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| Hiking | 8.60 Miles |
3,662 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.60 Miles | 7 Hrs 50 Mns | | 1.57 mph |
| 3,662 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 22 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | We made the short drive up from the valley Friday night to knock out Katie and her friends first 14er. We opted for the Grizzly Gulch approach to Handies to avoid the rough road to the American Basin TH.
We got a pretty late start (6:14 a.m.) by 14er standards, but with two straight sunny days in the forecast and not even a mention of rain, we felt we could cheat a little on our start time. We kept a very pedestrian pace and took extended breaks after each of the first three miles to make sure it was a good experience for Katie and her friend. The strategy paid off and we all made the summit on about as good a day one can ask for in those mountains in the summer. We spent a few minutes on the summit and then repositioned to a slightly lower elevation to get away from the crowds, where we took yet another extended break. We actually took well over two hours worth of breaks on the day and really took in our surroundings and tried to enjoy the area to the fullest. Handies was the only thing scheduled for this long weekend trip, so we were in no rush to get back to driving.
The first mile or so coming down from Handies is a bit steep and hard on the knees, but the views are pretty stunning and it goes by quickly. We took another nice long break at one of the tarns below Handies, before finally making a meaningful attempt at finishing our hike, however, a nice display of wildflowers along the way slowed our pace.
The final stretch to the trailhead got a little warm and my knee could have done without the "stairs," but it was still a pleasant final couple of miles through the woods. Dot was appreciative of the crystal clear waters of the Lake Fork upon our return.
Notes
I must be getting less adventurous, because I can't ever imagine driving the additional 4.5 miles to American Basin after covering the first four miles of that rough road to Grizzly Gulch.
The amount of people who hiked up from American Basin was astounding to me, all of the parking areas on that side of the mountain appeared to be packed from up top. Its definitely the favored route for this 14er, in spite of the road. The summit was also dominated by people who had hiked up from that side. We only ran into a handful of parties all day on the Grizzly Gulch Approach, which was a pleasant surprise for a Saturday in Colorado.
I thought this was a pretty superb 14er with an excellent trail and some pretty stunning views. I would put it near the top of my personal favorites for sure.
A little bad luck on the drive up. I hit a deer coming down Wolf Creek Pass. I will need some body work, but no other major damage. I hit the poor guy on my birthday too; not much I could have done about this one though, I could only break firmly and not swerve. |
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Wildflowers Observation Substantial
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