Pikes Peak Trip Report 09/14/2015

Peak(s):	Pikes Peak - 14,109 feet
Date Posted:	09/14/2015
Modified:	09/15/2015
Date Climbed:	08/22/2015
Author:	michaelgrundy
Additional Members:	grayslater, ndrew, rohit

Pikes Grand Finale: Wife's Version
It's not every day your husband completes his journey of completing the 58 unique fourteeners in Colorado. This happened for Mike on August 22, 2015 on the top of Pikes Peak. It happened to be exactly six years after he summited his first fourteener, Longs Peak on August 22, 2009 (which happened to be the day before our second date too). It was a few years in that my husband decided he wanted to complete all of the fourteeners and have Pikes Peak be his finisher so that he could have a close mountain his friends could all meet him to either hike or drive up to the top. I have hiked fourteeners as well, ten with my husband to be precise. But with life being hectic right now, it was nice to be able to drive up. He was so thoughtful to choose this one so I could celebrate with him. I also asked him if I could write his trip report for this monument event - since how often is it someone who drives up the fourteener can help tell the story of the finisher? We didn't have a lot of time to get details planned for this hike since we just returned from an out of state trip. So, Monday before the big hike, we were trying to iron things out. We had a few complications, some of which were: 1) We have a 7 month old son we would like to come too... however, if the altitude were to affect him on the drive up, we would all have to turn around and thus not celebrate at the top. 2) Several family members have problems with altitude and didn't want to drive up, but did want to celebrate in some fashion with us. 3) If Mike hiked up and we all partied up there, and then he hiked down, what would we do for the 3 hours he was descending? 4) If we drove them down, we had a lot of extra driving to do to get to where the vehicle would be left at the trailhead. 5) Our friend Noel generously offered her house to have his Finisher Party down in Woodland Park, but we wanted to get our family to the party as well. A lot of back and forth happened as we tried to get this figured out; even some decisions happening up to the night before the hike. Here's what happened: Rohit and Andrew met up at our house on Friday after dinner. The three of them traveled south in Rohit's car, arriving at Noel's house around 9pm. She was kind enough to offer them a place to stay. Having a bed the night before a fourteener is not a luxury that they are accustomed to! Another friend of theirs, Gray, spent the night at the trailhead in his vehicle with his dog, Franti. That night, I also drove south with our baby and dogs, but stopped at my parents' house in Greenwood Village. The next day, Rohit, Andrew, Mike, Gray and Franti all headed up Pikes Peak beginning at Crags Campground. Despite the 4am wake up, Noel had been very generous and drove them to the trailhead so we could cut some drive time after the hike! The hike was 7 miles to the peak, so they wanted to start hiking at 5am, but started slightly later at 5:15am. Mike and Rohit beginning the hike. In the meantime, up north, I woke up at 6:15am, fed the baby, fed the dogs, set things up for the day, and left with my mom in the car leaving the baby and dogs with my dad. We celebrated with all of them plus other family members in a lunch-turned-into-dinner too BBQ, which included a brownie that I decorated. Brownie image of Mike climbing mountains. Google had anticipated a 2 hour drive for us, so leaving at 7am should have been perfect for our 9am meeting time at the summit. We were pretty well prepared for the journey: bagels and bananas packed for breakfast, snacks for along the way (since lunch wasn't anticipated until 1:30pm), water, warm coats, hats and gloves (anticipated high for Pikes Peak summit was 45 degrees for that day, 35 with wind chill). One thing was missing: coffee. So, we stopped at Starbucks before we got on the highway, fueled ourselves up and headed south. The drive was fast and uneventful. The regular exit Google would have had us take was closed due to construction, but thanks to Mike, we were aware of this and got off at exit 141 to take 24. We drove up the road awhile and pulled over to run to the restroom since we weren't sure of what the situation would be once we got on to the Toll Road. Quickly getting back on 24, we made our way up... however, with our Starbucks stop and subsequent bathroom break, we were about � hour behind schedule. We pulled up to the Toll Booths at the beginning of Pikes Peak Toll Road and were the only vehicle in the area. We mentioned we were there for my husband's finisher. He told us he thought they would be hiking 5-7 hours. I mentioned they left from the Crags Campground, he still said it would be a minimum of 5 hours. Now, my husband has hiked 57 unique fourteeners and 72 total. Since I have only done 10 with him, you do the math - I have been left at home a lot while he hiked. The one thing I always insisted on: a time line that includes a "panic time". Therefore, he has had a lot of practice anticipating time tables and comparing them to what he actually does. He is right on (or anticipates being slower than he actually is) 99.99% of the time. He and I also had a deal that he couldn't summit before 9am because I didn't want to miss it. So, when he tells me he will summit at 9am, he will summit at 9am. As I sat at the Toll Booth at 8:30am, knowing it usually takes an hour to drive up, I was worried I was going to miss the big moment. I was happy to hear the ranger tell us that another person from our group (Noel) had been through half an hour earlier. At least someone would greet him at the summit. I quickly call Mike as soon as we leave the Toll Booths and leave him a message to let him know we are running behind schedule. Since I didn't speak with him directly, I have no clue where he was or that he would even get my message. I feared he was already waiting for me up top. The ranger had given us our marching orders: turn your air conditioner off, travel with windows cracked to equalize the pressure, watch your car doors because it is windy, drink lots of water, and on the way down, travel in the lowest gear possible. The road was beautiful! The ever greens were vibrant and welcoming. However, this road was not a straight road by any means; the winding road contains approximately 162 turns. The windy road is visible here. Within just a few turns on the road, my mom and I both felt our ears popping. We pulled over to get our waters so we could drink continuously. Road signs were everywhere: miles on the road, elevation, and points of interest. Our favorite sign let us know we were a mile from the top in elevation (so we were at 8830 feet). We continued on. Soon the evergreens became smaller, and then they disappeared altogether. We were above tree line. That's where things got hairy for me! I am not a fan of heights - this has been one of my biggest limitations on fourteeners. We were on steep, winding roads, with no guard rails. A few times, the direction and location of the road made me feel like the road was driving us up to the sky and then ending! Luckily, since there weren't many other cars on the road at that time, we edged over the yellow line on the straightaways. Very tight switch backs set against this gorgeous mountain view. Around 13,000 feet, we reached Devil's Playground. The trail crosses the road there and then continues alongside it. We began watching for Mike and his party at this point. We kept our eyes peeled, but never saw them. The hikers crossing the road at Devil's Playground. An explanation. Meanwhile, hiking on the mountain, the boys had been hiking along right on schedule. Making their way up on the trail. Noel saw them from the road then continued to the top. A little bit after that, Mike received my message! He then sat right where he was and looked for my car. He was close to the summit, but not there. Near the top, we got behind a slow pickup from Kansas. Mike was peering down and saw us, so he continued onward and upward. We luckily passed the truck and parked right next to the Visitor Center/Gift Shop at the top. It was 9:15am. Noel was standing at the door way to the gift shop to stay out of the wind. My mom and I dressed warmer and made our way to Noel. She confirmed she had seen them hiking and anticipated them any moment. The two of us ran inside to use the restrooms before the finale. Upon exiting the Visitor Center, we saw Mike across the parking lot. I quickly ran to my car to grab my bag of goodies and then ran up to him to give him a big hug and kiss. He had made it!!! 58 unique fourteeners!! I was so proud and happy for him and glad to share this moment. Completion! Version 1. In the middle of the circle road at the top, is a field of rocks that is the actual peak. The four hikers, Franzi, Noel, my mom and I all made our way to the highest point. It was then picture time! The barrage of pictures then began. We got pictures of Mike with 5 different finisher signs; we got pictures of him with his Terrible Towel; we got pictures of him and Rohit; we got pictures Mike, Rohit, Andrew, and Gray. Completion! Version 2. Completion! Version 3. Completion! Version 4. Completion! Version 5. Crossing Pike's off his list - literally! We then moved to the USGS Marker for more pictures. We got pictures and a video of Mike opening a bottle of Champagne (which he wasn't expecting to get). Bubbly anyone? We then got pictures of the whole group drinking Bud Light (a family tradition that this is our "Champagne" - it was good enough to celebrate our engagement and our wedding, so it was good enough for this too... except we had actual Champagne too... huh...). More pictures at this location of the group of hikers. The group: (from the left) Noel, Rohit, Mike, Andrew, and Gray. Franti in front. The hikers: (from left) Rohit, Andrew, Mike, and Gray. Franti in front. Sign and very specially decorated cookie courtesy of Noel. The iconic summit photo for these boys!! How many finishers get to have a corvette at the top! Classy!! We then moved to the iconic sign right outside of the Visitor Center that shows Pikes Peak, Elevation 14,110. We got pictures of just Mike with his 5 signs again; we got another group picture (with the dog this time); we also got a picture of the two of us. Notice the sign Mike is holding in this picture... The hikers: (from left) Andrew, Rohit, Franti, Gray (owner of Franti), and Mike. Me and Mike. About 250 pictures later (my mom alone did around 100, as well as at least 3 other cameras), we were just enjoying ourselves. We went into the gift shop. Some of us ate the donuts. Some of us made some purchases. Noel, Gray and Franti left in Noel's car. We spent a little bit of time at the observation deck near the Cog Railway, and then the rest of us drove down in my car. My mom Marcy and I at the observatory. The cog railroad tracks. An image of the parking lot from the observatory. I am so happy I got to share this moment with my husband. Words cannot explain how proud I am. I am also so very excited to get to share his next milestone, whatever it ends up being!! A quick stop on our way down. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Pikes Grand Finale: Wife's Version

It's not every day your husband completes his journey of completing the 58 unique fourteeners in Colorado. This happened for Mike on August 22, 2015 on the top of Pikes Peak. It happened to be exactly six years after he summited his first fourteener, Longs Peak on August 22, 2009 (which happened to be the day before our second date too). It was a few years in that my husband decided he wanted to complete all of the fourteeners and have Pikes Peak be his finisher so that he could have a close mountain his friends could all meet him to either hike or drive up to the top. I have hiked fourteeners as well, ten with my husband to be precise. But with life being hectic right now, it was nice to be able to drive up. He was so thoughtful to choose this one so I could celebrate with him. I also asked him if I could write his trip report for this monument event - since how often is it someone who drives up the fourteener can help tell the story of the finisher?

We didn't have a lot of time to get details planned for this hike since we just returned from an out of state trip. So, Monday before the big hike, we were trying to iron things out. We had a few complications, some of which were:
1) We have a 7 month old son we would like to come too... however, if the altitude were to affect him on the drive up, we would all have to turn around and thus not celebrate at the top.

2) Several family members have problems with altitude and didn't want to drive up, but did want to celebrate in some fashion with us.

3) If Mike hiked up and we all partied up there, and then he hiked down, what would we do for the 3 hours he was descending?

4) If we drove them down, we had a lot of extra driving to do to get to where the vehicle would be left at the trailhead.

5) Our friend Noel generously offered her house to have his Finisher Party down in Woodland Park, but we wanted to get our family to the party as well.

A lot of back and forth happened as we tried to get this figured out; even some decisions happening up to the night before the hike. Here's what happened:

Rohit and Andrew met up at our house on Friday after dinner. The three of them traveled south in Rohit's car, arriving at Noel's house around 9pm. She was kind enough to offer them a place to stay. Having a bed the night before a fourteener is not a luxury that they are accustomed to! Another friend of theirs, Gray, spent the night at the trailhead in his vehicle with his dog, Franti. That night, I also drove south with our baby and dogs, but stopped at my parents' house in Greenwood Village.

The next day, Rohit, Andrew, Mike, Gray and Franti all headed up Pikes Peak beginning at Crags Campground. Despite the 4am wake up, Noel had been very generous and drove them to the trailhead so we could cut some drive time after the hike! The hike was 7 miles to the peak, so they wanted to start hiking at 5am, but started slightly later at 5:15am.

In the meantime, up north, I woke up at 6:15am, fed the baby, fed the dogs, set things up for the day, and left with my mom in the car leaving the baby and dogs with my dad. We celebrated with all of them plus other family members in a lunch-turned-into-dinner too BBQ, which included a brownie that I decorated.

Brownie image of Mike climbing mountains.

Google had anticipated a 2 hour drive for us, so leaving at 7am should have been perfect for our 9am meeting time at the summit. We were pretty well prepared for the journey: bagels and bananas packed for breakfast, snacks for along the way (since lunch wasn't anticipated until 1:30pm), water, warm coats, hats and gloves (anticipated high for Pikes Peak summit was 45 degrees for that day, 35 with wind chill). One thing was missing: coffee. So, we stopped at Starbucks before we got on the highway, fueled ourselves up and headed south.

The drive was fast and uneventful. The regular exit Google would have had us take was closed due to construction, but thanks to Mike, we were aware of this and got off at exit 141 to take 24. We drove up the road awhile and pulled over to run to the restroom since we weren't sure of what the situation would be once we got on to the Toll Road.

Quickly getting back on 24, we made our way up... however, with our Starbucks stop and subsequent bathroom break, we were about � hour behind schedule. We pulled up to the Toll Booths at the beginning of Pikes Peak Toll Road and were the only vehicle in the area. We mentioned we were there for my husband's finisher. He told us he thought they would be hiking 5-7 hours. I mentioned they left from the Crags Campground, he still said it would be a minimum of 5 hours.

Now, my husband has hiked 57 unique fourteeners and 72 total. Since I have only done 10 with him, you do the math - I have been left at home a lot while he hiked. The one thing I always insisted on: a time line that includes a "panic time". Therefore, he has had a lot of practice anticipating time tables and comparing them to what he actually does. He is right on (or anticipates being slower than he actually is) 99.99% of the time. He and I also had a deal that he couldn't summit before 9am because I didn't want to miss it. So, when he tells me he will summit at 9am, he will summit at 9am.

As I sat at the Toll Booth at 8:30am, knowing it usually takes an hour to drive up, I was worried I was going to miss the big moment. I was happy to hear the ranger tell us that another person from our group (Noel) had been through half an hour earlier. At least someone would greet him at the summit. I quickly call Mike as soon as we leave the Toll Booths and leave him a message to let him know we are running behind schedule. Since I didn't speak with him directly, I have no clue where he was or that he would even get my message. I feared he was already waiting for me up top.

The ranger had given us our marching orders: turn your air conditioner off, travel with windows cracked to equalize the pressure, watch your car doors because it is windy, drink lots of water, and on the way down, travel in the lowest gear possible.
The road was beautiful! The ever greens were vibrant and welcoming. However, this road was not a straight road by any means; the winding road contains approximately 162 turns.

Within just a few turns on the road, my mom and I both felt our ears popping. We pulled over to get our waters so we could drink continuously.

Road signs were everywhere: miles on the road, elevation, and points of interest. Our favorite sign let us know we were a mile from the top in elevation (so we were at 8830 feet). We continued on. Soon the evergreens became smaller, and then they disappeared altogether. We were above tree line.

That's where things got hairy for me! I am not a fan of heights - this has been one of my biggest limitations on fourteeners. We were on steep, winding roads, with no guard rails. A few times, the direction and location of the road made me feel like the road was driving us up to the sky and then ending! Luckily, since there weren't many other cars on the road at that time, we edged over the yellow line on the straightaways.

Very tight switch backs set against this gorgeous mountain view.

Around 13,000 feet, we reached Devil's Playground. The trail crosses the road there and then continues alongside it. We began watching for Mike and his party at this point. We kept our eyes peeled, but never saw them.

The hikers crossing the road at Devil's Playground.

Meanwhile, hiking on the mountain, the boys had been hiking along right on schedule.

Noel saw them from the road then continued to the top. A little bit after that, Mike received my message! He then sat right where he was and looked for my car. He was close to the summit, but not there.

Near the top, we got behind a slow pickup from Kansas. Mike was peering down and saw us, so he continued onward and upward. We luckily passed the truck and parked right next to the Visitor Center/Gift Shop at the top. It was 9:15am. Noel was standing at the door way to the gift shop to stay out of the wind. My mom and I dressed warmer and made our way to Noel. She confirmed she had seen them hiking and anticipated them any moment. The two of us ran inside to use the restrooms before the finale.

Upon exiting the Visitor Center, we saw Mike across the parking lot. I quickly ran to my car to grab my bag of goodies and then ran up to him to give him a big hug and kiss. He had made it!!! 58 unique fourteeners!! I was so proud and happy for him and glad to share this moment.

In the middle of the circle road at the top, is a field of rocks that is the actual peak. The four hikers, Franzi, Noel, my mom and I all made our way to the highest point. It was then picture time! The barrage of pictures then began. We got pictures of Mike with 5 different finisher signs; we got pictures of him with his Terrible Towel; we got pictures of him and Rohit; we got pictures Mike, Rohit, Andrew, and Gray.

Crossing Pike's off his list - literally!

We then moved to the USGS Marker for more pictures. We got pictures and a video of Mike opening a bottle of Champagne (which he wasn't expecting to get).

We then got pictures of the whole group drinking Bud Light (a family tradition that this is our "Champagne" - it was good enough to celebrate our engagement and our wedding, so it was good enough for this too... except we had actual Champagne too... huh...). More pictures at this location of the group of hikers.

The group: (from the left) Noel, Rohit, Mike, Andrew, and Gray. Franti in front.

The hikers: (from left) Rohit, Andrew, Mike, and Gray. Franti in front.

Sign and very specially decorated cookie courtesy of Noel.

The iconic summit photo for these boys!!

How many finishers get to have a corvette at the top! Classy!!

We then moved to the iconic sign right outside of the Visitor Center that shows Pikes Peak, Elevation 14,110. We got pictures of just Mike with his 5 signs again; we got another group picture (with the dog this time); we also got a picture of the two of us.

Notice the sign Mike is holding in this picture...

The hikers: (from left) Andrew, Rohit, Franti, Gray (owner of Franti), and Mike.

About 250 pictures later (my mom alone did around 100, as well as at least 3 other cameras), we were just enjoying ourselves. We went into the gift shop. Some of us ate the donuts. Some of us made some purchases. Noel, Gray and Franti left in Noel's car. We spent a little bit of time at the observation deck near the Cog Railway, and then the rest of us drove down in my car.

An image of the parking lot from the observatory.

I am so happy I got to share this moment with my husband. Words cannot explain how proud I am. I am also so very excited to get to share his next milestone, whatever it ends up being!!

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

Cookiehiker	Sweet TR! 9/14/2015 9:09pm Congrats on a great accomplishment, Mike! I am so proud of you and it was awesome to celebrate with your friends and family at the summit! Here’s to many more awesome adventures for you in the future!! Cheers!!!
rohit	Congratulation My Friend!!!! 9/14/2015 9:10pm Congratulation Mike...you came long way and did it with a pride. Well deserving finisher!!!! It’s great to hike with you on the most of the your 14ers journey and many more to come!!!! Keep hiking and build more memories.
Jay521	What a neat TR! 9/15/2015 9:29am I LOVE this one! I hope to meet you one day, Mike.
Exiled Michigander	Awesome 9/15/2015 9:52am I just hope the completion of the 14ers will not put an end to the Grundy–Rohit bromance. I always enjoy your TR’s.

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.

14ers.com

Social

Mobile App