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Efforts to bag this peak on a previous trip Memorial Day weekend were thwarted by 6' high drifts at the entrance to the Elwood Pass road. Six weeks later, there was a stupendous difference in accessibility. A relatively quick drive down to South Fork on 285 had put me in a good position to get an early start so that Conejos Peak could be fit in for the day also. I made the mistake of taking County Road 14 west of Del Norte to get to Summitville, which probably ended up costing 45 minutes I could have saved by taking the road to Summitville from US 160 a few miles west of South Fork. I took the faster way out in any event. A nice sea of peaks greets the eye en route to Treasure Falls, where the "trailhead" begins. More common of late, I didn't bother reading the route, so was miffed a few times looking for a way to cross the creek. I got started at 6:50 am, hiking back to the vehicle to read up on it a little, then heading up a third of a mile to near the bend in the creek to the west. I gave up and waded across a shallower section sans shoes and socks. After this trouble, things went much more quickly. On the right, Summit Peak comes into view above the trees and willows. A few wet spots reminded me why there is a need to be careful where one steps while in running shoes.
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This was a great vantage to take in "The Unicorn" and Montezuma Peak, which would ordinarily be on the itinerary, being so close, were it not for priority to acquire the Conejos county highpoint later. A mile or so around to the south side of the peak on a decent trail and on to the Continental Divide trail gets to the more forgiving slopes as opposed to the rugged northeast face. There were interesting views of Point 12,887 and Snow Benchmark to the south. The grassy slopes were steep, and certainly had me huffing after getting about halfway up. There was a bewildered deer in the distance above, about 20' from the summit. Peering down the face from the ridge crest made it easy to appreciate the more gentle southern slopes. Just a morning stroll steadily toward the summit. I was surprised not to see the famed horse skull on top. Someone must have chucked it over the face. Oh well, county highpoint #58. A quick hike down made for a 2:44 round trip time. Now it was time to make the long drive over to Conejos Peak
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