Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
| Grays and Torreys with Time Data |
I add this report because I was as concerned with estimated hike duration for Grays and Torreys as I was with conditions, and suspect others may be as well. If you are doing them as part of a quick trip or otherwise have schedule constraints, this report may help.
We had a 4wd SUV, so we drove all the way to the proper parking area at the top. Several cars had stopped much further down, next to the old two-story red building about half way up the dirt road. If you can make it to that building, then you've made it through the "worst". There are really only two spots that present a challenge. Subaru Outbacks, for example were multiple at the top, so you don't necessarily need SUV clearance to get to the trailhead, but clearance is a concern. Please remember then that the distance and pace for the following account is from the main (highest) parking area and the proper trailhead.
With an evening flight, we were concerned about time as much as anything. Departure from the trailhead was at 7:15 a.m. There were probably 100 people on the trail that we passed in either direction before the day was done. Pushing the pace a bit, we summited at 9:30. Incidentally, Grays' summit is the highest point on the North American Continental Divide. Other Colorado 14ers are higher, but their peaks are not on the Divide. Pictures and a quick snack saw us leave for Torreys at 9:40 or so. Taking the North Ridge as described in the main Route article, we headed down to the Saddle (at the middle of the Saddle by 10:00 am) and then up Torreys (steeper than Grays) arriving at 10:30. We hung out there until about 10:50, then headed down back across the saddle and then taking the "connector" over horizontally to the Grays trail. At 11:10 we had to cross the patch of remaining snow (about 100 yards long) on the connector, which was manageable but required us to take our time, and there were a few slower folks ahead which caused a bit of a traffic jam on the snowy portion of the trail. We arrived back at the trailhead at 12:50.
Had we limited our time at either summit to five minutes, skipped all pictures and pushed the pace coming down a bit more, we could have made the entire loop in 5 hours flat. I would say, however, that our pace of 2:15 to summit Grays was as fast as possible to still remain halfway comfortable, and think I would speak for most people with an average level of fitness.
Dogs on the trail: Yes, one Lab, seen near the summit.
Wildlife: I have heard multiple times that mountain goats are seen especially frequent on these particular peaks, but we did not see any.
Mobile phone reception: On the summit of Torreys I had AT&T reception. Not effectively good on Grays for some reason though.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
|
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.
