This past December, at the start of my last winter break, I struck out for a summit attempt of Horseshoe Mountain. This peak is aptly named for its horseshoe-like curvature and can be seen rising high above the South Park Basin, just southwest of Fairplay. It’s Colorado’s 72^nd-largest ranked mountain, standing proud at 13,898 feet. Back in December, the deep blanket of snow that covered the landscape prohibited me from locating the turnoff to the Silver Horseshoe Drive.

Not finding this turnoff prevented any notion of summit success; I spent the evening hiking along the Fourmile Creek Road up to the mining ruins below Mt. Sherman. Even without a summit, this excursion would have been another fun hike had my car not gotten stuck in the snow on my way back, later resulting in a wheel popping off.

It was time to settle the score, this time with no snow obscuring the way! We arrived at the trailhead just as the sun began to shed morning light onto the Leavick Mine.

My Subaru could have easily made it higher, but we were up for the challenge of a little additional mileage and elevation gain. With me I had my friend Sydney, who was stopping by Denver on her way to grad school in California. With the morning air quickly warming, we departed from the Leavick site and began walking uphill. The turnoff to the Silver Horseshoe Drive was obvious without the occlusion; I had suspected in December that this was the way to Horseshoe, but underneath several feet of snow, it had appeared to lead no further than a private property.

We quickly broached timberline and followed the road towards the Leavick Tarn. As the road wound circuitously around Horseshoe Mountain’s east slopes, we eventually stumbled across some amazing views of the peak.

The way was apparent enough, despite there being many offshoot roads and social trails. The air thinned as we ascended, and though I was panting, I certainly felt like I was in better condition than I had last week.

We passed by several mining ruins—vestiges of Colorado’s prospecting past—including the Peerless mine, and were soon on the saddle between Peerless Mountain and Horseshoe.

At the saddle, we admired the view of the towering Sawatch Range to our west. The unmistakable shape of Mt. Massive helped me to identify many of the peaks that nudged at the heavens. Beyond the saddle, the trail sloped gently to the summit of Horseshoe.

We soaked in majestic views of the surrounding peaks and relaxed for what felt like the first time in several hours. After snacks and photos, we gathered our belongings to head down.

Back at the saddle, we quickly detoured to check out the summit of Peerless Mountain. Its southeast slopes held an expanse of steep, perfectly glissade-able snow. In my 400-foot slide, I probably picked up the fastest velocity I’d ever experienced on my rear. Again! I yelled like a twelve-year-old, climbing back up just to slide back down. After the fun, we followed the mess of roads and social trails back down.

Conversing as we were, it didn’t seem long before we were back to timberline, then back to Fourmile road, and subsequently to my car.

At my Subaru, Horseshoe Mountain loomed overhead to our southwest, a beacon of our successful morning endeavors.

Until next time, my friends, stay adventurous!