Stewart Peak
26 August
2007
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Trip Report
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Stewart Peak (13,983')
Date: 26 August 2007
Climbers: Roy Donehower and Dave Gibson
Trailhead: Cebolla Trailhead (Los Pinos Creek)
Roundtrip distance: 7.6 miles
Elevation gain: 2483'
Round trip time: 5 hours, 33 minutes
After climbing Points 13,832 and 13,811 and stopping by the Tic Toc Cafe in Lake City, Roy and I checked out the Slumgullion earth flow and it's cool twisted trees from a roadside pull off. At Slumgullion Pass we left the pavement and began the 56-mile trek east on dirt roads. Roy and I had driven much of this stretch in July 2002 on our way to and from San Luis Peak. We followed the driving directions in Gerry Roach's Colorado's Thirteeners. Just when I thought we had gone too far or had missed a turn, we reached the Los Pinos Creek/Cebolla Trail trailhead after 28.7 miles from Slumgullion Pass. There were no good camping options right at the trailhead. However, we found a convenient and comfortable spot just off a logging road spur a short walk west of the trailhead.
After a good night's sleep, we awoke, had a quick breakfast, and started hiking from the trailhead at 6:20 am. Not far up the trail we were treated to a spectacular sunrise. On the well-established Cebolla trail we quickly crossed the Los Pinos Creek and reached a huge field of willows where the trees abruptly ended. The path through the willows was well-marked by large wooden posts place every few hundred feet. At a large rock cairn above most of the willows, we left the trail and headed toward a long east-west ridge that formed the north slopes of Baldy Chato. Once atop this ridge it was a short hike to the gentle summit of Baldy Chato.
On Baldy Chato, we had a clear view of the remainder of our route to the summit of Stewart. The route forward required descending about 200 feet and then contouring high around the large drainage between Stewart and Baldy Chato. Nearly all of this gentle Class 1 route was on soft grassy slopes. The slopes were covered with grass hoppers and many wild flowers. We reached Stewart's summit at 9:15 am after 3 hours and 15 minutes of hiking. The summit, just short of 14,000 feet, provided beautiful views of the surrounding summits including San Luis to the south. The lack of any people or manmade structures within our view served as a reminder of Stewart's remoteness.
After enjoying the summit for half an hour, we largely retraced our route back down to the trailhead. We reached the trailhead at 11:53 after 5 hours and 33 minutes of hiking. From the trailhead, we drove 27.2 miles northeast on dirt roads before reaching pavement at State Route 114. On SR114 I enjoyed the very scenic views while driving north through the Cochetopa Canyon. Despite being a very easy hike, I really enjoyed the beauty and remoteness of this route on Stewart.