I worked at Gardenswartz Sporting Goods in Durango the summer between graduating from college and starting law school. That summer I made probably 10 trips up to Silverton and then over Engineer Pass or Cinnamon Pass to Lake City and back, and each time I would admire some imposing mountains just off the highway: the Twilight Peaks. I planned on hiking them that summer but just never got around to it.
While I was in Durango, I convinced my uncle (who once had to spend a cold night on the side of North Twilight after getting cliffed out) to attempt the Twilight Peaks with me. We got up before first light and were at the trailhead and hiking by around 7 a.m. In a little less than three hours, we had covered the 5.5 miles to Crater Lake at the base of North Twilight Peak. From there we started bushwhacking up the mountainside until we reconnected with a light trail to the peak. We made it to the peak--or what we thought was the peak--when we realized we needed to walk along the ridge another couple hundred feet to a point that looked to be slightly higher than we were. While we were discussing how long it would take to do that and whether or not it was worth it in light of some incoming storms, we were jolted by a sudden crack of thunder. Down! We scurried off the summit/false summit as quickly as we could without plummeting off the face of the mountain . In our haste, we hurried past a herd of bighorn sheep without even noticing them.
By the time we reached Crater Lake, the rain had subsided some, so we spent a little time fishing and eating lunch before heading home. Maybe next time I quit my job I'll have enough time to hike all three of the Twilight Peaks.
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| Durango sunrise |
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| Andrews Lake |
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| Sunrise at the Andrews Lake Trailhead |
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| Engineer Mountain |
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| Entering the Weminuche Wilderness |
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| Potato Mountain with Durango Mountain Resort (Purgatory) in the distance |
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| Durango Mountain Resort in the distance |
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| Twilight Peak rising above Crater Lake |
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| Crater Lake |
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| Twilight Peak |
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| My uncle picks his way up toward Twilight Peak |
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| Looking north toward Silverton |
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| Crater Lake from the east ridge going up Twilight |
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| Storms approaching Twilight Peak |
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| Engineer Mountain beyond Twilight Peak |
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| Chicago Basin from Twilight Peak. I am hoping to take the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to the base of Chicago Basin later this summer. The train will let you off and pick you up a few days later. |
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| Crater Lake between two lines of storms |
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| Engineer Mountain |
