| After El Diente the previous day, I thought it would be a good idea to hike something a little easier Sunday morning. Leon Peak was direct on the way home if driving to I-70, which I did not on the way down to El Diente (285 is almost 2 hours faster). After a good night's rest in Delta, I started the drive up Grand Mesa at 6:15 a.m. The drive was enjoyable and didn't take too long. The road out to the Johnson Weir campground wasn't that great though once off of Hwy 65. The hike started out with snow from the onset after ascending the short trail north above the reservoir. The snow was solid, so it wasn't a post-holing adventure, and I made my way around to the first lake rather quickly. My blisters from the previous day were feeling OK, and I was sure I wouldn't have to turn around because of them. As I passed the last lake, the lower flanks of Leon Peak were visible in the background (photo on right). | |
| I followed the trail around the lake to a depression that drains into the lake. Out of the trees at around 10,600', a long talus hike was revealed. The route had trail (though snow-covered) almost the entire distance to the talus. Therefore, i would not consider this route to have any real "bushwhacking". I would also hesitate to call the boulder scrambling "brutal" as Mitchler and Covill state, but it was probably a good idea to mention it for the novice hiker to be aware that this isn't like driving to the top of Pikes Peak. Repetitive steps yielded the first saddle, and a quick descent down a mini-snowfield marked the beginning of the last couple hundred feet of ascent. Picking through the talus and balancing was not too much of a chore, and was a good bit of fun. |
| The view was impressive from the fire lookout, with many dark blue lakes spanning the Mesa top and below. I reached the marker after an hour from starting. This highpoint has actually seen a decent amount of traffic compared to others - I was the 7th visitor this year. The hike out was pleasant for the reputation I was expecting to be upheld. This would be a nice area to return to for fishing or other activities. |
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