Scott - Jan 2, 2005 9:02 pm Date Climbed: Jan 1, 2005
Pikes
December 31 2004-January 2 2005
Good 3-day hike with the CMC. My only complaint was too much snoring at Barr Camp. Had to leave at night and slept right on the snow (with a pad) under the stars.
May 25-27 2013
May 25
Today Kessler, Shaylee, Kimberly and I hiked up to Barr Camp. The worst part was finding a place to park! The parking lots in Manitou Springs where they have a free shuttle don’t allow overnight parking. All the lots near the trailhead were full. We ended up parking at the Rodeway Inn at the east side of town and walking all the way to the nearest shuttle stop.
The trail was in good conditions, but with lots of runners to dodge. The crowds thinned out after the junction with the top of the Incline.
Along the way to Barr Camp, there was a nice looking rock peak that I just had to climb. The rest of the family waited behind while I climbed it. After the short side climb, it wasn’t far to Barr Camp.
We spent the rest of the afternoon playing horseshoes and other games.
May 26
The plan was for us all to climb Pikes Peak and have a nice lunch on top, but Kessler said that he didn't feel well in the morning. Because her brother wasn't going to go Shaylee didn't either.
I would climb the peak alone. Unfortunately, I hung around for breakfast at Barr Camp which would make the snow softer without an early start.
I climbed up the mountain and there wasn't much snow until timberline. After that there was a lot of snow and some postholing. Because the night before was a warm 46F, the snow was really soft and wet. Most people on the mountain turned back, but several made it including a 7 year old girl.
On top I had a nice lunch bought some presents for the rest of the family whom were waiting down at Barr Camp. After that it was soon good glissading down the mountain and a routine walk back. We all played games and cards in the afternoon and evening.
May 27
Today we packed up and headed down the mountain. We climbed a minor subpeak on the way down in order to have a good view of Pikes, but it was just a short side trip and an unranked peak.
Again, once we got to the top of the Incline, there were many joggers to dodge. Near the end we witnessed a rescue on the Incline.
At the bottom we walked to the shuttle stop and took the shuttle into town. The walk to the Rodeway Inn seemed a lot longer going back than it did on the way up.
Route Climbed: Road Date Climbed: October 14, 2001
Pikes Peak is an ideal mountain for a geezer 68 years old. I left my wife in bed with a bad cold at the motel in Colorado Springs and in a Lincoln Continental drove passed the unmanned toll gate early in the morning and loitered for more than an hour inside the restaurant half way up until a road crew gave me permission to continue toward the top. Twenty minutes later I pulled into the summit parking lot and teetered around dizzily gasping for breath for over an hour as more motorists made it to the summit. I triumphantly posed for a picture in front of the restaurant next to the sign announcing Pikes Peak and its altitude above sea level before undertaking the arduous descent that numbed my forearms holding fast to the steering wheel. Upon my return to the motel, the only comment my wife had about my triumph was "what kept you?"
I can't imagine why one would want to hike or run to the top of Pikes Peak when one can get up there in the sedentary comfort of a luxury car. It's not that I am lazy. In my youth I scaled a number of famous peaks. However I always chose the easiest way up. For example at age 21 with the help of a guide I climbed the Matterhorn via the Hornli Ridge. Earlier I had climbed the Grand Teton and Mount Rainier, both with guides. On the Mexican volcanoes of Popocatepetl and Orizaba I did not need a guide. In 1959 I roped up Mont Blanc from the Refuge de Gouter between two German luftwaffe officers. In the Andes I climbed Huayna Potosi, Vallunaraju, and Huascaran with experienced climbers. However in old age with heart problems I must get my mountaineering buzz behind the wheel of a luxury car or leasurely browse the photographs in Summitpost.
Route Climbed: Barr Trail from Manitou Springs Date Climbed: September 26, 2004
Hiked up the Barr Trail from Manitou Springs on a partly cloudy day. Having moved to Colorado Springs earlier in the year this was the third time I'd summited the great peak that is visible from my master bedroom. What a view every morning!
Route Climbed: Pikes Peak Ascent from downtown Manitou Springs Date Climbed: August 22, 2004
Did the Pikes Peak Ascent for the first time. Crazy! It was like a cattle drive to the summit. Definitely one of the tougher things I've ever done. I only managed to run the first 2 miles and the middle 3.
13.32 miles, 7,815 vertical feet. It hurts just to see those numbers....
Route Climbed: Crags Date Climbed: December 29, 2002
What a great hike! Packed trail and little snow negated the need for snowshoes or crampons. Overcast for the lower elevations, but at ~12,000 ft we popped out over the clouds and had sunshine the remainder of the hike. VERY, VERY, cold though with high winds. Was very thankful for my balaclava and goggles. Kind of eerie at the top with the gift shop shutdown and not a soul to be found...I'm so used to 100's of tourists milling about with donuts and cigarettes in hand. :)
Route Climbed: Northwest Slopes Date Climbed: June 3, 2000
My first time climbing this mountain from Crags Campground took 4.5 hours to the summit. We met family at the summit and got a ride down, but estimated about 2 hours to get back to the trailhead.
The route was a bit murky at first after crossing the stream, but once we got onto the old mining road, the route was apparent. My last time on this route there were better signs pointing the way, and there were alot more people on this route versus the standard Barr Trail route.
Route Climbed: Northwest Slopes Date Climbed: July 14, 2001
Started from Crags Campground, and ascended to the summit in about 6 hours. Lots of kids on this route - some who did not know where the summit was. Clouds moved in later in the day even though there were still climbers enroute.
Route Climbed: Barr Trail Date Climbed: June or July 1998 or 1999
Good hike- really long. We had a van waiting for us at the summit. So it was just a one way trip. A guy in the group brought a 5000 ci pack and ended up having the female leader carry it (along with two other packs) to the summit.
started off with beautiful weather and ended up with a few hikers near hipothermic. Wind, sleet and snow the last 750 vert. feet.
Route Climbed: Barr Trail Date Climbed: September 26, 2004
Hiked to the Barr camp on Saturday September 25, 2004 and spent the night at the camp. The hike was very easy and the trail was as good as any I've hiked. Sunday September 26, 2004 my Dad and I were on the trail at 5:45am and made the summit in 4.5 hours with a long break along the way. After spending an hour on the summit and eating a doughnut in the cafeteria we started on our way down. 2.5 hours to the Barr camp and then another 2 hours to the car. This was my 53rd 14er summit which now just leaves Culebra.
It was cold and windy, but the sky was so clear: no rain, no thunderstorm; blue sky. I stayed there for couple hours. Saw people getting out from the tram, took some nice pictures.
We started at 4 AM, and we got to watch the sunrise from Devil's Playground. Absolutely stunning views! This was my first 14er, and I'm looking forward to many more.
Route Climbed: Barr Trail Date Climbed: September 2003
I started out at 6:00 am towards the Barr Camp. After recahing the Barr Camp, we camped in bivy's to get use to the altitude. In the moring we hiked to the shelter (base camp) and ditched our heavy items. After hiding out stuff, we hiked the rest of the way to the top. After an hour break at the top, we hiked back down and stayed the night at the shelter. In the moring we hiked out. WOW!!!! This is a great climb!!!!
We drove up that road there in about 1967. A tour service brought us up and I'll never forget getting up there in that ol' black 60s car. Plus, I recall seeing the white Pikes Peak from the distance. I was only about 3 years old.
Route Climbed: Northwest Slopes (Crags) Date Climbed: May 23, 2004
Great day to go to the top, despite late start. Route finding was a little difficult with all the snow that is still up there. Had a bacon cheeseburger and fries at the summit restaurant that were not half bad! Great company on the way down with Jim and Tim.
The Barr Trail, albeit busy, was a wonderful hike. We backpacked up to Barr Camp the first day and day hiked up the next. Great hike...the top is a little anti-climatic as you have to find the summit in the middle of a parking lot, but that's the way it goes.
Route Climbed: Barr Trail Date Climbed: 8 May 2004
Climbed solo, one-day from Barr Trailhead. Reached Barr Camp after 2hrs 20min...summit after 7hrs 15min. I was fifth to summit that day and followed everyone else's route straight up the East Face which was soft and fairly deep. Strangely, nobody else was using snowshoes.
Route Climbed: Northwest Slopes Date Climbed: June 2002
My second time to summit (on foot), first time to descend on foot. I recommend this route over the Barr Trail, by far. Driving up the road is enjoyable too, if you're not into hiking.
Scott - Jan 2, 2005 9:02 pm Date Climbed: Jan 1, 2005
PikesDecember 31 2004-January 2 2005
Good 3-day hike with the CMC. My only complaint was too much snoring at Barr Camp. Had to leave at night and slept right on the snow (with a pad) under the stars.
May 25-27 2013
May 25
Today Kessler, Shaylee, Kimberly and I hiked up to Barr Camp. The worst part was finding a place to park! The parking lots in Manitou Springs where they have a free shuttle don’t allow overnight parking. All the lots near the trailhead were full. We ended up parking at the Rodeway Inn at the east side of town and walking all the way to the nearest shuttle stop.
The trail was in good conditions, but with lots of runners to dodge. The crowds thinned out after the junction with the top of the Incline.
Along the way to Barr Camp, there was a nice looking rock peak that I just had to climb. The rest of the family waited behind while I climbed it. After the short side climb, it wasn’t far to Barr Camp.
We spent the rest of the afternoon playing horseshoes and other games.
May 26
The plan was for us all to climb Pikes Peak and have a nice lunch on top, but Kessler said that he didn't feel well in the morning. Because her brother wasn't going to go Shaylee didn't either.
I would climb the peak alone. Unfortunately, I hung around for breakfast at Barr Camp which would make the snow softer without an early start.
I climbed up the mountain and there wasn't much snow until timberline. After that there was a lot of snow and some postholing. Because the night before was a warm 46F, the snow was really soft and wet. Most people on the mountain turned back, but several made it including a 7 year old girl.
On top I had a nice lunch bought some presents for the rest of the family whom were waiting down at Barr Camp. After that it was soon good glissading down the mountain and a routine walk back. We all played games and cards in the afternoon and evening.
May 27
Today we packed up and headed down the mountain. We climbed a minor subpeak on the way down in order to have a good view of Pikes, but it was just a short side trip and an unranked peak.
Again, once we got to the top of the Incline, there were many joggers to dodge. Near the end we witnessed a rescue on the Incline.
At the bottom we walked to the shuttle stop and took the shuttle into town. The walk to the Rodeway Inn seemed a lot longer going back than it did on the way up.
April Simmons - Dec 31, 2004 11:03 pm
Route Climbed: Barr Trail Date Climbed: September 16, 2002The view from the top was nice, except for the dust.
Nyle Walton - Nov 24, 2004 11:57 am
Route Climbed: Road Date Climbed: October 14, 2001Pikes Peak is an ideal mountain for a geezer 68 years old. I left my wife in bed with a bad cold at the motel in Colorado Springs and in a Lincoln Continental drove passed the unmanned toll gate early in the morning and loitered for more than an hour inside the restaurant half way up until a road crew gave me permission to continue toward the top. Twenty minutes later I pulled into the summit parking lot and teetered around dizzily gasping for breath for over an hour as more motorists made it to the summit. I triumphantly posed for a picture in front of the restaurant next to the sign announcing Pikes Peak and its altitude above sea level before undertaking the arduous descent that numbed my forearms holding fast to the steering wheel. Upon my return to the motel, the only comment my wife had about my triumph was "what kept you?"
I can't imagine why one would want to hike or run to the top of Pikes Peak when one can get up there in the sedentary comfort of a luxury car. It's not that I am lazy. In my youth I scaled a number of famous peaks. However I always chose the easiest way up. For example at age 21 with the help of a guide I climbed the Matterhorn via the Hornli Ridge. Earlier I had climbed the Grand Teton and Mount Rainier, both with guides. On the Mexican volcanoes of Popocatepetl and Orizaba I did not need a guide. In 1959 I roped up Mont Blanc from the Refuge de Gouter between two German luftwaffe officers. In the Andes I climbed Huayna Potosi, Vallunaraju, and Huascaran with experienced climbers. However in old age with heart problems I must get my mountaineering buzz behind the wheel of a luxury car or leasurely browse the photographs in Summitpost.
csmcgranahan - Oct 31, 2004 9:43 pm
Route Climbed: Barr Trail from Manitou Springs Date Climbed: September 26, 2004Hiked up the Barr Trail from Manitou Springs on a partly cloudy day. Having moved to Colorado Springs earlier in the year this was the third time I'd summited the great peak that is visible from my master bedroom. What a view every morning!
Ed F - Oct 24, 2004 12:32 pm
Route Climbed: Pikes Peak Ascent from downtown Manitou Springs Date Climbed: August 22, 2004Did the Pikes Peak Ascent for the first time. Crazy! It was like a cattle drive to the summit. Definitely one of the tougher things I've ever done. I only managed to run the first 2 miles and the middle 3.
13.32 miles, 7,815 vertical feet. It hurts just to see those numbers....
Natasha - Oct 14, 2004 2:52 pm
Route Climbed: Crags Date Climbed: December 29, 2002What a great hike! Packed trail and little snow negated the need for snowshoes or crampons. Overcast for the lower elevations, but at ~12,000 ft we popped out over the clouds and had sunshine the remainder of the hike. VERY, VERY, cold though with high winds. Was very thankful for my balaclava and goggles. Kind of eerie at the top with the gift shop shutdown and not a soul to be found...I'm so used to 100's of tourists milling about with donuts and cigarettes in hand. :)
mr_g - Oct 12, 2004 10:03 am
Route Climbed: Northwest Slopes Date Climbed: June 3, 2000My first time climbing this mountain from Crags Campground took 4.5 hours to the summit. We met family at the summit and got a ride down, but estimated about 2 hours to get back to the trailhead.
The route was a bit murky at first after crossing the stream, but once we got onto the old mining road, the route was apparent. My last time on this route there were better signs pointing the way, and there were alot more people on this route versus the standard Barr Trail route.
mr_g - Oct 12, 2004 8:51 am
Route Climbed: Northwest Slopes Date Climbed: July 14, 2001Started from Crags Campground, and ascended to the summit in about 6 hours. Lots of kids on this route - some who did not know where the summit was. Clouds moved in later in the day even though there were still climbers enroute.
neoday - Sep 30, 2004 2:53 pm
Route Climbed: Barr Trail Date Climbed: June or July 1998 or 1999Good hike- really long. We had a van waiting for us at the summit. So it was just a one way trip. A guy in the group brought a 5000 ci pack and ended up having the female leader carry it (along with two other packs) to the summit.
started off with beautiful weather and ended up with a few hikers near hipothermic. Wind, sleet and snow the last 750 vert. feet.
xskier77 - Sep 27, 2004 11:20 pm
Route Climbed: Barr Trail Date Climbed: September 26, 2004Hiked to the Barr camp on Saturday September 25, 2004 and spent the night at the camp. The hike was very easy and the trail was as good as any I've hiked. Sunday September 26, 2004 my Dad and I were on the trail at 5:45am and made the summit in 4.5 hours with a long break along the way. After spending an hour on the summit and eating a doughnut in the cafeteria we started on our way down. 2.5 hours to the Barr camp and then another 2 hours to the car. This was my 53rd 14er summit which now just leaves Culebra.
pusdkq6ee - Aug 20, 2004 3:35 pm
Route Climbed: Drive up Date Climbed: 8-13-04It was cold and windy, but the sky was so clear: no rain, no thunderstorm; blue sky. I stayed there for couple hours. Saw people getting out from the tram, took some nice pictures.
ashumack - Aug 9, 2004 12:50 pm
Route Climbed: Crags Date Climbed: August 8, 2004We started at 4 AM, and we got to watch the sunrise from Devil's Playground. Absolutely stunning views! This was my first 14er, and I'm looking forward to many more.
Tbacon251 - Jul 26, 2004 1:59 am
Route Climbed: Barr Trail Date Climbed: September 2003I started out at 6:00 am towards the Barr Camp. After recahing the Barr Camp, we camped in bivy's to get use to the altitude. In the moring we hiked to the shelter (base camp) and ditched our heavy items. After hiding out stuff, we hiked the rest of the way to the top. After an hour break at the top, we hiked back down and stayed the night at the shelter. In the moring we hiked out. WOW!!!! This is a great climb!!!!
RobertCharlesAltman - Jun 22, 2004 12:15 am
Route Climbed: Toll Road Date Climbed: About 1967We drove up that road there in about 1967. A tour service brought us up and I'll never forget getting up there in that ol' black 60s car. Plus, I recall seeing the white Pikes Peak from the distance. I was only about 3 years old.
mmoerk - Jun 8, 2004 4:08 am
Route Climbed: West Fork Date Climbed: June 6, 2004Beautiful day along a great route. This was my 3rd summit of Pikes via my 3rd route. Had to hurry to avoid sudden thunderstorms on the way down.
shanrickv - May 23, 2004 9:36 pm
Route Climbed: Northwest Slopes (Crags) Date Climbed: May 23, 2004Great day to go to the top, despite late start. Route finding was a little difficult with all the snow that is still up there. Had a bacon cheeseburger and fries at the summit restaurant that were not half bad! Great company on the way down with Jim and Tim.
DaveC - May 21, 2004 9:17 pm
Route Climbed: crags (W) Date Climbed: aug 02my final 14er for the grand slam, actually 55th at the time. uneventful, but satisfying.
sbkelley - May 12, 2004 3:02 pm
Route Climbed: Barr Trail Date Climbed: July 2001The Barr Trail, albeit busy, was a wonderful hike. We backpacked up to Barr Camp the first day and day hiked up the next. Great hike...the top is a little anti-climatic as you have to find the summit in the middle of a parking lot, but that's the way it goes.
bc44caesar - May 9, 2004 11:31 pm
Route Climbed: Barr Trail Date Climbed: 8 May 2004Climbed solo, one-day from Barr Trailhead. Reached Barr Camp after 2hrs 20min...summit after 7hrs 15min. I was fifth to summit that day and followed everyone else's route straight up the East Face which was soft and fairly deep. Strangely, nobody else was using snowshoes.
Larry V - Apr 18, 2004 4:16 pm
Route Climbed: Northwest Slopes Date Climbed: June 2002My second time to summit (on foot), first time to descend on foot. I recommend this route over the Barr Trail, by far. Driving up the road is enjoyable too, if you're not into hiking.