14er Report #2: Grays and Torreys Peaks (Late Spring, North & South Slopes Combo, Grays Peak Trailhead)

Cornices on summit ridge, Torreys Peak. Colorado, 2014

Climbers approaching Grays-Torreys saddle

Climbers on the traverse to the Grays-Torreys saddle. Colorado, 2014

Today was the second outing of the Quest (My “Colorado 14ers Senior Challenge“).

Interestingly, these two “twin” peaks are the only 14ers in Colorado that actually sit directly on the Continental Divide. Also, Grays Peak has the distinction of being the highest peak on the Continental Divide north of Mexico.

The complete trip report and many additional images follow.

Grays (14,270′) & Torreys (14,267′) Peaks Trip Report

Route:

The standard tourist route from the Grays Peak Trailhead…Gray’s North Slopes, then down to the Grays-Torreys saddle, up Torreys South Slopes, then back down to the saddle for the traverse back to the Grays trail.

Timeline:

A 12:00a.m. departure from Boulder. Yeah, I know…craziness…

By 1:40a.m. I was headed up the trail by the light of a full Moon–no headlamp required!

Arrived above “the pinnacle” by first light, and on the Grays summit about ten minutes before sunrise (5:30a.m. sunrise today).

After some summit photography, dropped down to the Grays-Torreys saddle by about 6:10a.m.

A 45-minute trip up to the summit of Torreys, then departed the top at around 7:05a.m.

Back at the trailhead by 10:25a.m. (includes a 30-minute time out to watch some skiers on Lost Rat Couloir, and getting off-route a bit…see below).

Weather Conditions:

Most excellent. Clear skies and 0-10mph breeze at start and throughout the pre-sunrise morning. Temps just below freezing before sunrise, then rapidly warming. (Later on, some folks on their way up were even wearing shorts!) Once I left the Grays-Torreys saddle, post-sunrise, the winds had picked up to a pretty steady 25mph or so, with some gusts above that and some lulls below. Much less wind down in the valley. One or two clouds formed briefly over the Grays summit mid-morning, but then disappeared, leaving behind a flawless, azure Colorado sky.

Trail Conditions:

Still lots of snow patches to cross–early spring conditions still reign. I recommend you go early to reduce postholing. Micro spikes or traction devices of some kind were useful here and there–especially on the traverse from the Grays-Torreys saddle back down to the Grays trail–you don’t want to toboggan down THAT slope (see the second of the two intro images above)!

On the trail back, I followed footprints in the snow and ended up staying too high for too long in the lower part of the valley. This forced me to do some unnecessary and unpleasant bushwhacking and postholing down the steep slope to the parking lot. Think twice before following what seem like obvious tracks across the snow in this area.

For skiers: three folks did the Lost Rat Couloir in fine style. It looked pretty impressive from my viewpoint farther down the valley. The snow is melting fast now, however, so I have no idea how long these conditions will last. Current conditions seem very much like what you see in THIS VIDEO from a few years ago.

Unusual Events/Comments:

The moonlit hike up was stunningly gorgeous and I had it all to myself. To me, this type of Nature experience is what LIFE is all about.

There were only two cars in the parking lot when I arrived–camping at the trailhead. As I approached the Grays summit, I finally saw their headlamps far below starting up from the trailhead at first light. Gotta love this kind of solitude–avoid this hike at 7a.m. on a Saturday or Sunday in mid-summer as you will have massive company!

Made the summit of Grays before sunrise–that was cool! The actual rising of the sun wasn’t super spectacular, but what a place to be for the event, regardless. The moon set was better, IMHO.

Oh, and if you choose to do this on a full moon, realize that Sister Moon likely will eventually “set” behind Grays, thus throwing your path into shadow. Even so, today I was still able to walk without a headlamp using all the reflected moonlight bouncing around. Check The Photographer’s Ephemeris for Sun and Moon details for the date of your trip.

Once back at the trailhead, the parking lot was full–the vehicles from the 30-40 folks who were on their way up while I was on my way down. This, on a weekday with the trail still not in good hiking condition.

Colorado 14er Senior Challenge summit count: 3 of the basic list of 58 (p. xxiii in Gerry Roach’s 14er “Bible”, Colorado Fourteeners, 3rd Ed.); 3 of the long list of 73 (pp. 347-348, with South Wilson added, also in Roach’s “Bible”.