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Hoosier Ridge has more ups and downs than an afternoon Quickie, and is far less satisfying.
This was a 'checkmark' hike to get these peaks off the 13ers list. I wasn't sure what to expect, and ended up not caring for the hike. BUT it was good to be out because my other plans got changed due to the high winds, 40-50 mph gusts, predicted over most of the state's 14ers. There was wind on the Ridge all afternoon, but not too bad. I actually wore ear plugs to keep the noise down.
The day was sunny and I was able to sleep in for an 'early' 11:30 a.m. start.
How about this for math...
11,550 FT TH Elevation
13,352 FT Hoosier Ridge Elevation
1,802 FT of Elevation Gain?
Nope... 3,000 FT of total Elevation... meaning there is 1,198 feet of extra Up-and-Down along the ridge.
Now toss in the traverse to Red Mountain and Red Peak and the Elevation goes up to by at least 800 feet, plus a couple up and downs.
It is nine miles in-and-out to Hoosier Ridge. It's about 1.4 miles to Red Mountain, and 1.4 miles to Red Peak, but only 2.6 miles for a traverse to both if you cut across the north side of Hoosier.
I lost count of the highs and lows. The return trip was the worst of it, because I wasn't sure just how many more ups there were before I could drop off the ridge and head toward the TH.
This is a great time to tell you, and myself, do your research about your trip before you go, not after. Like I said earlier, I wasn't sure what to expect, because I didn't really look at the route description. I knew to go to Hoosier Pass, park and walk across the street and turn left. I'd seen the Ridge from Quandary and the other peaks, but never really studied it.
The best part of this hike were the views of the Mosquito and Tenmile Ranges.
Times:
11:25, TH
12:10, (45m) start of ridge
12:40, (1hr, 15m) turn off to Silver Heels
1:40, (2hr, 15m) Hoosier Ridge Summit
2:15, (2hr, 50m) Red Mountain
3:00, (3hr, 35m) Red Peak
3:30, (4hr, 5 m) back at Hoosier Ridge Summit
4:25, (5hr) back at Silver Heels turn off
4:55, (5 hr, 30m) end of ridge
5:25, (6hr) TH
View to the West: Bross and Lincoln on the left. View to the West: Mosquito and Tenmile Ranges View of the Ridge Silverheels
You can skip all the Up and Downs of this ridge and hike Silverheels from the South. Check out that TR. View of the Ridge View of Red Mountain View to the West: Mosquito and Tenmile Ranges View of Red Peak and Hoosier Ridge from Red Mtn Red Peak from Red Mtn Looking back at the north slope of Hoosier Ridge as I came from Red Mtn to Red Peak Heading to Red Peak Interesting rock wall formation on the way to Red Peak Hoosier Ridge and Red Mountain from Red Peak
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
This is a surprisingly underrated day at altitude.
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