Half Peak comes into view in the morning light.

• Peak: Half Peak – 13,848′
• Route: South Slopes via Cataract Gulch
• Distance: 14.5 miles
• Vertical Gain: 5,170′
• Route Track: strava.com/activities/3685629779
• Time: 4h 49m
• Climbers: Zambo, Josh Schmidt
• Date Climbed: Sunday, June 28, 2020

Half Peak Trail Run

After a very fun run of the two unnamed centennials behind Lake City two days prior, I was keen to try to get one more peak in before departing the area. But with an 11:00 AM checkout time and two families ready to head back to Denver, Josh and I knew we would have to be quick. Thankfully, we felt confident we had just enough time to sneak up and down Half Peak the morning of our departure.

Despite being one of the most fit people I know (not to mention the fastest hiker I know), Josh had never actually done any trail running. Despite this, he had graciously agreed to pace over the final 10 miles of the San Juan Solstice. But with the race cancelled, I figured this would be a good substitute. Not to mention the fact that I was very curious to see how he would do when you can’t push a little button to give you a mechanical advantage every time the going gets hard (bikers, man….)

Suffice it to say, this would be a good chance to break him in. 🙂

An early wake up and a bumpy ride to the Cataract Gulch Trailhead had us starting at 5:01 – exactly how we planned it. The early trail switch backed through the woods as the first few miles quickly ascended up the gulch. We weren’t able to jog much of this (thanks to the steepness), but less than an hour had us to treeline and ready to enjoy the remarkable upper basin.

Breaking the trees and crusin’ along.

Half Peak comes into view in the morning light.

I miss the stache already. 🙁

As I said, the upper basin was incredible. For roughly ~2 miles it stretches in a long, more or less flat series of meadows and small lakes. The sheer amount of terrain above 12k up here was impressive. But that’s the San Juans for ya, I suppose. The good news was, we were able to jog along at a nice clip through this section on both ends of the day, enjoying every step.

Tents set up on the shores of Cataract Lake. Not a bad place to camp out at all.

Rounding the shores of a high, unnamed lake in the upper basin.

We had given thought to ascending the Class 3/4 East Ridge route, but Josh noted the willows the night before. In person, they looked as heinous as they could possibly be. I know the route goes from Quarter Peak, but we simply didn’t have the time this day to add it on. Trying to do the ‘Roach Route’ (i.e. cutting directly across a half mile of willows to the East Ridge) did not sound like it would be fun. Or faster. We both agreed that this was one of the routes which ol’ Ger-Bear hadn’t actually climbed.

So, we opted to stick with the south slopes option instead, making a big looping ascent of the peak until we reached a nice shallow gully to ascend directly from the south.

The good news about sticking to the standard route was it allowed us to stay on the excellent trail. We continued to make great time as a result.

Looking back down our ascent gulley. All hiking terrain from here to the summit.

Just before cresting the south slopes and reaching Half Peak’s striking south ridge. The upper mountain had more than its fair share of ‘lunar’ sections.

In doing our homework for this peak, we knew that the south ridge was where all the action is. It did not disappoint.

As we crested the broad south slopes, we finally came into close view with the stunning ridgeline that led to the summit. At a glance, it looked pretty gnarly. But just as advertised, it went with minimal difficulties. It stayed class 2 the whole way…if you wanted it. Still, the exposure and surrounding terrain of Half’s summit was a spectacular feature. Cliffs hundreds of feet high guard the approach at just about every angle, except for the narrow ridge directly from the south. If somebody ever wanted to pluck a fortress on top of the expansive summit block, there would hardly be a better place to do it. I would support this effort.

The striking ridge finally comes into view. At a glance, I was worried this section would take some time. But looks are deceiving. We were able to blast across it and then on to the short finishing slopes beneath the true summit on the northwest corner.

Plenty of exposure if you want it. To me, this felt like it’d be a perfect place to take someone who might want a real sense of adventure without the commitment or dangers of other class 3/4 routes.

Freedom of the hills shot.

We reached the summit a bit after 2 1/2 hours – right on pace with where we needed to be. The day was pretty chilly and the winds were howling though (not to mention the clock was still ticking on our check-out times), so we got right down to business and only stayed for a few minutes.

Which was a real shame, since anything that is anything can be seen from the top of Half. we see you, Wemi.

Josh standing triumphant as Wetterhorn looks on. He got his whole family up this peak two days prior: two young kids, skeptical wife, 9 individual trips up and down the crux pitch and all!

I guess we forgot to take a summit selfie together. #socialdistancing

Heading back down via more lunar landscapes.

One last view of the ridge for the road.

After descending our gulley, and only one or two unfortunate run-ins with willow bogs, we hit the trail again, dumped some rocks out of shoes, and make ready to jog it home. As expected, Josh crushed his first ever alpine trail run. I guess I now have yet another partner who exceeds my abilities at all my favorite mountain hobbies….

I could spend all day up here.

Seriously…someone needs to build a LOTR castle up there. These billionaires have no vision.

The only other highlight on the way out was the lovely waterfall mid-way down the gulch. This one is almost worth the short hike in alone just to enjoy it.

We got back to the cars a bit under 5 hours; just enough time to get back to the Airbnb and load up the cars. All in all, an absolutely fantastic end to a great weekend on a really fun peak. I really look forward to coming back to this area again and again

Thanks for reading if you did – happy climbing!

Strava map of the day’s efforts.