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This was my wife's first 14er of the year and my second. If you are looking for a remote mountain, San Luis is the peak for you. As we exhaust the 14ers closer to our home, this peak made us both see and appreciate the time and commitment it takes to complete the peaks that are not so close to home.
As you begin this hike, there are hundreds of beaver ponds. We saw two beavers on the way to camp. There were three good camping spots we saw. We camped about 2.1 miles in.
Below is one of the beavers we saw.
This beaver pond provided excellent fishing. As you can see, this is a nice brookie. I was getting hits on almost every cast. Not all the ponds had fish; there were even fewer the higher we got. I have the waypoint of this location if someone wants it. Just let me know.
Here is what I used (trout magnet).
I posted this picture for my wife; it is her favorite. The hike through the trees is very easy, and evidence of wildlife was all around.
As we left tree line, the hike was still very mild and the surroundings were beautiful.
Below you can see the hike to the saddle. This, in my opinion, was the hardest part of the hike. 1000ft vertical to the saddle.
At the top of the saddle, you now can see the peak. It really is not that bad of a hike from this point. But for me, once I get this close my adrenaline is pumping. The trail was clear of snow.
Looking to the east, the weather was beginning to build fast. The picture below was taken at 8:00am. I love the sun rays in this photo.
Looking up at the peak, you can see the weather building above us. This always helps to get you motivated.
Looking from the summit back down at the trail. My wife was happy to know I was at the top!
The weather did hold off while we were at the summit, and we got this great summit photo.
Coming off the summit, you could see the weather moving in on us. We never heard any thunder, and a few hikers were still coming up.
Looking back at the peak just reminds me how fast the weather can change up there.
On the way down we saw this porcupine crossing the trail. It was the biggest one I had ever seen, and it was comical to watch it waddling up the mountain.
The porcupine was a perfect end to our trip. I thought after watching him, I could change my name to mt_porcupine; but as slow as he was, he was still one step ahead of me. mt_turtle will have to do!
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Thanks for sharing. We were down there a week ago and agree, signs of wildlife were everywhere and even saw one of the beavers you mentioned. Too bad we didn‘t think to bring the fishing gear - hubbie would have loved that. Next time! We loved how uncrowded that area was and we will be back for some of the 13ers in the area.
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