Grays and Torreys

One of my favorite parts of living in Colorado is, of course, being so close to the mountains.  Ever since I got back I've been itching to get into the mountains.  So when Nikki asked if I wanted to hike a couple of 14ers last weekend, I didn't hesitate a bit to say YES!  The chosen mountains: Grays Peak and Torreys Peak.  These two peaks are side by side with a saddle in between.  They are also the most crowded trails of all the 14ers in Colorado because of their location and opportunity to summit two mountains in one day.
We loaded up with all our gear early in the morning to avoid afternoon storms.  We were not early enough to avoid the crowd, however.  The road was already packed with cars and hikers, but we were so thankful to have Gabe's 4-wheel drive Spartacus to get us up the rough terrain to the trail head.  Most cars, including the brand new Porsche in front of us, had to give up and park long before the actual trail head parking.  We had a great group of hikers, and we were ready to hit the trail as soon as we got there.

Here we go!

I love the streams for their beauty and their
peaceful trickling.

Quite a crew with quite a backdrop.

Almost unreal

Back in the land of cairns!  Oh how I enjoy them!

They so nicely guide you along the trail
and affirm that you are in the right place.

The peak is in sight, but still quite a climb
ahead of us.

What a goofball! A serious picture with the two of them is
hard to come by.

Another beautifully sunny day to warm us up along the way.

We summited Grays Peak first at 14,270 ft.  Like I said, this was by far the most crowded 14er hike I've ever been on, so there was quite a crowd hanging out at the top.  We happened to make friends with a guy at the top who turned out to be a photographer.  He so kindly offered to do a little photo shoot for us.

Our tough and serious look

We did it!

Yippee!  Throw your leg in the air!

And it has become tradition for Nikki and I to have our signature summit picture.

Of course we spent a little time just taking in the incredible view all around.

You could see the ski slopes off the the west.

The crowd at the top

 I did not forget the mango either.  This time I brought chips and mango salsa.  I think I might make this a standard.  Chips and salsa taste amazing after a hike up the mountain!

Mmm, mango!!!

We couldn't dilly dally too long if we wanted to summit Torreys before the clouds built up to much.  So off we went to go down the saddle and up the other side.

More cairns to guide us up the other side

There's still snow up there in July

I even got to hold some!  It had been quite some time since
I had touched snow.

 Within an hour we were standing atop Torreys Peak at 14,267 feet.  This one had a register to record that we had been to the top.

It's official and on my dad's birthday!

My fascination with cairns and Grays in the
background.

All smiles

More picturesque views

Another crowd at the top, but great for getting other
people to take pictures for you

After a little rest and taking in the beauty of creation, it was time to head down.  The clouds were building before our eyes.

Down we go!  Stay strong legs!

No marmots today, but these cute little pikas chirped
at us along the way

This was certainly another great hike with great people.  It was a "just right" trail - not too hard and not too easy.  The weather was ideal.  The views were beyond words.  There's just nothing quite like spending a day in the mountains enjoying the great outdoors.