Adventures of a Fearless Fourteener: My Journey to the Top of Grays Peak
Posted
by
WinterWomen
on Thursday, August 14, 2014
 Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of summiting my first fourteener with a couple other adventurous ladies from WinterWomen. After living in Colorado since the year 2000 and leading an active lifestyle, it was about time! For many of the years I’ve lived in this state, I resided in the athletic city of Boulder and did plenty of hiking while there, but for some reason, the opportunity to climb a fourteener had never arisen before just recently. When one of my co-workers organized a day trip to Grays Peak, I knew it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. As of Saturday, August 9th, 2014, I was able to cross ‘climbing a 14er’ off my bucket list and I couldn’t be more proud of myself.
According to Wikipedia, “Grays Peak is the highest mountain in the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. State of Colorado. Grays Peak is the tenth highest summit of the entire Rocky Mountains and is one of 54 fourteeners (mountains of over 14,000 feet (4,270 m) in elevation) in Colorado.” With an elevation gain of 3,000 ft from the trailhead to the summit and a route length of 8 miles roundtrip, I knew Grays Peak was not going to a an easy feat and nothing like the leisure 1-2 hour hikes I was used to doing in and around the Boulder area with my dogs. Although I did not physically train for the trek, I did drink plenty of water the day before as recommended by a co-worker and went to bed early to mentally prepare.
After rising out of bed at 3:30am, quickly dressing and packing up my truck with my already prepped gear, I hit I-70 and met WinterWomen employee, Jackie, at the dinosaur lots in Morrison at 4:30am. Sleepily, we sipped our ice coffees, chatted, and caught glimpses of the amazing (almost) full moon as we traveled together to the Bakersville exit. Once we exited, it was approximately three miles up a dirt road to the trailhead. Since this road is no longer maintained, it is very rough and covered with rocks and trenches.
We were trudging along hastily in my high-clearance 4x4 when suddenly there was a long line of brake lights from cars stopped ahead. The narrowness of the trail wouldn’t allow for passing of any sort, so we had no other choice than to jerk to a complete stop. After waiting patiently for about 20 minutes, Jackie decided to find out what the hold-up was. Apparently, there was a deep double ditch ahead that a Honda hatchback had gotten stuck on. Eventually, the driver was able to reverse back down over the first ditch and park on the side of the trail, allowing the long line of cars behind him to pass.
Many of the other low-clearance vehicles saw this driver’s dilemma and decided to park behind him. Once we approached the big holes, without hesitation, I took the plunge. Surprisingly, I got stuck as well, with one tire of my lifted Tacoma raised awkwardly above the ground. Instincts told me to switch into a lower gear and put it into 4-wheel drive, and in no time, we cleared the trough. Now in the lead, we guided the line of cars behind us to the beginning of the trailhead safely.
After grabbing one of the last remaining spots in the lower lot of the trailhead parking around 6:15am, we met up with WinterWomen employee, Heather, her boyfriend, Jason and a couple other guys. Their friends had never climbed a fourteener before either. I was glad to know I was not alone!
Together we began our hike just as the sun started to crest over the horizon. The first two miles were a gradual steady incline up a dirt path. Surrounding the trail was underbrush and stunning fields of wildflowers. One of the boys pointed out a Rocky Mountain Columbine, Colorado’s State Flower. We passed through a few shallow streams that had formed from the run-off of melted snow. I was more than glad that I wore hiking boots rather than sneakers.
At two miles in, we reached the sign for Gray’s National Recreation Trail. Here’s where we began to see spectacular views of Grays Peak ahead and Torreys Peak to our right. Jason climbed up a big crag for a photo-op as the sun, now fully exposed, peaked down behind him.
Although we had taken many breaks already, the last few miles of the climb is where I began to feel as though I really needed them. At this point our gradual dirt trail had turned into a steep rocky ridge and we were led through a series of switchbacks that escort you to the summit of the mountain. My feet felt like they had turned to lead and were suddenly too heavy for my body. My heart was constantly up in my chest and catching my breath had become very difficult.
We stopped and took a longer break to eat our sandwiches and gain some fuel. I chugged a bunch of water as well. I could feel as energy reappeared within me to fight off the sluggish monster that had turned my feet to lead and stolen my breath. By now, the narrow trail had become pretty crowded with the other early-riser weekend mountaineers and we had to finish the trek in single file moving along at the pace of cattle. My heart and feet were OK with this speed. I used little techniques to push myself a little harder, like counting my steps before taking a break and then making sure I took at least 10 steps more than I had previously, before coming to a halt again.
Three hours after we began our hike, we summited the top of Grays Peak. Oh, the glorious top! It was cold and windy up there, but it felt good! After high fives all around, I grabbed some glove liners and an earband from my pack to shield off the chilly air, and rejoined my group for some photos to capture our memorable experience. Our triumph was short-lived as the wind was whipping and the adrenaline rush we had gotten from the climb up made us eager to keep moving.
After deciding not to conquer Grays sister mountain, Torreys, due to the impending clouds, we started our descent. Going down the mountain was harder than I had imagined. It was steep and there were loose rocks everywhere, throwing my sense of balance out the window. I slipped and landed on my hands on more than one occasion. My knees turned to jelly from the steepness and soreness from the incline. But I toughed it out!
We saw some amazing wildlife on the descent, including a few mountain goats gathered at the peak, numerous pikas and one marmot, which was just chilling on the side of a hill while some spectators rested below and ate their lunch. Leaving all wildlife to their natural habitats, we snapped some more pictures and continued onward down the mountain until we arrived back at the parking lot where we had begun. We headed out for a celebratory drink.
Overall, I was humbled by how amazing this outdoor experience had been. Between the camaraderie within our group and satisfaction of reaching one of my long-time goals, as well as the breathtaking scenic views and glimpses of extraordinary wildlife, I felt incredible. And yes, I would definitely do it again! If you ever get the chance to do something out of your comfort zone or something that pushes you just a little beyond your limits, I highly suggest you go for it. What do you have to lose?
Have you climbed a fourteener? What was your first experience like? Let us know in the comments below!
Categories:
Things We Love
Tagged: Colorado, hiking, womens fitness, fourteener
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