REDCLOUD PEAK & SUNSHINE Peak
Summit reached on July 05, 2025
about a four minute read
Summer of 2023, My mom and I drove to Hinsdale County, Colorado, driving through Cinnamon Pass leading to CO 30 Rd, stopping just shy of the Silver Creek Trail—where I would’ve begun my hike to Sunshine Peak. The condition of the road full of giant rock-pebbles, while driving in the night caused such uneasiness between my mom and I, that I decided to park on the side of the road for the night. I woke up early that morning and it was chilly and there was gentle rain, eliminating any motivation to start the hike. Daylight hit and we continued our drive through the rocky roads, eventually realizing the start of the trail (Silver Creek Trailhead) was probably less than a mile away. We decided to see if the road would somehow connect to Ouray, Colorado [which it didn’t], ending up all the way to the American Basin Trailhead.
Two years later, the opportunity to return and start let alone finish the climb was on. The etched thought of the missed trailhead was on my mind for two long years.
Last time I summited a Colorado 14er mountain, I was a second crew-member, a conductor assisting an operator of a train. This time, I move trains through the alignment—an operator—from Denver to Thorton and back. The diplomacy of being a conductor has ceased. Now I am the technical expert on maintaining the departure schedules along seven different stations, monitoring up to 21 cab signals with indications that may primarily be a red light or green light, and clearing platforms for passengers to safely enter and exit these steel carriers. However, trapped in the cab while operating the train, I still daydream about those hikes up a mountaintop.
07-03-2025
0800: Grabbed Rental Car from Enterprise
0830: Grabbed Food for Trip
0910-1715: RTD Matinee Block 1 shift
07-04-2025
0420-1145: RTD AM block 3 shift
1245: Start drive from Wynkoop St, Denver, CO
1521: Driving through Buena Vista
1820: Arriving at Lake City, CO
1830: Driving through Cinnamon Pass
1915: Arrived at Silver Creek Trailhead (From Denver 6 ½ HRS)
2015: Rest
07-05-2025
0045: Start Hike on Silver Creek Trail
0130-0330: Lost from trail
0547: Sunrise (Missed Opportunity on Peak)
0800: Reached Redcloud Peak 7 hrs and 15 mins
0945: Reached Sunshine Peak 9 hrs
1337: Arrived point where I was lost
1500: End Hike at Silver Creek Trailhead 14 hrs and 15 mins
1530-2100: Drive from Trail to Denver, CO 5 ½ hrs
2230: Finished Returning Car, showered and in bed by this time
ENERGY SPENT
Hiking Toll
12.2 miles (hiking from base to summit) roundtrip
Start at 10,400 ft and end at 14,004 ft
Total gain in elevation: 3,601 ft
Financial list
Rental: $380.27 ($403.11 deposit returned)
Gas: $54.01
Groceries: $53.74
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Total Spending: $488.02
Time Consumed
12 hrs (Denver to Lake City) roundtrip
14.25 hrs - 12.25 miles (hiking from base to summit and back)
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26 hrs and 15 mins of activity (hiking and driving)
RESOURCES
About Route to Peak: 14ers.com