Huron Peak (2)/Browns Peak

Statistics

Date - 07/07/2026
Elevation - 14,003'/13,523'
Route - Northwest Slopes/South Ridge
Miles - 6.0
Elevation Gain - 3,623'
ACME Mapper - Link
CalTopo - Link
Partners - Dean Severson, Isaiah Severson

Description

Dean is a high school friend of mine that reached out several months ago and was interested in coming to Colorado for a father/son trip as Isaiah is entering his senior year of high school. We quickly figured out logistics and were set for them to visit in early July. As the date approached, we continued to finalize plans and decided to attempt a 14er in the Collegiate Peaks of central Colorado. I chose Huron Peak rather than hiking a Front Range 14er because it would allow them to see a bit more of Colorado, it still had reasonable statistics, and it is the 20th anniversary of me completing the 14ers on Huron Peak.

Dean and Isaiah flew into Denver, Colorado, late Sunday evening and we visited briefly before getting a good night's sleep. The following morning we had a light breakfast, packed up, and were on the road to Buena Vista, Colorado. I stopped at Red Rocks near Morrison, Colorado, so I could show them the concert amphitheater and then we headed south on Highway 285. I thought it would be fun to drive over Mosquito Pass from Alma, Colorado, to Leadville, Colorado; however, the terrain became too challenging at 12,500' on the north side of London Mountain and we had to turn around. Later research revealed that most people drive this route from west to east.

We backtracked to Fairplay, Colorado, made our way to Buena Vista, Colorado, via the highway and then checked into our dumpy motel. We had Mexican food, watched some World Cup Soccer, and then retired for the evening. The night went fine until around 4:00 am when the power went out in the county, our fan turned off, and the room filled with smoke from the Willow Fire north of town. As a result, we started our day somewhat earlier than planned and drove north to the Clear Creek Reservoir.

Sadly, the reservoir is extremely low for early July. A low snow pack this past winter has resulted in very dry conditions throughout Colorado and very high fire danger. Nevertheless, as we continued west towards Winfield, Colorado, the smoke began to clear and we became more optimistic about the day. We did a bit more four-wheeling to get to the Lake Ann/Huron Peak Trailhead and were hiking by 7:15 am. Given the Seversons were coming from Minnesota, we kept a casual pace from the start due to the dramatic change in altitude for them, and the first 1,000' went very well.

After a short break, the next 800' also went fairly quickly and we soon found ourselves at a small tairn at 12,300'. The plan was to knock out the next 700' to get to 13,000' and then take the last 1,000' in small chunks to reach the summit. Unfortunately, this is when Isaiah began to struggle a bit and was questioning why we were even on the mountain. He had to dig deep and persevere, but after some heavy hydration he began to get a second wind and feel much better around 13,200'. Isaiah later commented that he was "going through it" and just needed to regroup and work through the difficulty.

Despite Isaiah's remarkable recovery, this is when Dean took a bit of a turn and started feeling a little poorly. Nonetheless, he also worked his way out of the pain cave and we reached the summit of Huron Peak at 11:15 am. It was a great accomplishment for the father/son duo, and it was a bit nostalgic for me to return to the 14er I finished on 20 years later. We saw a mountain goat, celebrated our ascent, and hydrated and snacked for the hike out.

Upon returning to the top of the switchbacks at 13,400' on the northwest slopes, I briefly parted ways with Dean and Isaiah so I could scamper north and also tag Browns Peak. It was a quick side trip, and I caught back up to them at the tairn at 12,300' after they had descended the standard trail. We dropped a couple hundred feet when I realized I forgot my trekking pole and had to return to the small pond and retrieve it. At this point, Dean began to learn the meaning of type 2 fun as he continued to slightly struggle with a small headache due to the elevation. Even so, we all made it back to the trailhead safely and without incident to enjoy a much needed Gatorade.

The drive back to Buena Vista, Colorado, was bumpy and annoying due to the condition of County Road 390, but we finally made it to our hotel where a shower and more water revived us quickly. We enjoyed a filling meal and beer at Eddyline Brewing Company before returning back to Denver, Colorado. Dean and Isaiah enjoyed the adventure and indicated they would certainly do it again with a bit more hydration and acclimatization beforehand to reduce the nausea and make the climb more pleasant.

Photos