Pikes Peak

w*rking in Colorado Springs the last week of Winter kept me away from some fun hiking trips in the NorthEast - the bittersweet reward was being able to spend time in the Rockies

a weekend backpacking trip up Pikes Peak provided a great way to wrap up Winter

escaped w*rk fryday afternoon, cruised into Manitou Springs, parked at Barr Trail trailhead (6,600')

Barr Trail is the route of July's Pikes Peak Marathon - a 13-mile trail up to Pikes Peak summit ... most of the folks you meet on the trail are jogging, training for the Marathon (the record for the Marathon is just over two hours up, and about 3:15 round-trip)

had to remind myself that it was still "Winter" (March 19), as i packed my koflachs into my backpack and threw on my sneakers, to start up the dusty trail

made good time up many dusty switchbacks, fetching strange looks from joggers who weren't quite sure what to make of a guy carrying snowshoes and Winter gear

joggers disappeared after a few miles up the trail, as a bright sunset glowed over Pikes Peak

arrived at Barr Camp (10,200') shortly after nightfall, greeted the friendly caretakers, then settled in to the 20-person bunkhouse, which i had to myself:
http://www.barrcamp.com

woke up saturday, filled my two nalgene bottles, and started up Barr Trail towards the summit

snow grew deeper, but rarely post-holed ... plenty of rock-hopping near the larger snow patches ... i had hoped to rent some back-country skis out there but that would have been pointless

reached the A-Frame Timberline Shelter (~11,000') about three miles past Barr Camp ... admired fine views from the shelter before snoozing into midafternoon daydreams

woke up and had this weird feeling that i was waking from a nap in a Green Mountain lean-to ... a quick look up towards Pikes Peak summit reminded me of where i was

tried following Barr Trail up from there, occasionally inventing my own route, traversing the ravine towards the outlook over the grand cirque southeast of the summit - amazing (frightening) 1500'+ drop from the scree-littered outlook

spotted a bunch of marmot darting between rocky outcrops

reached the glacier near the summit and realized i was low on water ... two litres was not enough for this 12-mile hike, at these altitudes

side-stepped up the glacial snow and reached the summit (14,110'), where Katharine Lee Bates was inspired to write "America the Beautiful"

had the sunny warm summit to myself - happy to have reached this summit while it's cog railway and tool road were both closed for Winter

treked down to Barr Camp, where the crew had a scrumptious pasta dinner waiting - hit the spot, fighting off the dehyradation headache that had set in

treked down Barr Trail the following morning, enjoying a gorgeous day outdoors that was as much fun as summit day

cruised through Garden of the Gods sunday afternoon - great way to wrap up a fun-filled weekend and wave goodbye to Old Man Winter
http://community.webshots.com/user/armmon

http://www.barrcamp.com/barr_trail.html
http://www.ghosttownsoftware.com/page41.htm
http://www.gardenofgods.com

That sounds like a great trip! Did the caretakers at Barr Camp happen to mention if the snowpack was less than usual for this time of year? Temps out there look like they've been hovering in the mid 60's for the past couple weeks, I'm just wondering how much longer the snow will be sticking around. Thanks for the links.

ExploreTheEast said:

I'm just wondering how much longer the snow will be sticking around.

Click to expand...

There is still enough snow to posthole waist deep on Mount Elbert

Wow Arm, sounds like am awesome trip... glad you had a great time.

Nice! We missed you in Maine but I think I'd have done the same in your position!!!

wish i could have made it back in time for the Maine trip ... i'd choose Katahdin over Pikes Peak any day ... but couldn't fly back in time to ski into Baxter State Park saturday morning

the day hike we checked out in Lizard Head Wilderness last June blew away hiking Pikes Peak ... AMAZING scenery there, whether you reach a 14er or not

finally got around to posting pics from our San Juan Wilderness hike in Colorado (June 2003)
http://community.webshots.com/user/armhike

after checking out four fun days of incredible music at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, four of us decided to hike in Lizard Head Wilderness ... we set our sights on Lizard Head, unaware of how technical it's summit is (see info below)

we ended up going for an 8-mile day hike along Cross Mountain and Lizard Head Trails, summitting Black Face (12,147'), and were treated to amazing wildlife and mountain scenery


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Lizard Head, the peak (13,113 feet), stands spirelike on the eastern side of Lizard Head, the Wilderness, shadowed by both Mount Wilson and Wilson Peak, two of Colorado's fourteeners that incongruously bear the same name. Not far to the west, you'll find El Diente (or the tooth, in English), the westernmost of the state's 14,000-foot peaks. The province of more experienced climbers, Mount Wilson and El Diente are connected by a famous knife-edged ridge and considered difficult ascents. The summit of Lizard Head, a 400-foot-tall tower of rotten rock, has been voted Colorado's most dangerous and difficult climb by many mountaineers. Ascent is not recommended. Dolores Peak (13,290 feet) stands in the most western portion, just as the San Juan Mountains fade into the dry canyon country of the Colorado Plateau. Here you can stand in snow and look across heat-washed red-rock desertland.

Glad you got to enjoy solitude on the summit. I tried a winter ascent a couple of years ago, only to be turned back by high winds and deep snow. Last summer, I summited on Labor Day... it was a zoo on top. Still, the looks and questions I received from the tourons made it worthwhile.

Now to dream of those Barr Camp breakfasts and dinners... mmmmmm.

checked out some cool hikes in Colorado over the weekend ... posting info here for folks who might be heading there soon ... got an early start to avoid afternoon thunderstorms on both hikes

stayed at a friend's cabin in Alma after wrapping up a training course thursday ... Alma claims to be the highest town in the USA at 10,578' ... with a population of 200, Alma's Only Bar was the hot spot

picked Quandary Peak from Roach's CO 14ers Guide, a "relatively easy" local summit at 14,265'
http://www.14ers.com/photos/QuandaryPeak/p_quandarypeak.html

Quandary's Monte Cristo Trailhead has been relocated due to erosion on the old trail, which led through a mining area - new trail climbs through aspen groves until you break above treeline, then follows the ridge up to Quandary's summit

started solo, but found company as i hit the trail when Horton, a young golden retriever who lived closeby, joined me and stayed by my side up to the summit ... a short while later i met a guy from Atlanta who hiked with me and traded hiking tales the rest of the day

snowfields near the summit cone were windblown with packed footsteps, easily barebootable

carried ice axe and crampons but didn't need them - carried my water filter, but never crossed a stream - got a decent sunburn on a mild sunny day

spotted many wildflowers in beautiful meadows on our hike down, then grabbed dinner in Alma


took the next day off to cruise up through scenic canyons and visit friends in Boulder, one who was planning to hike Mt Audubon the next morning, to scout out local mountain passes for an upcoming backpacking trip

Mt Audubon (13,223') is in Indian Peaks Wilderness in Roosevelt National Forest, near Rocky Mountain National Park, surrounded by gorgeous mountain scenery
http://www.coloradowilderness.com/wildpages/indian.html

the trail up to Audubon's summit switchbacks up to treeline, then follows a ridge similar to the trail up Quandary before crossing a large snowfield, then weaves its way up the summit cone

we kept our eyes on local clouds, changing layers as blue skies, brief hail storms and snow flurries greeted us as we crossed the open ridge - thunder and lightning were distant enough that we decided to trek on

we spotted pikers, mink, many birds and wildflowers as we made our way up to the summit

strong summit winds chased us off the summit cone, enjoying a peaceful hike back to the car - we cruised through Nederland back to Boulder, spotting many rock climbers in the canyons on the way

stopped by Neptune Mountaineering, a climbing gear shop in Boulder, to check out lots of old school gear displayed on the walls, much of it from famous mountaineers
http://www.NeptuneMountaineering.com

stopped next door for Happy Hour at Southern Sun Pub - delicious burgers and $2 homebrew pints
http://www.MountainSunPub.com

posted a few pics here:
http://community.webshots.com/user/armhike

The Barr tr is a great trail, lots steady hiking but nothing that you would call "Steep" unless possibly the "16 Golden Stairs" at the top. WAY too many switch backs.

I spent 3 1/2 year at Ft Carson and got to climb it three times. One time with my Engr Co. THAT had to be the strangest hike I ever been on. There was about 50 of us sleeping at and around the Timberline shelter.