the 13er

Aaron and I almost at the top of the 13er

The ridges at the top

(Panoramic) From top of 13er.

The cairn at the top of the 13er

Looking down from the 13er

Looking down from the 13er

San Luis from the top of the 13er

This set of photos is just Aaron, Eric, and Scott as we split off to head to San Luis


Scree hill from bottom (looking up at 13er).

Scott on scree (heading toward first ridge)

Columbine on scree (looking back)

Looking back on way we'd come.

Down in the canyon, about to ascend first ridge (on the left).

Deer from top of 1st ridge, looking toward 2nd ridge

San Luis from top of 1st ridge. We're going that-a-way.

First Ridgeline.

Scott coming down 2nd ridge

Aaron and I in front of San Luis

Group photo in front of San Luis

San Luis Peak

(Panoramic) San Luis

(Movie) at base of San Luis

Scott, Aaron and Eric back at the trail head

(Movie) of us back at the trail head

This set of photos is everybody else who came to their senses and turned around to go back at the first 13er


Lunch at the 13er

Lunch at the 13er

Lunch at the 13er

Wu/Akaela at the 13er

Fengs at the 13er in front of San Luis

Josh/Gabby at the top of the 13er

Wu/Akaela coming down

Butterfly & daisy on the way down

Looking back up at the descent

Looking down at the descent

Looking back up at the steep descent

Looking back up at the descent

This set of photos is the re-united group, later that day


The final group photo.

Final group photo.

Apu, glad to be back.

Sunset after we finished

Sunset after we finished

Forest fires burning on the way home.

Smoke from the wildfires on the way home