Gray's Peak - #1

So, this is where the obsession began. About a month after Jordan and I moved to Colorado, we decided to try a 14er. We were never huge hikers in New York, although we did a couple here and there. What made us decide to try to tackle a 14,000+ foot mountain? I have absolutely no idea. But it was definitely the beginning of a new hobby that we'll have for a very long time...

Gray's Peak - 14,270 feet
Route: East Slopes
Distance: 7.5 miles RT
Elevation Gain: 3,000'

Being new to Colorado, we had no idea of the general "rules of thumb" of hiking a 14er, especially in July - the middle of monsoon season. We didn't arrive to the trailhead until around 11am, which is VERY late. Ideally, we should have already summited and been back below treeline by this time. But, we had no idea and got started. We did this hike with two friends we met who had just also moved to Colorado from California.

The hike itself was gorgeous. The weather couldn't have been more perfect (lucky for us considering our late start) and we saw a few mountain goats along the way - our first time ever seeing them! The trail itself was very busy with lots of hikers descending from the summit. It was a tough hike for me - not being used to the Colorado altitude yet. I had to sit and rest often, but kept pushing on. We reached the summit around 3pm and the four of us were the only ones up there (with the exception of someone else who appeared to be taking a quick nap).  The views were outstanding, and the feeling I got at the top was indescribable.

Jordan continued over to Torrey's Peak, which is a quick hike across the saddle.  Considering it was so late and I was significantly slower than Jordan, I decided to hang out on Gray's while he summited Torrey's.  We then met down on the saddle for the hike back down to the car.  We arrived back to the car around 5pm and celebrated our first 14er and new friends with some Mexican food and margaritas in Golden at Table Mountain Inn.

The feeling of being on top of that mountain was so exhilarating - it definitely was a "high."  You forget about all of the struggles you had ascending and descending and just focus on how you felt once you reached the top.  It really makes you realize just how small you are in the scope of things and really appreciate nature and all there is in this world to experience...

Immediately after arriving back home to our apartment in Denver, Jordan and I started planning for our next hike... Quandary Peak.

(photos coming soon)