Grays Peak / Torreys Peak

The morning after my hike to Rollins Pass, I woke up at 3:30am with an aching knee.  Hopefully it wouldn't be too bad, as Laura and I planned to climb two 14ers on our way to camp with her parents in southern Colorado.  We left Boulder at 4:00 in the morning and drove west on I-70 towards the Continental Divide and the Grays Peak trailhead.

Everything was going well until we got stuck halfway up the steep dirt road to the trailhead at 5:30 in the morning, in the dark...!  Did I mention there were 5 cars behind us (this is apparently a very popular hike) that precluded us from just rolling back to a wide spot in the road?!  After a tense few minutes and some much needed help, we left the car at a good spot, and began walking up the road.  Thankfully my knee felt better the further I walked.  After 1.5 miles and quite a few 4WD's and Subaru's passing us, we reached the trailhead as the sun was rising.  Soon after, we were greeted by this view of Grays (left) and Torreys (right).

With less than a mile separating them, you can see why people climb both mountains at the same time.  This would be our highest elevation attained to date: Grays is 14,270 and Torreys is a few feet shorter at 14,267 (even though it appears taller and more impressive from this viewpoint).  Grays also has the distinction of being the highest peak situated on the Continental Divide.

We began to ascend the steep ridge of Grays Peak about an hour after we left the trailhead.  A group of hikers coming down from a sunrise climb informed us there was a mountain goat ahead.  Excited, we came around a bend and met this guy happily munching some grass:

He was not at all frightened by us, and I had to wait a few minutes while he chomped on his breakfast before I was able to get any good pictures.  We had never seen a mountain goat before, and had done this hike, in part, because this area is well known for seeing them.  He still had some of his winter coat, and was looking quite "shaggedy."  Content with our first goat sighting, we were very surprised to see at least half a dozen more a short while later. 

There was at least one kid (that's really what you call a baby goat) amongst what were probably all nannies (female goats).  And yes, males are known as billies.  We were both quite enthralled with the goats, though a more experienced mountaineer we met found them much less appealing, especially when they poke their heads in his tent in the middle of the night!!  I told him I would be quite pleased to experience that at least once!

We made good time up Grays Peak; even with the extra road walking, we passed many people on foot that had passed us in their cars.  Here is a view near the summit looking down the valley we had just climbed up from:

There was shade in the valleys for a long time, as they were narrow and the high mountains blocked the sun until late morning.  Once on top, some other hikers informed us of a promotion to get a free sandwich at a local sub shop.  If you bring in a photo of yourself on top of 14er holding their sandwich bag, you get a free sub!!!  This was almost as good as seeing goats!!!

Needless to say, we took a lot of photos.  Hopefully I'll be eating free subs for awhile!!

After a short break, we headed down towards the saddle and our next 14er.

Once atop Torreys Peak, we took more photos, including a few without the sub bag.  I was very excited to wear my new 2011 Unnatural Selection softball shirt that our friend Anna had sent us from Massachusetts.  I had gotten it earlier in the week, and had to wait a few excruciating days before I could break it in at 14,000 feet.  I tried hard to wear it the rest of the weekend, though Laura finally won out on Sunday morning.

On the way down we saw a couple of billy goats right next to the trail.

It's really amazing watching them climb.  I was also surprised at how little vegetation there was at the higher elevations they were feeding at.

We passed tons of people on the way back down.  Though this combo hike is easier than Longs Peak, thankfully there weren't quite as many people (though the crowds were pretty substantial for a Friday morning).  This is one of the problems with climbing 14ers.  There are a lot of people that want to climb them and the easiest ones have good trails and heavy usage.  We should get more solitude (and difficulty) tomorrow on our sub-14,000 foot Mummy Mania traverse.  Halfway down, we stopped for a break at this nice view of Torreys Peak:

There were a lot of pikas on the lower sections of the trail and we watched them for quite a bit.

Laura had good eyes, and spotted this guy gathering hay.  Further down the wildflowers were really spectacular.  Here is the last view of Grays Peak before it disappeared out of view:

After an uneventful walk back to our car, we headed towards the Interstate and a 4+ hour drive to South Fork and a rendezvous with Laura's parents.

Rollins Pass

Ever since we moved to Colorado and I began reading about Rollins Pass, I've wanted to hike up and explore the surrounding area.  Rollins Pass, a natural low point on the Continental Divide, was named after John Rollins who built a toll wagon road over the pass in the 1870's.  By 1904, the Denver, Northwestern and Pacific Railway had laid rails over the 11,660 foot high pass, making it (I believe) the highest standard gauge railroad in the US.  In 1928 the Moffat Tunnel opened, effectively closing Rollins Pass.  On the east side of the pass, the old railroad grade is now a 4WD road as far as Needles Eye Tunnel where it has been blocked off and permanently closed.  Last Thursday I drove to the east portal of the 6.2 mile long Moffat Tunnel, and hiked into the James Peak Wilderness bound for Rollins Pass.

A four mile hike through the woods on the Forest Lakes Trail would bring me to the 4WD road, just below treeline.  It was a perfect morning when I reached the first lake, as the Continental Divide was reflected in the calm waters.  As I got close to the bank a trout darted away, startled by my approach and in fear (I'm sure) of my fishing prowess.

A little further up the trail and closer to the mountains, I passed the second Forest Lake.

Soon afterwards, I passed the wilderness boundary and the trail ended at the old railroad grade.  Luckily a short distance later, a large snowdrift was still blocking the road, so no ATV's or 4x4's could pass.  I had a great view of Needles Eye Tunnel and Jenny Lake as I followed the old railroad grade up the mountainside.

As I got above treeline, I saw the first of many skittish marmots living near the old roadbed.  This guy was making sure I wasn't really hunting him:

As I walked along I heard many "whistle pigs" (as marmots are sometimes called) alerting others to my presence.  Quite a few darted across the roadbed in front of me and into the safety of their dens.  While walking through a rock cut, an unseen marmot whistled at me, causing me great fright as the shrill call echoed off the rocks and left quite a ringing in my ears.

I finally reached Needles Eye Tunnel and climbed above it.  Here is the view from the tunnel, looking down at Jenny Lake, the old railroad grade, and James Peak in the far distance:

Past the tunnel, you can keep following the old railroad grade to the abandoned Devils Slide Trestles.  Many years ago, you could still drive a car through the tunnel and across these bridges.

I finally reached Rollins Pass, also known as Corona Pass (Spanish for crown), a short while later.  Apparently the small settlement that once existed on top was known as Corona because it was supposedly the "crown of the world."  I took a shorter route back, cutting across the mountain instead of following the winding road.  While considerably shorter in mileage, it was of course, more strenuous.  After 14 or 15 miles of hiking, I got back to the car exhausted and headed home to Boulder.  Once I got back, I couldn't find the sandwich I was so looking forward to in the fridge; I later learned Laura had eaten it after I left.  D'oh!!!

Fall River Road - Part 2

Though the clouds were beginning to build up, it was still a beautiful sunny day on the summit of Mt. Chiquita.  I had a much needed snack and water break while contemplating my next move.  As I finished eating, I noticed a handsome marmot perched nearby.

As I made my way towards this majestic fatty, I almost stepped on a closer marmot I hadn't even noticed.

Scanning the ground around me, I saw 5 marmots within a 10 foot radius!!!  And they all seemed to be quite friendly; none of them were the least bit concerned with my presence.

As I made my way around the gentle summit of Mt. Chiquita, it became quite clear that there were a lot of marmots up here.

Mt. Ypsilon would have to wait; there were a lot of photos to take.

This guy was doing some serious relaxin':

At one point this marmot walked right up to me:

He got within about a foot of me, and after I scared him away briefly, he returned for a second visit.

I easily saw more marmots on this one summit than I'd ever seen in an entire day of hiking.  I literally took hundreds of photos, and even after editing them down, I considered titling this post "100 Photos of Marmots."

Eventually I decided I needed to head back, since I still wanted to climb Mt. Chapin and hopefully see some more pikas.  Even this proved difficult, as I kept passing marmots, and as long as the light was good, I wanted to keep shooting.

On the way down I saw six marmots at once, though they were within a slightly larger radius than the earlier five (within ten feet).

This marmot was enjoying the magnificent vistas of the Colorado Rockies:

Despite being a shorter and easier climb, there was no one on Mt. Chapin.  I passed a number of people on the trail to Chiquita, most likely enthralled with its 13er status (Chapin is not as tall), and perhaps just following the more obvious trail as I had.  Chapin provided a surprising bit of solitude and, as hoped, more pikas!!

Clouds filled the sky as I descended from Mt. Chapin, and I wouldn't see the sun for the rest of the hike.  After passing the guard marmot at treeline again, I made a side trip to photograph this tarn as the storms moved in:

After a few photos, I hustled down the trail to my car, as the thunder was rumbling in the distance.  Back to Boulder and a rendezvous with Darrell (our farmer) for some organic veggies; another day, another adventure.

Fall River Road - Part 1

Fall River Road was the original road through RMNP, linking Estes Park on the east side of the park with Grand Lake on the west.  It was replaced by Trail Ridge Road in 1932, and is now a one-way single-lane dirt road that climbs west from Sheep Lakes to the Alpine Visitor Center, where it reconnects with the paved Trail Ridge Road.  It had just opened for the (quite short) season when I drove it this past Wednesday.  My first stop was Chasm Falls, which is conveniently located right off the road.

Further up the road, I evaded this furry toll collector with some deft street-racing moves in Laura's '95 Geo Prizm.

At Chapin Pass, I decided to embark on an impromptu hike up to the tundra, which, quickly evolved into a climb of Mt. Chapin and Mt. Chiquita.  At a switchback in the trail, I met this marmot standing guard near treeline.

To my surprise, the upper slopes of Mt. Chapin were full of pikas!!

For those who don't know, pikas are lagomorphs; they are most closely related to rabbits and hares, which constitute the other family (Leporidae) within the order Lagomorpha.  They are not rodents.  Pikas live above treeline in boulder fields and talus slopes near suitable vegetation for feeding.  Since they do not hibernate, they must harvest grasses and flowers which, they then dry and store as hay for the winter months.

After approaching this pika, he sounded the alarm: a distinctive high pitched sound that marmots also listen for to help warn them of danger.  The next pika I saw (below) was very well camouflaged.

This was definitely the best pika viewing since we moved to Colorado.  I've had a hard time shooting them, as they are small and fast, and unlike marmots, they don't seem to like posing much.  Today was much better; I even saw one transporting a big wad of grass and flowers in its mouth, but unfortunately, I was unable to get a picture.

I decided to climb the higher and further Mt. Chiquita first, as I didn't see a good trail leading up to the summit of Chapin, plus the path I was on was leading me in that direction anyway.  Here is a view of Chiquita from the south:

At 13,069 feet, Chiquita is the shortest 13er in the park, and also the easiest to climb (via the Chapin Pass route I was on).  It's only a little over 2,000 feet of elevation gain and about 3 miles to the summit.  As I climbed the more gentle west side of the mountain, the abundant pikas began to disappear, replaced by their high mountain brethern: marmots!!

This guy was straight chillin' near the summit:

Once at the summit, Mt. Ypsilon looked tantalizingly close.  This is part of the route we hope to hike in a couple of weeks called "Mummy Mania" or "Mummy Kill."  It's a one way traverse which involves 6 (or more) summits in the Mummy Range.

I had already made good time up Chiquita, and Ypsilon (at 13,514 feet) didn't seem that far away.  What could possibly stop me from adding another summit to this totally unplanned hike...?