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Base Camp
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- Statistics:
- Date Hiked: July 5, 2010
- Miles Hiked: 8.2
- Elevation Gain: 3,600'
- Hiking Partner(s): Jamie
Mosbrucker
- Description:
- My sister-in-law and her husband were in town for Independence Day, so
Jamie and I decided to go hiking one day. We got a relatively late
start, but the weather was perfect so we didn't have any issues.
We simply hiked in trail runners, shorts, long sleeve shirt and wind
jacket, and wore hats and gloves up higher. As we started up the standard
trail Jamie was making good time for being a flatlander from North
Dakota. We stopped after about 40 minutes so I could check my
blood sugar level which was low. We quickly ate something and
added our jackets, hats, and gloves. At this point, I told Jamie
we can either hike the standard trail with everyone else or check out
Kelso Ridge on Torreys Peak for a sporting Class 3 alternative. I
had scrambled up this route once before in poor weather which didn't
allow me to see anything, so I was anxious to do it again. Despite
this being Jamie's first 14er, he was game and we headed for the Kelso
Mountain/Torreys Peak saddle.
- Once on the ridge we starting working our way up the climbers'
trail and scrambling where necessary. A lot of the ridge is
hiking, but there are certainly a couple of areas that hold your
attention and require the use of your hands. There is some
material exposure on several sections of the route, and you gain
elevation much faster than the standard trail. Jamie did great in
all of the more technical sections of the route and never once
hesitated. In fact, when we got to the knife edge near the top of
the climb I told him to hold tight until I made sure we were on route,
but by the time I got back to him he was already half way over the crux.
We reached the summit of Torreys in 2 hours and 20 minutes and spent 20
minutes on top. From what I could tell, Jamie enjoyed the scramble
and would likely do more hiking if possible.
- We traversed over to Grays Peak and reached the summit after 3 hours
and 15 minutes. We only spent 5 minutes here before heading back
down to the trailhead and completing the hike in 4 hours and 40 minutes.
I'm a little concerned that Jamie will be disappointed with a standard
hike up some of the more mundane 14ers after getting an introduction
like Kelso Ridge.
- Maps:
-
Click here
to view a
2D
map of the area where this hike is located.
- Photographs:
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www.
just
hiking
.com
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