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Peak(s):  Redcloud Peak  -  14,037 feet
Sunshine Peak  -  14,004 feet
Date Posted:  06/26/2007
Date Climbed:   06/25/2007
Author:  Big Tex
 How not to go down in the snow!!   

Well yesterday I started out for Redcloud and Sunshine at about 5:30am and loved the ridge going up to Redcloud. It is like one of those pictures you see in magazines. I reached the summit alone and saw no one the entire climb and no one on the top. Actually when I finished I saw one car at the Silver Creek/ Grizzly Gulch trailhead. It really was an awesome experience. I reached the summit at about 8:45am taking my sweet time. Then I headed over to Sunshine. About an hour later I reached that summit. (The register‘s cap was broken on the peak and the register paper inside was gone.) There I sat for about an hour with not one sign of anyone. It was an enlightening experience going solo for the first time and seeing no one the entire trip.

Now for the reports namesake. I decided to head down through the South Fork of the Silver Creek. It looked like a great route to take and I could finally get to use my new crampons. It looked like I could just walk about a mile on the snow and ice and reach the trailhead where the snow turned to creek. I was wrong!! I didn‘t see the cliff I had to climb and I didn‘t judge the steepness of the ice correctly. It was a terriable time, I ripped my hand up climbing on the cliff, slid on the ice at one point falling on a rock bruising me, at the bottom the ice was turning into deep snow (I was waist deep at times). All in all when it was all done and I made it to the trail I was bleeding, bruised and limping, and in a surprisingly good mood. I felt like it was a Charlie Chaplin movie or National Lampoon movie (for the younger crowd). I made it back to the car in 7 hours 30 mins. counting the time on the top.

This was alot of fun but I will learn from my mistakes for more fun next time I climb. I would have pictures but I‘m poor and have to get my pics developed when I‘m done with my disposable camera. One day I‘ll have digital.



Comments or Questions
Big Tex
User
Clear on the northeast side
7/2/2007 5:54am
It was clear of snow for the most part on the northeast side. There was some but I just walked around it.


kangell
User
Snow on the standard route?
11/30/2010 5:20pm
You talked about the troubles coming down the alternate route. What is the snow like on the northeast ridge ant the traverse from Redcloud to Sunshine? I am planning on climbing Thursday and don't really want to get bogged down in the white stuff.

Kevin



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