13039

RT Length:  7.81 miles

Elevation Gain:  2560’

While the Williams Group is a serious class 3 scramble, PT 13039 is an easy climb.  I just had a few hours this morning, so I decided to take a hike to the top to get a look at the terrain.  If you’re looking for a great class 2 13er in the Sawatch Range that’s straightforward and not crowded, try this one out! 

I started from the Lost Man Trailhead at 5am.  This trailhead has plenty of parking (but it fills up on weekends), and is the one located directly across from Lost Man Campground.  I just found out there’s a lower and upper Lost Man Trailhead.  This is the Lower Lost Man Trailhead.

At the trailhead sign I went left and followed Midway Trail.  It started out with willows that quickly changed to pine trees, then back to willows around treeline.  If it’s been raining in the past day or so, you’re going to get wet walking through those willows, but the trail is easy to follow.  There was also an abundance of wildflowers and I could hear the traffic from 82 below as I ascended.

Midway Trail is an easy-to-follow class 1 trail.  I followed it over a bridge.

And then turned left at this junction to stay on the Midway Trail for as long as I was on a trail.

The trail switchbacked up to 11500’ and then continued along the south side of the slope.

Just at about treeline I came to a small pond (11990’), and skirted it on the trail that goes to the right, following the trail up to 12100’

At 12100’ of elevation, just as the trail was starting to level out and after about 3 miles of hiking from the trailhead, I turned right and headed northeast up to the ridge of 13039.  This is choose your own adventure, and all class 2.  I did my best to avoid the willows and pine trees and aimed straight up the ridge, gaining about 850’ of elevation. Most of the rocky terrain can be avoided until you get to the top.

Once on the ridge it was a short, rocky, class 2 climb following the ridge west and then north to the summit.

I summited 13039 at 7:30am

13039:

Due to time constraints this was my only peak of the day, but here’s a view of some of the other peaks you can link with this climb to make it a long and challenging class 3+ day:

I turned and made this an out and back hike.  I followed the ridge back down the way I’d ascended.

Then I headed south/southwest down the slope back to the Midway Trail.

Back on Midway Trail I followed it around 3 miles back to the trailhead.

I made it back to my truck at 9am, making this a 7.81 mile hike with 2560’ of elevation gain in 4 hours.

On to the Western Slope to volunteer at a Girl Scout camp for a week!