Today's hike up the peak was a windy blast. Ellen had asked if I wanted to hike up the peak with her a few days ago. Since I didn't hike up the summit last week, I immediately said yes. Like she said, this peak is close by, one gets a work-out and one still has most of the day ahead of them. This was also a great way to get my monthly trek up this summit out of the way.
There were three of us: Ellen, her friend Otto, and I. A fourth person never showed up.
We got to the trailhead just before 9am. The colors were clearly past their prime. The aspens were naked and the ash were now in their yellow hues. Many of the ebony oaks were brown. Columbines were edged in red. The salvias were gone. In fact, we saw very little wildlife except for a few butterflies. No raptors, no rodents. Just lots of people wanting to get to the peak or to Miller a few more miles away.
The wind picked up 1/2 mile from the peak. Ellen and I had to hold on to our hats as we scurried up to the summit. The AmeriCorp workers from last month had cleared all the downed trees for us, which made getting to the top a lot easier.
Several young people were at the summit. The gal took our photos. They were on their way up to Miller Peak, making their hike 12+ miles.
Ellen and I agreed to get together before the end of the year and tackle Miller peak. From the upper Reef campground it's a 12-mile hike to Miller Peak. I'd like to get it done in November before it gets too cold. I'm stoked to have found a like-minded woman who hikes at my pace and who enjoys getting out even for last-minute hikes. Even Otto seems to be a strong hiker and I'm sure I'll see him again.
I met Jeffrey on the way down. He and his wife Cyndi had joined me and several others up the Marshall Gulch trail in August. Today he was going to the peak with another man, but Cyndi was at work and the black lab stayed at home.
We made it back to our cars around 12:10pm, so the entire hike was no more than three hours long. Now that's what I call a work-out.
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