Water on Pikes?

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aholle88
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by aholle88 »

jibler wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 3:40 pm big question - is there a water fountain at the top of pikes??
Complete with fountain soda and all the fixings. You can even get a T shirt that tells everyone you summited \:D/
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jrs1965
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by jrs1965 »

aholle88 wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 3:20 pm
jrs1965 wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 2:15 pm It's possible to connect Elk Park Trail to Rumdoodle, but ascending the north face via Rumdoodle is best done as a spring snow route. (Ascending the north face routes this time of year would be a SS). It's long, but you could just take Elk Park Trail to Barr Trail/Barr Camp and then up to the summit. EPT is actually really nice and somewhat remote. There's a short side trail on EPT that goes over to the Oil Creek Tunnel mine site. Interesting, parts of an old steam engine remain, and there's a barred-up horizontal mine shaft. Another 'local" variation would be Heizer trail. You access Heizer from Cascade right where you turn off 24 to go up the PP Highway. Remote, few people on Heizer, and easy parking. LMK if you need any of the gpx files here...

Pike.jpg
It looks like he's just talking about taking Rumdoodle->upper portion of crags route to the summit. Rumdoodle itself is a fine way to ascend Pikes. I've done it connecting Heizer->severy->elk park to rumdoodle (descending Barr->cabin creek->heizer) which was a really quality outing. Doing it from Manitou to bottomless pit and up rumdoodle is also a good time. Also did it in snow after skinning up the Crags and closed highway to the summit and skiing the Y. That sucked. Hip deep trap door slogging through wet spring snow was not the most pleasant way to ascend Rumdoodle... but, skiing the Y in powder and getting bonus turns all the way down the Crags made up for it, one of my favorite days on Pikes. Biking up Barr to the bottomless pit, hiking rumdoodle, then running back down Barr from the summit to the bikes and biking down Barr was spectacular. Many ways to do the doodle!
Ya, lot's of beautiful, remote routes on the north slopes I think I've seen a video of you boarding off the roof of the old summit house? I wouldn't want to do the Y in summer conditions, but I think maybe the RR Col might be a fun with no snow on it...
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by marksilas »

There are water fountains in the new visitor ctr. There are also spigots in the gift shop for filling water bottles - free. I hiked up from the Crags TH last Friday. When I was close to the hwy., a water truck went by hauling water to the summit. That route is short enough that I didn't even top off my water bottles at the summit. Little, if any, snow on summit.
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greenonion
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by greenonion »

two lunches wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 12:49 pm
jibler wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 12:21 pm i often think of going to pikes - yet always find something else to do. i need something to draw me in.
abysmal views, worse crowds.
crags is a nice(ish) route, but it all goes to s**t as soon as you hit the trashpiles, broken bottles and cigarette butts at the Devil's Playground. though as much as i'd love to say i'll never go back, i would actually really like to see the Hill Climb one of these years..
+1
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aholle88
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by aholle88 »

jrs1965 wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:44 pm Ya, lot's of beautiful, remote routes on the north slopes I think I've seen a video of you boarding off the roof of the old summit house? I wouldn't want to do the Y in summer conditions, but I think maybe the RR Col might be a fun with no snow on it...
That was one of my best memories of Pikes, rode all the way to Barr camp. I get a chuckle of all the Pikes haters.. Best 14er of them all! So much to do on the big hill.

I wouldn’t want to climb any of those routes without snow, especially now with the overhanging walkways. I have always wanted to climb up the rib/ridge whatever directly east of the couloirs though. Looks like a nice tundra stroll with some optional scrambling mixed in if staying closer to the ridge.
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Jim Davies
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by Jim Davies »

Stewart Green wrote a booklet a few years ago describing several Pikes Peak routes, including pretty much everything mentioned here. You can get it at Mountain Chalet, if they haven't sold all of them yet. Thorough.
Climbing at altitude is like hitting your head against a brick wall — it's great when you stop. -- Chris Darwin
I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now. -- Forrest Gump
incognitobanjo
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by incognitobanjo »

I've gone up Pikes from the South and enjoyed it a lot as a chill route where you're almost guaranteed to see no one (other than the train and cars driving up the road at the very end). I dropped down to Mason Reservoir from Mt Almagre, starting my day from Cheyenne Canyon, but it looks like you could drive up to Elk Park, almost to the reservoir. From there you follow an old dirt road (basically a trail at this point) up to about 12,600', before making a beeline for the summit across talus. You get really unique views of the mountains around there and great solitude. I recommend!
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justiner
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by justiner »

Looks like there's a copy for $4 on the A->Z https://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Pikes-P ... 1733484337
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