After failed trips as a scout and as a scout-herder, I had the summit of Kings to myself on Labor Day. Left at 4:30 am and enjoyed the full moon through the forest - suprised numerous wildlife, and a few bow hunters. Summited around 12:30 and made my back to the truck at 7:30. It was a perfect weather day. Thanks to those I got info from as well as the "Kings in a Day" trip reports I read.

Please help me understand - why would anybody want to do Kings in one day ???

Isn't the funnest part camping overnight beneath the stars, with moose making funny
sounds that keep you up all night?

And if you camp near a lake, you get to hear the buzzing of skeeters attacking you ???

If stuff like that didn't happen to me, then I'd feel severely cheated, and my "wilderness
experience" would disappear like dust in the wind. POOF!

The thread title is misleading

Ditto... I had my hopes up.

Thread title amended. I'm just not as funny as I think I am.

lcarreau wrote:Please help me understand - why would anybody want to do Kings in one day ???

Indeed Larry, the Uintas draw in the freaks for sure. The trip reports prove it. As Captian Kirk once said in that movie with the whales, "Too much LDS in the sixties." But I think he meant LSD...

Nice job!

lcarreau wrote:Please help me understand - why would anybody want to do Kings in one day ???

I haven't hiked Kings yet, so at risk of speculating on what was perhaps a rhetorical question, here's 3 possible reasons, from least to most significant:

1)Overall, it may be less effort to dayhike it than to haul in camping gear.
2)It can be fun to challenge yourself to accomplish something like that in one push.
3)

Layne Bracy wrote:Nice job!

lcarreau wrote:Please help me understand - why would anybody want to do Kings in one day ???

I haven't hiked Kings yet, so at risk of speculating on what was perhaps a rhetorical question, here's 3 possible reasons, from least to most significant:

1)Overall, it may be less effort to dayhike it than to haul in camping gear.
2)It can be fun to challenge yourself to accomplish something like that in one push.
3)

Couldn't have said it any better, and you got the order of significance spot on!

Congrats, glad you got the peak to yourself! Good roundtrip time too. Last month I managed to have the peak to myself on arrival, then once South Kings was reached I looked over at the main summit and there were crowds on it! Traversing back over the main peak was interesting, and the descent to Anderson Pass also as most of the people were making their way up from the Dollar Lake area. Besides the numerous moose in the area, I managed to startle someone's donkey near the Dollar Lake area early in the a.m. on the approach. Very cool dayhike. One thing though, on the way out, those last five or so miles from Elkhorn to the trail head seemed... redundant.

Blair wrote:The thread title is misleading

Blair is absolutely correct! The thread title should read:

"Finally Able To Go Where No Man Has Gone Before in Utah!"

lcarreau wrote:Please help me understand - why would anybody want to do Kings in one day ???

It's only 24.4 miles and 5250' of gain...why *wouldn't* you do it in a day?

I keep kicking around doing 7 of the 13ers in a day...which has been done:
http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/?p=14

1 = Mount Emmons
2 = “North Emmons”
3 = “Roberts Peak”
4 = “Trail Rider Peak”
5 = “Painter Peak”
6 = South Kings Peak
7 = Kings Peak

Looks pretty sweet. And home in time to hang out w/ my kids.

Chris wrote:

lcarreau wrote:Please help me understand - why would anybody want to do Kings in one day ???

It's only 24.4 miles and 5250' of gain...why *wouldn't* you do it in a day?

I keep kicking around doing 7 of the 13ers in a day...which has been done:
http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/?p=14

1 = Mount Emmons
2 = “North Emmons”
3 = “Roberts Peak”
4 = “Trail Rider Peak”
5 = “Painter Peak”
6 = South Kings Peak
7 = Kings Peak

Looks pretty sweet. And home in time to hang out w/ my kids.

And the guy that did this also climbed Timp 5 times in a row in one day, regularly runs 100 mile races, and frequently runs marathons before work. Not that I wouldn't like to give it a try... I'm just sayin'.

Chris wrote:

lcarreau wrote:Please help me understand - why would anybody want to do Kings in one day ???

It's only 24.4 miles and 5250' of gain...why *wouldn't* you do it in a day?

Wow, if that's it, I'd do it in a day too.

Scott Wesemann wrote:
And the guy that did this also climbed Timp 5 times in a row in one day, regularly runs 100 mile races, and frequently runs marathons before work. Not that I wouldn't like to give it a try... I'm just sayin'.

Yes... I've run into Davy at a couple 100 milers. He's a pretty good guy...a strong runner and half nuts. (I do the same stuff, btw... so it's a pretty reasonable trip).

Chris wrote:

lcarreau wrote:Please help me understand - why would anybody want to do Kings in one day ???

It's only 24.4 miles and 5250' of gain...why *wouldn't* you do it in a day?

That's actually not too bad. I prefer day hikes as well since I hardly ever sleep when camping.