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!!!]

Grays Peak

Yesterday Ryan and I completed our 3rd official 14er; Gray's Peak. Gray's Peak is the 9th highest mountain in Colorado at 14,270 feet, and is the highest point on the Continental Divide in the US.

We drove from Ryan's in south Denver and started hiking at about 8:15 (or 8:30?). We did the standard route, a YDS class 1, which is the easiest route we have attempted so far (proven by the two guys that actually jogged the entire way from I-70... sherpa training or masochists?). The trail starts around 11,200 ft and is 3.5 miles from the summit. There seemed to be three distinct sections, so I would divide the hike into thirds mentally. The first third is surprisingly flat and required very few stops to catch breath (mind the elevation though). The second third (above Steven's Gulch from about 12,800 ft to 13,400 ft) is steeper and (not that it's a race, but nobody likes a traffic jam) provides the chance to pass groups of 6, the elderly, or those in jeans and tennis shoes. The final third is switchbacks that allow you to keep a good pace and get to the summit without putting forth a tremendous effort.

At the rock tower around 13,400, a mountain goat walked right across the trail in front of me. I was surprised to see how much of its winter coat was still on (it is July, right?), and how much shorter the summer coat was.

At that point I also had to turn around to the North and take a few photos of Steven's Gulch below. It was very green and beautifully carved. In the photo below you can see the trail crossing from center to lower left. The second photo below is Torrey's Peak, Gray's neighbor to the northwest.

Beyond this point, the remaining 900 feet of elevation gain are the third section I referenced above. From the summit we could see other 14ers including Mt. Evans and Mt. Bierstadt, Pikes Peak (seen from all our 14ers so far), nearby Torreys Peak, and Mt. of the Holy Cross. In addition to loads of other mountains, we could also see Breckenridge and Keystone ski areas as well as Lake Dillon (upper left in summit photo below).

Mt. Evans (left) and Bierstadt (right) with Sawtooth in between:

Torrey's (look how many people are on the summit as well as the trail!):

This route was probably just as busy as Mt. Bierstadt, but was much cleaner and slightly more difficult to access (the guy in the Toyota Camry that made it to the trailhead would probably agree he should have borrowed his neighbor's high clearance SUV or parked 3 miles down just off I-70).

Once back on the road we headed east to Virgilio's for pizza, which Ryan had heard about. The food was great... I'll be going back there again! We then vegged out for about 3 hours (caught up on Man vs. Wild via DVR) and eventually made our way up to the Rockies game. Dodging lightning (slight exaggeration) as we stood in line to buy tickets (hmm... is this a good idea?), we left the stadium and grabbed a few beers during the rain delay (always a good idea). The game was a good one, and the home team won 6-3. All in all, it was another dreadful Saturday here in Colorado. If this keeps up, I just don't know what I'm going to do with myself... ;)