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.:Getting to the trailhead:. From Denver, head west past Idaho Springs and Georgetown. About 5 miles before Loveland Pass & the Eisenhower Tunnel is the Bakerville exit (exit 221). This is about 50 miles from the west end of Denver. Take the Bakerville exit and turn left over I-70. The dirt road immediately in front of you takes you to Stevens Gulch. The dirt road is usually a little bumpy, and the road condition can vary depending on the year and usage. Best to use a 4x4 or high-clearance 2wd. Also, the last ~1.5 miles along the road before the trailhead are private property. The trailhead parking is obvious and spacious, and includes bathroom facilities! .:The trail:. Grays (and Torreys) are popular climbs in part because of the excellent trails that have been established. From the trailhead, cross the creek on the well-built bridge and continue south along the wide trail. There are a couple switchbacks in the first mile, and then further south into the basin on the north side of Grays and east of Torreys. The trail for Grays winds obviously up the north slopes of the mountain, with signs and cairns to guide the way to the summit. In winter conditions, the summer trail is often lost once the climb up Grays' north slopes begin, but you can pretty much pick a line to your liking, aiming for the summit.
.:Trip Report:. Everyone knows the famous answer to the question of why climb a mountain...because it's there, right? Well, this time around, the answer is "to get ready to go climb another mountain". I'm headed to Washington State in a few weeks for a climb of Mount Rainier. At 14,411' it's not any higher than some of the 14ers in Colorado, but what makes Rainier a challenge is that it's covered by a massive system of glaciers...something we don't get very much of here in Colorado (it's a climate thing). The climb takes 4 days altogether, and involves slow and careful travel, and of course camping...which means the ability to haul a heavy load on the climb. Since almost all of my 14er jaunts here in Colorado have been day-trip events, and it's been a couple years since I really did some heavy pack hauling, I figured a training hike was in order, and Grays was the target. Since I was going to be hauling 70~80 pounds on my back, I certainly didn't want to try it on a 14er I haven't climbed yet, and the proximity to Denver meant a relatively short drive...plus I know the trail and conditions well enough to feel comfortable taking my dogs (Ben and Dex) along for the hike All that said, I packed up my Arc-Teryx Bora with about 80 pounds of gear (tent, sleeping bag, clothes, water, etc), grabbed trekking poles and ice axe, loaded up the dogs, and took off from Littleton early on this summer Sunday. Driving west on I-70, I became a little concerned as the morning weather closed in around me at Genessee, and I was in thick fog and light rain until almost Georgetown! Luckily, the skies cleared abruptly and I was looking at a bright sunny morning. The drive from Littleton took just about 90 minutes, and by 6:30 I was headed up the trail, which takes off to the south over a well-built bridge...trust me, you really can't miss it....and if you're there on a summer weekend like I was, you'll also notice the throngs of people...this is probably the most popular 14er trail in the state, and on any given weekend day, chances are you'll encounter dozens if not a few hundred folks on the same path as you, so be prepared for that! The climb itself is very straightforward....follow the main trail all the way to Grays summit....it starts out climbing briskly, levels out for a while, then gradually switchbacks up Grays' north face to the summit. Be sure to notice where the main trail has been cut - over the years a number of secondary trails have sprung up, and great pains have been taken to establish one main trail. Chances are also good that you'll encounter mountain goats in the last mile, as I did. There is a herd of 'em that live up there, and they often come out to check out the people and pose for photos. I had a tight reign on my dogs (a couple of overly happy labradors who just want to be friends with everyone) as we approached a few individual goats snacking on the high-altitude plant life by the trail. Luckily, we passed without incident! Another bonus was the amount of snow still present above treeline...lots of it! The trail is still covered by snow in some stretches (easy to navigate through, though) and there were at least two parties making direct-line ascents up the basin between Grays and Torreys. I finally made the summit after three hours...really not too bad considering the load I was carrying. It was about an hour longer than my last ascent (I think I had a Camelbak and that was it), but I was still pretty happy with it. I had intended on hopping over to Torreys as well, but the rapidly gathering clouds (even at 9:30 in the morning) made me think twice, so I decided it was time to head back. Time for the fun! Among the other things I'd packed were my winter shell pants and gaiters, as I had every intention of glissading down if conditions looked good - and they did! After a brief downclimb from the top, I made my way over the rocks to the edge of the main snowfield, encouraging the dogs along the way (they're not used to rock-hopping like this). Donning the aforementioned gear, I secured my pack and did an experimental slide of about 10 feet, then turned to see if the labs would follow. They'd never quite experienced something like this before, so I wasn't sure if they'd follow me or be too tentative. They got the idea pretty quick and were right behind me, scrambling down my glissade track. Cracking a wide grin and letting out a whoop, I took off down the slope, two maniac labradors right behind, a cloud of corn snow and paws! I stopped a couple times to let them catch up, and was rewarded with 180 pounds of dog careening into the back of me, barely in control. At one point, several other dogs from another hiking party jumped out to the snow to join us! I had to slam on the brakes and let their owners call them back up the hill...it was quite a sight! The snow was perfect for sliding, and dumped us out at the bottom of the basin between the two peaks...right about at 12,500' - what a great way to descend! The dogs were exhausted from sprinting/sliding after me, so we took a 15 minute break at the edge of the trail so they could rest & drink, and I stowed my winter gear and mowed down a Clif Bar. Finally, it was back on the trail and to the trailhead just before noon, making for a 5.5 hour round trip...3 hours up, 2 hours down. All in all, I felt pretty good considering the extra weight. We'll find out soon if it's a good sign for a successful climb of Mt. Rainier! |
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