6am: It was an early start when our group of four, stepped off from the parking lot at the base of the Barr Trail in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Our goal was to hike the Barr Trail to the summit of Pikes Peak. It was fitting to hike America's mountain on 4th of July weekend. We started early to ensure we made it to the top before the summer storms, that plague the mountain every afternoon. Getting caught by one could be very dangerous, and with 13 miles and 7,500ft of elevation ahead of us to was important to get going. 9am: Base Camp. 6.5 miles complete. Halfway done. We were able to complete this in good time. The trail up to this point was relatively easy. It was wide enough at most points to walk side by side and the elevation was pretty gradual. We took a short break here to use the facilities and get a bite to eat. They were still serving pancake when we inquired about the weather at the summit. Unfortunately we had to pass, as we didn't think that would sit well the rest of the trip. After the short pause and sugar in our system, we took off again. 11am: Timber line. 10 miles complete. The end is in sight. At this point of the trail it gets harder to gauge how far is left in the trail. We joked that we saw the two miles left sign a couple of times. The switch backs are very deceptive and make it seem like you aren't getting any closer to the top. The trade off is the view. On the eastern face of the mountain you can see out over all of Colorado Springs and you can absolutely see why Katherine Lee Bates wrote her famous poem, America the Beautiful, about this view. 2:20pm: Summit. 13 miles complete. We made it! Exhausted, sore, cold and incredibly proud, our group of four crawled the final steps to make it to the summit of the mountain. We took photos with the summit sign and headed in to the ranger station to get the famous Pikes Peak Donuts before our train ride back down the mountain. It was one of the most difficult things I have even done, but I am really proud that I completed it. I was excited to share the experience to some of my best friends and now I look to the mountain with incredible pride in what we accomplished that day. What I brought: *Tennis Shoes. The trail doesn't require hiking boots, the there's no need to bring the extra weight. *Day pack. *1.5L Camelbak *Small First Aid kit *Cold weather jacket *Granola bars and single serve tuna packets *Plastic bag. Incase it rained on us. *A return ticket on the Cog Rail. By far the best thing we did.
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AuthorJennifer Lenz. Wife. Soldier. World Traveler. Fur Mom. Archives
September 2017
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