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Peak(s):  Pikes Peak  -  14,109 feet
Date Posted:  08/31/2008
Modified:  09/01/2008
Date Climbed:   08/30/2008
Author:  Kanarado
 Pikes Peak - Crags CG - 14,110   

Trailhead - Crags Campground Trail Head
Elevation Gain - 4200 ft
Roundtrip Mileage - 11.5 Miles
Weather Conditions - 42 degrees at Crags Campground Trail Head

Trip Duration - 8 hrs 47 m
Ascent Time - 5 hrs 15 m
Descent Time - 3 hrs 32 m

Labor Day weekend was the perfect time for our first 14er. My fiance and I woke up on Saturday morning at 5:00AM to begin our day. I was hoping to start from the Crags Trail Head by 6:30AM but I under estimated the time to drive to Woodland Park and then to Divide. After a fresh trip to REI and Whole Foods, we were ready to tackle our first 14er here in the Springs area. Barr Trail is an option on the front side of Pikes Peak but it is a high traffic trail. We felt like we weren't ready for the Mt. Everest of Colorado. The weather called for thunderstorms after 3PM so I was a little nervous with our 7:23AM start.

We made our ascent and noticed hail on the ground just above tree line at 2 hours into our hike. This made it difficult to stay on trail but the many others before us left their tracks so we were relieved to make it above the first ridge with Devil's Playground in our sights. A ranger confirmed my suspicions on the peak that the white stuff was hail not snow. My fiance and I took many breaks along the trail. We met another couple who was hiking their first 14er as well. We were in good company. From the top of the first ridge, we picked up the pace and arrived at Devil's Playground. At this point the weather looked fine, so we were ready to make the ascent. The trail is easy to follow up until you get to the beginning portion of the last pitch to the peak. You really have to look for the cairns right before the final pitch. The elevation hit us at 13,000 ft. We had a couple of sandwiches right before the last pitch and made the ascent into the boulders. We arrived at the peak at 12:38PM much to our relief. We took our pictures and snacked at the Pikes Peak visitor center. We left at 1:11PM and started down the trail. It is so much easier taking pictures going down than coming up. About an hour down the trail, we could see clouds forming a thunderhead on the east face of the mountain to the northeast. Just after Devil's Playground, we noticed the hail had melted. The trip down was relaxing. We arrived at Crags Campground and were excited to see our car. Game over. One down and many more to go.



Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
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Comments or Questions
backpackflyfish
User
Well done
9/3/2008 6:34pm
definitely a nice challenge given its your first 14er, good luck in your pursuit of others! cool pic of the clouds embracing the mountain side.


DaveWeide
User
Agreed
9/16/2008 2:52am
Great shot of the clouds on the mountain - that‘s a keeper!



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