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Aug 13, 2023 — An relaxed morning with friends meant a late start for Handies Peak, generally a big no-no for being at 14,000 feet during monsoon season. This 14er has eluded me for too long, so I figured I'd risk this summer's particularly volatile weather. A shorter hike from the American Basin Trailhead was tempting, but it requires a bunch more driving. I preferred to save the additional drive time and hike from the closer Grizzly Gulch Trailhead instead. In hindsight I think this was the right choice, since the hike has great views the entire way to Handies Peak and the additional distance ultimately took me less time than the drive would have. You'll need some clearance to reach either trailhead, and the drive is harrowing at some points because this crowded dirt road is full of people swerving around turns too quickly, plus there's a significant cliff adjacent to the slowly eroding road. The Grizzly Gulch Trailhead is next to the Silver Creek Trailhead, the standard route to nearby 14ers Redcloud and Sunshine, so despite the remoteness of these peaks there will likely be a crowd attracted to this pocket of coveted Colorado summits.
I set out along the Grizzly Gulch Trail, a really well-maintained hike that gains elevation modestly. The forested setting is nice, and the view back toward the mountains is excellent even right from the start of the hike. After emerging above tree line, I got a glimpse of Handies Peak ahead. Somehow there were still bright wildflowers blooming along the trail, so despite my urgency to reach the summit I took a minute to enjoy them. It was really lovely up Grizzly Gulch, but sort of felt a bit too short. The trail curved north and started toward the northern ridge of Handies Peak. Since the ridge above undulates a bit, the trail was built instead to parallels it below by using a steep, grassy slope. There's a short section of talus, but the route is popular enough that a well-graded path leads right through it.
A few steep switchbacks brought me to the ridge, where a dangerous-looking cloud loomed directly overhead. It seemed small enough that I shouldn't worry about it yet, so I continued south toward the summit even though I started getting rained on. I pressed my heart to nearly exploding, desperate to reach the summit because peakbagging is a sickness and I need therapy. Still no lightning, at least. The crest becomes steeper here, and years of human erosion has created a web of social trails up the thick scree/talus. I think I manged to stick to the most well-traveled, which did include some light Class 2. A short jaunt along the crest led me to a final Class 2 move and the summit of Handies Peak. The views were pretty spectacular, but the sky was getting nasty. I stared longingly at Whitecross Mountain, a 13er just to the north, but since I'd already gotten rained on and the cloud seemed to be growing, I didn't want to press my already extremely good luck by continuing to a second peak.
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Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!