Colorado 2011 Day 6: Grays and Torreys peaks

Day 6: Grays Peak (14,270) and Torreys Peak (14,267)

           

Miles hiked: 8.3

It’s really easy to get all the information you need to hike Colorado’s 54 14ers. (Of course, hiking them is a bit trickier.) There’s a website, 14ers.com, that was built by a dot.com millionaire and has turned into the official source for hike descriptions, pictures, maps, and forums about everything from the most difficult routes, to parking updates, to the ethics of sharing water on the trail, to organizing group hikes.

The site breaks down the 14ers into four categories: Easiest, moderate, more difficult and very difficult. There are 37 peaks in the first two categories, whose trails are mostly considered Class 1 or 2 hiking, meaning they have established trails to their peaks.

Grays Peak (14,270) and Torreys Peak (14,267) are in the easiest category. They also happen to be the closest peaks to Boulder besides Longs Peak, which is in the More Difficult category (we weren’t tackling that!).

So I wasn’t too worried about being able to handle an 8.25-mile hike, even though I would be climbing 1,000 feet higher than I’ve ever been. Eliot had never climbed anything close to a 14er, but he was ready for the challenge, too.

As it turned out, the scariest moment of the trip came on the drive to the trailhead. From descriptions and updates on 14ers.com, we knew there was a 3-mile drive up a pretty rough dirt road to the base of the trail. Sedans vehicles with low bases were not encouraged to make the drive, especially considering there was a huge pothole or crevice in the road about half way up.

From all accounts, though, trucks, SUVs and even Subarus had been just fine. When we reached the spot, it did look pretty intimidating, but Eliot accelerated over its right side and steadied the Lexus. We were safe.

Everything from there was a piece of cake.

We knew from reading the website, word of mouth, and “Halfway to Heaven” that especially on 14ers, it’s not a good idea to be on the severely exposed peaks in the afternoon. So after waking at 5 to make the drive, we were on the trail at 7:37 a.m.

Our goal was to be off the second summit and having hiked 4.5 miles by noon.

With the trailhead at about 11,200 feet and the sun just beginning to warm the trail, it was 43 degrees when we set out. I immediately put my pants and fleece on. It was just warm enough hiking to stick with the baseball cap instead of the winter hat, but I kept it in my Camelbak’s outside pocket.

It was windy, but not too fierce — maybe blowing at 15-20 mph — which made for a pleasant ascent.

From the hike’s outset, the surrounding scenery was astounding. To our left loomed a long, horizontal red-clay wall of rock that provided a cool, canyon-like feel as we began to walk on a wide, well-marked rock path. Just ahead of us to the right rose a triangular, verdant ridge that we would make sure to include in all our pictures looking down from the mountains.

By the half-mile mark, as we passed a few slower groups, Grays and Torreys appeared directly before us in the distance, Gray’s rounded top to the left, the mile-long saddle dropping 500 feet and then climbing another 500 to Torreys’ pointy, rocky summit.

Torreys looked much taller even though it’s the shorter peak. I surmised this was because it was closer. It wasn’t until we reached Torreys’ summit that we gained a perspective demonstrating Grays’ miniscule height advantage.

We had read reports of hundreds of people making the hike on weekends, and I was wondering if we’d be immersed in crowds for the majority of the hike. Doing it on a Friday, though, definitely made a difference, and while we were never entirely alone on the trail, we had separation from the other small groups and dogs making the ascent.

The first couple miles were pretty moderate, as we headed straight at the saddle between the two peaks. Then we began the true ascent of Grays, turning to the left and following several long switchbacks slowly up the mountain.

I made the comment to Eliot that I felt I was getting closer to Grays’ summit a lot quicker than I had come within Audubon’s the previous day.

However, we weren’t going to gain the top easily. Every minute or so, I stopped momentarily to catch my breath. We were getting up there. The air was getting thinner.

And while the switchbacks were nice in making the slope of the trail more moderate, they also made it way longer, as we zigzagged our way up the talus slope.

But then, kind of suddenly, I noticed that only one switchback above us, a person was sitting next to a sign. And I shouted to Eliot, “We’re almost there, man!” I don’t like to joke around when it comes to gaining summits — we really were on the brink of our first 14er.

A minute, and a few deep breaths, later, we were standing on top of Grays Peak, 14,270 feet, scribbling our names on the official summit scroll, a notebook of paper tucked into a tube tied to a rock by a cable.

We were on the peak of a Colorado 14er, not to mention the tallest point on the U.S. portion of the Continental Divide.

Despite the relative ease of the hike, the accomplishment and the feeling couldn’t be diminished. It was pretty damn cool. It wasn’t too windy, either, and, amazingly, I hadn’t made a single change to my outfit the entire hike and felt comfortable.

Perfect day.

Still, we were well aware of how quickly a white, puffy cloud could turn into a dark, ominous one, so we didn’t linger long. After the obligatory photo shoot, we scooted down the loose rock saddle with Torreys Peak on our minds.

The approach up Torreys was completely different from the trail up Grays. It was direct. It was mostly straight. And it was steep.

We enjoyed the change. While the going was difficult and the breaths were short, before we could say “No. 2!,” we were standing on top of our second 14er. It wasn’t yet 11:30.

We rested for over 20 minutes, we took photos, and we admired the view of the zigzagging trail up Grays and were able to retrace our route almost all the way to its starting point.

The view to the distance, of course, was as spectacular as we expected and stretched for hundreds of miles. We could make out Longs Peak way to the north. Other 14ers in the Front Range, including Mt. Bierstadt and Mt. Evans, loomed nearby. I wished I had a map, but because of the tremendously detailed description on 14ers.com and an already dwindling budget, I didn’t have one for the area.

As noon crept up on us, we knew it was time to descend the saddle then take a left on a path that connected to the Grays trail well below its summit. For all we knew, a thunderstorm could be imminent.

Apparently, others hiking the mountain(s) had no idea, because as we descended, we passed several groups heading in the opposite direction who probably still had more than an hour of hiking to reach either summit. We saw people with just T-shirts and short. We saw others in regular sneakers.

In the right conditions — as was the case on that particular day — they were fine. But the scene demonstrated to me why, most likely, a lot of accidents happen among Colorado’s highest peaks. At its easiest, Grays and Torreys is a hike anyone can do in just about any clothing with minimal supplies.

At its worst, however, things could be drastically different. Unfortunately, for many people, this isn’t realized until they’re caught in the storm.

As for the descent, it was one we simply didn’t want to end. The sun was shining, the summits were framed perfectly in front of a partly cloudy sky with small patches of crystal-clear blue peaking through. The trail was gouged between two of the coolest, most picturesque ridges you’ll ever see.

We stopped at a stream a few hundred yards above the trailhead and soaked our feet in ice-cold water (our guess: about 50 degrees). I could only take it for about a minute. Then, finally, we hiked down the final stretch, completing the hike at 2:17 p.m. — 6 hours and 40 minutes after beginning it — and hopped in the Lexus for the most difficult part of the trip Part II.

All in all, it was a memorable day. As I learned, you don’t need any crazy experiences, any animal sightings, and definitely not any thunder to make these hikes one of a kind.

Simply hiking a 14er, or two, on a sunny, perfect day is recipe for pure bliss.

Two down. Only 54 to go!

I’ll be back, Colorado, I’ll be back.

Colorado 2011 Day 5: Mt. Audubon

Day 5: Mt. Audubon (13,233 feet), Long Lake, Indian Peaks Wilderness

Miles hiked: 8.0

As of Wednesday afternoon, I wasn’t sure of my Thursday hiking plan. I knew I wanted to visit the Indian Peaks Wilderness, an area due west of Boulder that features a series of high-elevation lakes surrounded by jagged, rocky mountains. I just wasn’t certain of how much I wanted to hike.

The reason? Eliot and I had Friday pegged as 14er day. We had cemented our plan to hike Grays and Torreys peaks, two of Colorado’s 54 tallest peaks.

Did I want to take things easy the day before and just hike the flat 2 miles into Lake Isabelle, which, supposedly, provides incredible views of the peaks towering above its waters?

Or should I be more ambitious and hike up Mt. Audubon, which at 13,233 feet would be mark my highest point achieved hiking to date — just taller than Yosemite’s Mount Dana, which I ascended at the beginning of July.

By Wednesday evening, my mind was made up. I can’t recall exactly what influenced me to do the more ambitious, taxing climb, but I’m pretty sure it was a combination of my realization during Wednesday’s Boulder hike that the end result makes every hike worth doing and continually being inspired by “Halfway to Heaven.”

Whatever the reason, I got up early Thursday morning excited to visit a new area of Colorado’s vast wilderness, ready to embark on a new adventure.

The winding, hilly drive took me less than an hour, and pretty soon I was out of the Lexus SUV, past the sign warning of recent mountain lion activity, and on a series of switchbacks at the base of Audubon.

From the hike’s beginning, the wind made its presence felt, and when I emerged from the trees a mere mile into the trek, I didn’t waste much time before layering up.

My journey was spread out before me like a satellite map. I faced a long, winding, gradual ascent on a rocky path to reach the north side of the mountain, from where I would, as my book described, climb steeply to gain the exposed summit.

I’ve always felt that it’s easier to do a hike when out in the open with visibility, however on this particular hike, the mountain didn’t seem to be getting closer despite my efforts. My pace was slowed, a bit, by biting 40-50 mph winds that were gusting at me. And with the high elevation, breathing was more difficult.

Still, it was impossible not to enjoy the scenery. Against the backdrop of clear skies, dozens of snow-crested peaks, including Longs Peak highlighting Rocky Mountain National Park, spread out to the north and northwest.

Then, moving left, there was the rounded Audubon.

And just to the southwest of my destination were the jagged, pointy mountains that highlighted the Indian Peaks Wilderness.

Eventually I reached the northern side of the summit cone and then slowly climbed steeply over rocks of all sizes, following cairns, to gain the summit. The wind hadn’t died down at all, but on top there were little rock dugouts that were perfect for sitting in to gain relief from the gusts.

I spent a half hour on the summit, admiring the expansive views, eating a typically delicious mountain lunch of cheese and rice crackers, and chatting with a hiker, probably in his 60s, who did most of the talking (I wasn’t stopping him).

The friendly fellow gave me a breakdown of the 14ers, told me that Grays Peak — one of Friday’s summits — was his favorite 14er, and, generally, exuded a tremendous enthusiasm for the mountains that I found was the case with almost all the hikers I met on this trip.

When I told him Grays and Torreys peaks would be my first 14ers, he asked me how long I was in the area for, and said that since I had a day after that hike, I should go knock off one or two more on Saturday!

While that wasn’t in the plans, I appreciated and admired the man’s ambition. Colorado is just swarming with outdoors enthusiasts who extend the limits of what flatlanders like myself think the body is capable of accomplishing. It’s refreshing to be around such people.

For the skies being clear, I was a bit surprised I only saw the man and one other hiking party on the mountain. But I wasn’t complaining. It’s pretty special to have such an incredible place basically all to yourself.

After a quick descent, I visited Long Lake in the afternoon, soaking my feet in the ice-cold water, observing some fly fisherman, and staring out at the pointy peaks in the distance. It was the ideal way to unwind from the hike, refresh the legs, and get prepared for the biggest hiking day.

14ers day.