Two 14ers, ski resorts, and Miami alum

On August 4th, Ryan and I left his apartment at 6:15 to pick up Joe (one of Ryan's co-workers) and head to 14,267' ft Torrey's Peak. Torrey's was our 5th 14er of the summer, and is just a half mile north of Grays Peak, which we were already familiar with. We started from the same trailhead we used for Grays Peak, so there were no surprises except the weather. I decided to wear shorts this time since I figured it was August and late enough in the year to at least be 60 degrees on the summit. I was wrong. This was probably the worst weather we have hiked a 14er in so far, which I believe helped keep the crowd to 'tolerable', but I knew I was going to pay for deciding on shorts.

The hike past the Grays/Torreys saddle is probably the steepest finish we've done so far, and the actual summit is extremely small (like Huron was) with some significant exposure not far from it. Despite the constant shivering while we sat and admired the view, it was one of the more rewarding for me. Here is Joe, Ryan and I (right to left) on Torrey's Peak.

Notice the clouds in the background. When this picture was taken it was probably 40 degrees and windy with low visibility. Here are some other examples of looking across or down on the cloud cover:

(Looking towards Grays)
When we got back down to the saddle between Grays and Torreys we decided to go ahead to Grays since it would only add about 30 minutes to our adventure. Ryan and I had already hiked Grays earlier this summer, but it was fun to do both in one day! We didn't even take a picture on Grays since we were still fogged in... but it was at least 10 degrees warmer on Grays with the wind slowing down.

All in all, I started out somewhat poorly, but kept pace with Ryan (he hikes at 11000 ft faster than I walk normally at 6000 ft) about as well as can be expected and feel that I put forth a pretty solid effort. My lungs and heart certainly appreciated the workout.

After we made it down to the Jeep we took Loveland Pass past A-Basin to Keystone for the Bluegrass and Beer festival. I had never been over Loveland Pass or seen either A-Basin or Keystone, so the ride there was fun enough for me. The festival was also really fun (and easily 40 degrees warmer than the summit of Torreys). I think next year we'll try to get a campsight and make a 2 day effort out of the festival! We ate dinner in the Salt Creek restaurant in Breckenridge. Note to ex-Texans: this is without a doubt the closest to Central Texas BBQ you'll get without being within Austin city limits. I will be going back after a long day of skiing! Salt Creek also has a huge wine selection, so it's a perfect date dinner location (assuming you have a significant other... I suppose I need to work on that one).

The next afternoon Ryan and I joined the Colorado chapter of the Miami Alumni Association for lunch to send off Denver area freshman to Oxford, Ohio for the fall. I have to say this made me quite sentimental. I have great memories from Miami and definitely want to get back to see the ol' Alma Mater soon. It was nice to swap stories with others who, even if the experience was quite different, at least recognized the draw of Miami, could talk about locations and had a solid context around Miami conversations. I'm looking forward to the CU vs Miami football game in a few weeks! [I can't believe college football is just around the corner, and I'm drooling right now just thinking about it. I'll have a new Ohio State watching bar to attend, and have season tickets to the CU Buffaloes home games, so this should be an interesting year. I sure don't want to wish away the rest of the summer, but LETS GO BUCKS!!!]