Pikes Peak: August 2011

Start of Trail: Manitou Springs about 6,300 feet elevation End of Trail: Pikes Peak 14,100 feet elevation

I set out on the Barr Trail on a Thursday, August 2011 for a two-day hike up Pikes Peak. The base of the trail starts in Manitou Springs, just west of Colorado Springs. The trail gains over 7,800 feet of elevation in almost 13 miles up the mountain. I only had one day to acclimatize to the altitude by spending the day and night at Mueller State Park at 9,000 feet and taking an eight mile day hike.

Starting in Manitou Springs, the goal of day one is to hike to Barr Camp approximately 6.5 miles up the mountain. The first three miles prove to be challenging and the pack feels heavy within the first mile. Descriptions of the trail say not to get discouraged on the first part of the trail and with this encouragement I push upward on the mountain. The trail is more exposed then I would have thought and my late start increases the intensity of the sun beating down on my face.

After the first three miles the elevation levels and the next two miles are the easiest of the hike. There is a noticeable increase in aspen and ponderosa pines to give some shade. I walk past small creeks and open meadows with wildflowers. My late start also means I am more likely to encounter thunderstorms. The rain starts light and the storms look like they will blow by. However, the thunder increases, winds start to blow and the storms move closer. Very glad I am carrying the extra weight of rain gear I get my gear on and find a spot under a tree to wait out the storm. Any heat I was feeling before is gone quickly as the temperatures drop and the rain cools me off. 15 minutes later the storms ease and I start back on the trail.

Four hours from the start I arrive at Barr Camp, elevation 10,200 feet. Built by Fred Barr in the 1920's the camp is a basic cabin maintained by year-round caretakers. It is a welcome site. I find a spot to set up my tent and take an unplanned 30 minute nap. Hiking up the mountain is much harder then my level hike the day before. The camp cooks dinner (for a small fee) and I have a big plate of spaghetti and garlic bread while listening to stories from hikers who hiked the summit that morning. Several hikers above the tree line had to scramble to safety during the thunderstorms that afternoon.

There is a stream by the camp so I re-fill my water bottles and they have a composting toilet. Very nice for the middle of nowhere. As the sun goes down it gets cold very quickly (cold for my 100 plus degree lifestyle back home). Wool long-underwear, wool socks, wool hat, pants, and a shirt all are needed as I snuggle into my sleeping bag for the night. I stayed warm all night and the only thing I could have asked for is a pillow.

The alarm goes off at 6 AM and this is the big day- will I make it to the summit? So hard to get out of my sleeping bag but breakfast and the mountain are waiting.

The cold is quickly gone as the work is hard from the start. Leaving the camp, the trail climbs up the mountains and through the trees. After three miles of climbing I get my first real look at the summit. Wait, that is how much higher I have to go?! So much easier when the true height of the mountain is concealed by the trees. As I approach the tree line the trees start to thin out and are shorter as they are replaced by small alpine plants growing between the rocks. I start having doubts now that I can see what stills remains.

Once above the tree line, I find a second wind and the hiking feels easier for the next half mile. From this height I can see hidden lakes on distant mountains as well as all of Colorado Springs to the east. I am on top of the world.

The ease of the hiking is short lived and soon every step feels harder. My pace slows and the need to rest increases. I come to the last two miles and I know I can make it with so little left. But each step becomes harder as I feel dizzy and nauseous. All my energy is focused on a steady pace up the mountain. I am frequently reminded that I am on the face of a mountain with big drop-offs only a few feet from the trail. I keep checking my watch and altering my projected time to the summit. It is recommended to be off the summit by noon so you have enough time to get back to the tree line before afternoon thunderstorms. The clock is going faster than I am.

I come to the last mile with the sign reading 13,300 feet. One mile, I take a short break, my head is spinning. I can make one mile and I get-up and continue. Every step is harder. I reach the end of a long traverse along the east face of the peak and see a series of switchbacks. I look up and the summit seems so close but the hikers ahead of me are going straight up the mountain. I am close to the 16 golden stairs, a series of steep, tight switchbacks to the top. Only about 3/4 of a mile left, I am around 13,500 feet but the altitude sickness is getting the best of me. The previous mile I kept telling myself "don't fall of the mountain."

This is far as I make it, 13,500 feet. Being dizzy on the side of the mountain is not a good feeling. There is a reason trees do not grow this high, there is no oxygen. I take a few pictures and start heading back down. Another time I will make the final 600 feet of this hike but not today. I still have 12 miles of hiking ahead of me.

I start back down the mountain and the hike feels easier and easier as I approach the tree line, yea for oxygen! I notice things I did not notice before as I was working so hard hiking up the mountain. I get back down to Barr Camp and I take a break and pull out my lunch packed the day before. I could really go for a nap but I still have 6.5 miles to go before sunset.

My legs are getting a little jellylike but knowing I am almost to the "easy" two miles of the trail I am motivated to keep going. The last three miles take almost as long to go downhill as they took going uphill. My feet are killing me and my legs are dead as I finish the steep end of the trail. Once off the mountain, I splurge on a hotel room for the night.

Other Photos from Colorado Springs trip: