Peaks Climbed: Rio Grande Pyramid, "Fools Pyramid", UN 13261 & Simpson Mountain

Peak Heights: 13,821' / 13,278' / 13,261' / 12,904'

Route: Std Route

Difficulty: Class 2

Location: San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Trailhead: Thirtymile

Mileage & Gain: 20 mi & 6,200 ft

Date Climbed: January 19, 2018

Rio Grande Pyramid lies in the remote Weminuche Wilderness and is accessed from near Rio Grande Reservoir an hour outside of the small town of Creede. The twenty mile round trip encourages many hikers to climb this peak as part of an overnight excursion.

I took advantage of the drought conditions in the area to sneak in a winter ascent from the summer trailhead in a single day. The snow was more of a hindrance below treeline than I expected and snowshoes were necessary on both the way up and down, but I managed the round trip in 14 1/2 hours.