Mt Peck (12,208)  by Brian Schultz    Monday   July 23, 2012  

Roundtrip mileage: 2 miles

Elevation gain: 765'

Start to finish: 1 hour 5 minutes

I was looking for a nice easy peak to climb on the way to meeting Tim Briese and Mark Silas in the San Juans. They don't get much easier than this one. From Monarch Pass, I drove the narrow and steep road to the top of the ski area, the same road I walked last year when I climbed Monarch Ridge South. I turned right (south) at the junction and drove down to the junction of the Continental Divide trail and parked. It's a steep road for a car but it was dry, had it been muddy I would've parked up higher and walked down.

Several runners and bikers from the Continental Divide trail turned onto the road and continued south on it as I was getting my pack ready. I set a bearing for Mt Peck and started up the grassy slopes at 9:25 AM. The slopes were straightforward and easy and I arrived on top at 10:00. I hiked around the large summit to all the highpoints before descending and arrived back at the car at 10:30. This was a fun, little climb and left me more than enough time to get out to the San Juans.

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