Colony Baldy (13,705) by Brian Schultz Friday July 16, 2010
Roundtrip mileage: ~12.5 miles from Horn Creek trailhead
Elevation gain: 4,700' (plus an extra 500' regain for me)
I took advantage of the favorable forecast to sleep in a bit before driving from Walsenburg to Westcliffe. Climbing West Spanish Peak yesterday, a cinch for most Colorado climbers, was an effort after driving straight in from the flatlands of the midwest.
I pulled into the Horn Creek Ranch at 7:45 AM and was on the Horn Creek trail at 7:55. Weather conditions were ideal today- warm and sunny- and I quickly reached the Rainbow Trail a half mile later. I followed the excellent Rainbow Trail to the Macey Lakes trail junction, which took an hour and twenty minutes, but instead of turning up to Macey Lakes I continued on the Rainbow trail past the bridge a short distance. My intent was to save some mileage by going up the forested northeast ridge rather than up to Macey Lakes. My climbing partner Tim Briese did Colony Baldy this way three years ago and reported it to be a great way to do the climb.
I left the trail approximately 3/10ths of a mile after the bridge and started up through the trees on the lower ridge. There is a faint hit-and-miss trail in the woods, which I missed on the ascent, but it really isn't needed. I just kept a west/southwest bearing and did come across the trail leading out of the woods to the grassy slopes below Colony Baldy's east ridge. The grassy slopes were steep, but easy, and when I reached the upper ridge I turned left and followed gentle terrain over several false summits to the summit. I stepped on top at 12:30.
With such nice weather I stayed over a half hour enjoying the remarkable views of the Crestones, Mt Adams, and many other peaks. The peak register was placed in 2002 and had only five signers so far this year. I began my descent at 1:05 thinking I'd be back at my car at 4:30 at the very latest, but I didn't pay close attention once I hit the woods. Somehow I got turned around and when I descended to 11,100 ft, nothing made sense. It took a while to realize I was on the Macey Creek side of the ridge and my inclination was to just continue to Macey Creek and catch the trail from there. Nice idea but vertical cliffs stopped me cold and I had to backtrack and regain the ridge. That was 500 feet that my tired body didn't need but I managed to get back on route and down to the Rainbow Trail.
Unfortunately, I'd be late for a 6:00 dinner with Pete Krzanowsky in Westcliffe and he'd surely be wondering what happened to me. I finally made it out at 6:35, called Pete, and drove the short distance to Westcliffe. We met at the R's Restaurant in Silver Cliff and it was great seeing Pete again after climbing with him two years ago. Also at the restaurant were Adam McFarren and his friend Helen, and Kevin Baker. It was a cozy gathering of Fourteenerworld members.
Despite getting mixed up on the descent I recommend this route on Colony Baldy. It's a mileage saver, especially as a dayhike, and the difficulty is no harder than class 2.
Trailhead to summit- 4 hours 35 minutes
Summit to trailhead- 5 hours 30 minutes
Start to finish- 10 hours 10 minutes