Double the Pleasure

Recently something my native Colorado blood called out to me and I felt compelled to hike some of the 53 peaks in Colorado over 14,000 ft. Heeding the call, I helped organize a non-sanctioned event yesterday to assault Gray's Peak and the neighboring Torreys Peak, some of the easiest hikes on the list. Here is a brief run-down of how it went:

• 7:10 AM - Arrived last at the trail head. Shawn, Mark and Paul greet me with smiles and tell me we'll have to double-time it to catch up with the others.
• 5 minutes later I am winded and wondering what I've gotten myself into.
• 15 minutes later I meet up with the rest of the pack consisting of Kevin, Bryce, Jake (the Juggernaut) and Jared. (FYI - I don't do full names on my blog).
• Shortly after hiking with the entire group, I realize I'm the weakest link and will be happy to reach the summit with them.
• I gravitate to the back of the pack and take in some of the gorgeous scenery. Lord of the Rings music echoes in my mental ipod.
• 10:30 AM - We reach the summit of Gray's Peak (14,270 ft.) to follow the journey, click on this link: http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/qpick.php?parmpeak=9 and go to routes. The views are remarkable. Regrettably, I did not stand on the rocks, fling my arms into the air and scream: "DRAAAAAGOOOOOOO!!!"
• Succumbing to peer pressure (or provoking it), I decide to go down about 1,000 ft and tackle the neighboring Torreys Peak (14,267 ft.). This ascent is more direct and taxing since the body is ready to keep going down.
• Around 11:30 AM we achieve the summit of Torreys and relax a bit. I chatted with a gentleman who has done all but six of the 53 14er's. He tells me these were his first two peaks when he started years ago and he was out of shape just like me.
• Descending to the saddle of the two peaks, we find a slushy snow field to get back to the main trail. One bad slip and its onto the human cheese grater of rocks below. (Of course, I'm crazy enough to get a photo in the middle of this.)
• Blessed with shock absorbers for knees, I bound down the trail and arrive back at the trail head around 1:40 PM.

This hike is very crowded but I didn't find that to be annoying. If anything, I enjoyed the universal feel of camaraderie among people working at a similar goal. I was stunned at the number of dogs on the trail. Ultra Sweat-proof SPF 70 still earns you a sunburn at 14,000 ft. The following link gives some more details about 14er's in Colorado: http://climbing.about.com/od/mountainclimbing/a/Fourteeners1.htm

Going up I was wondering what I'd done to myself and coming down I was thinking about which one to take on next. Perhaps the lack of oxygen and heavy breathing made me temporarily insane. But here I am the day after wanting to do more. If you would like to get involved in the next mission, shoot me an email. Until next time, happy trails to you, until we meet again.