I'm guessing it was 45-50 degrees in the shade; pretty chilly!
The trailhead was hugely busy even at 7:45 AM, with cars rolling in and lines at the restrooms. 14ers in July, what can you do?
Somehow I got a couple of shots without many people in them in spite of the crowds. But everyone seemed in good spirits, and it made for a very pleasant if crowded outing.
Probably due to the proximity to Denver, there were even quite a few runners up there. A really fast hiker passed us (while we were hiking), there was a friendly (i.e. talkative) hiker who was about as fast as us, and one runner who reminded me of AJW fast-hiking up from the Grays-Torreys saddle, who was killing it.
Not to trash the CrossFit crowd at all, but there was a guy doing a WOD on summit, lifting huge rocks and doing push-ups while being filmed by some woman. It's like you transported Jersey Shore to the top of a 14er. Meh.
Great day with funky clouds everywhere:
T got a photo of me that was good, unlike mine:
I left it up to her to decide which of her photos to post; you can see them here.
Lots of dogs up there. Seems like it would be tough on the paws, but most dogs appeared to be enjoying time outdoors with their people. Except maybe the dog with the shaky legs on the summit. Owner: do you not see that your dog's hind legs are shaking? You seemed oblivious. Poor doggie.
Grays from Torreys:
Looking... west? Wow.
Heading back to the car, the path was lined with fireweed:
There's a cool two-story building below the trailhead on the road, which is always worth a stop. I remember taking photos of it last time I was here:
Distance was 11.97 miles, time 5:03 (moving 3:30), elevation gain/loss 4,425 feet.
As you can see the weather was great, and it was fun to run again with T. A nice conclusion to a fun weekend.
