James Peak

   For 2012, I set a goal of climbing 10 mountains above 12,000ft. On Saturday, Nick and I climbed our first one of the year, James Peak (13,294ft), which is just outside of Idaho Springs. We started at about 10,000ft and hiked up an old service road to St. Mary's Glacier. The glacier was rather steep, but the snow was firm, making it relatively easy for us to climb equipped with some yaktrax. Once we reached the top of the glacier, we were completely above treeline. There were beautiful vistas in every direction from the alpine tundra.

 We continued across the plateau and headed towards James Peak. We encountered several large snowfields, but had no trouble traversing them. We decided to take the steep and more direct route up to the summit. Besides, a telemark skier or two, we were completely alone. There was a thin layer of clouds covering the sun. It was a little gusty, which made it a bit chilly. I'd be lying if I said my calves and butt weren't burning on the last stretch up to the summit, but the hardest task of climbing a mountain is overcoming your self-doubt. It is important to set small goals when hiking up, and to not focus on the top.

   We made it to the top, a four mile trip, in about 3 hours. Strangely enough, the wind seemed to die down and the sun began to peek out of the clouds once we reached the summit. We took a short break before heading back down, and we enjoyed our lunch with some incredible views. 

 

   After the sun came out, the snowfields that we traveled up were becoming slushy. We stuck to the established trail for a large portion of the way down, where the snow was mostly avoidable. However, we definitely took the opportunity to do a bit of running, frolicking, and sliding down a few of the snowfields. This was actually easier and way more fun than climbing down the rocky scree with fatigued and weak, jello-legs.  

  We reached the glacier again around 1pm, and there were tons of people around the lake.  This part of the trip made me anxious, as I much preferred the peaceful and solitary experience we had at above 11,000ft. It took us 1.5 hours to get down, and we enjoyed a celebratory beer at the trailhead before heading back to Denver.

   Overall, it was a beautiful and almost perfect day in the high country. Not a storm cloud in sight and plenty of opportunities for great photos. I felt really good on the climb up and pretty confident. I am noticeably in much better shape than last year, which I attribute to my dedication to hiking and snowshoeing all throughout the Fall, Winter, and Spring. Now, I find myself extremely eager to climb another peak. There really is no better high than conquering, yet deeply respecting, a huge mountain.

Grays Peak

     Last Tuesday, Nick and I climbed Grays Peak (14, 270ft). We left Denver at 4:30am. Rain was predicted to begin around 9am, so we were hoping to at least summit by then. We arrived at the trailhead at 5:45am and found both of our packs soaking wet. My water bladder had leaked almost all 3 liters on the drive up. After the initial surprise, we decided to press on. Nick had a full 3 liter bladder, and I had some Gatorade as well. It was cloudy as we began, but the clouds were breaking as the sun rose over the mountains.

      The first mile of trail through Steven's Gulch was relatively flat. A small creek raged nearby and there seemed to be an endless amount of wildflowers, including Columbines.

     We began our ascent and soon realized we were surrounded by Pikas. We could hearing their squeaking all around us and saw countless scurrying around the talus.

    The weather continued to improve as the trail became increasingly steep. 

    At around 13,000ft, I really started feeling the altitude. Nick was doing great, especially for hit first 14er. I was feeling a bit light headed and dizzy, so we took a break until I was feeling better. The last stretch to the top was by far the steepest, but we continued on. It was sunny and relatively clear when we reached the summit with very little wind. We stopped for a break, took pictures, and ate lunch.

Torreys Peak was only a short distance away, but we were both exhausted and some gray clouds were headed our way. We decided one 14er was enough for that day.

      We took our time on the descent. Walking across the talus field was rather difficult going down. I fell once and rolled my ankle a few times. By the time we reached the flat part of the trail, it began to sprinkle a bit. However, it did not take long before we reached the trailhead. Overall, the hike took us 6 hours. In the parking lot, we ran into 4 ladies we had met on the trail and at the summit. They offered us a little wine and some strawberries, and we stayed and chatted with them for awhile. Nick was a champ on his first 14er. He is an excellent hiker. Now, he's hooked on High Country hikes too.