{"id":3571,"date":"2015-01-05T20:35:17","date_gmt":"2015-01-06T01:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/?p=3571"},"modified":"2015-09-07T21:47:59","modified_gmt":"2015-09-08T02:47:59","slug":"colorado-discoveries-44-pikes-peak-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2015\/01\/colorado-discoveries-44-pikes-peak-hike.html","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Discoveries 44: Hiking the Pikes Peak Barr Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>

The view from the top of a 14er has an entirely different meaning when you hike up!<\/p><\/div>\n

Pikes Peak.<\/p>\n

The inspiration for the poem that eventually became “America the Beautiful.”\u00a0(Did you know that?<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>

This mountain stares at us almost daily. Why not\u00a0hike up to the top?<\/p><\/div>\n

This 14,110′ mountain towers over the city of Colorado Springs and greets us every day on our drives to work. We have a decent view of the mountain from our back deck and from the 2nd floor of our house.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A view of Pikes Peak (on the far right) from the 2nd floor of our house.<\/p><\/div>\n

Colorado has over 50 “14ers<\/a>“, which is the affectionate nickname for the state’s 14,000’+ mountains. Pikes Peak is the 30th tallest\u00a0of the Colorado Fourteeners, but has the second highest “prominence<\/a>” in the state, with only Mount Elbert having a higher prominence. In other words, climbing Pikes Peak takes a bit more vertical effort\u00a0than most of the others.<\/p>\n

For Dave’s 40th birthday, he invited a group of friends to join us on a hike up the 13-mile Barr Trail from Manitou Springs to the peak. This isn’t a casual walk — while the first 9 miles or so are straightforward, once you go above about 11,000′ the trees disappear and you’re exposed to the elements — wide open.<\/p>\n

We made it to the top at about 1:30pm on Dave’s 40th birthday. It was an unforgettable experience. Read on about our hike.<\/p>\n

There ended up being four of us making the climb. Dave, our friend Paige, our sponsor cadet Rob, and me. We left the house at 5am and made it to the parking area at about 5:30am…it was still dark when we started.<\/p>\n

\"Sunrise<\/a>

Sunrise over Colorado Springs from the Barr Trail. There was a beautiful\u00a0sun pillar<\/a> present, but I didn’t capture it very well. This was about 15-20 minutes into our hike.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Much of the middle part of the trail looks like this. It doesn’t look that bad, does it? We are traveling between 7000-9000′ elevation here.<\/p><\/div>\n

Near the midpoint of the trail is the Barr Camp<\/a>. It’s just above\u00a010,000′ elevation and is a popular resting spot. You can rent cabin space or pitch at tent at the camp to make this a two-day hike. Just be prepared to carry everything up to the camp. We had some snacks and filled our water bottles\/Camelbaks at the creek that flows through the camp.<\/p>\n

The Barr Camp is a great way to split a hike into two days. There are plenty of accommodation opportunities and you can even pay for a hot dinner. Dave and I are considering the Barr Camp as a way to introduce our boys to this hike when they’re older. It only takes about 3 hours to get to the camp from the trailhead, and then families can\u00a0summit and then get back down to the camp in the same day. That way, you only need to carry the overnight gear as far up as Barr Camp.<\/p>\n

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After some much-needed rest (about 30 minutes) we continued upwards.<\/p>\n

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We saw the top of the treeline looming…<\/p><\/div>\n

\"At<\/a>

At about 11500′ elevation hikers will come across the “A-Frame” shelter. Another popular resting point, and another chance to refuel and catch your breath before the last 2500′.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Resting<\/a>

Resting before the final stretch.<\/p><\/div>\n

Not far past the A-Frame you pass the tree line. There is a height above which there isn’t enough oxygen, nor is the weather cooperative for, tree growth. You have mainly low-lying grasses and flowers. But nothing to protect you against the elements.<\/p>\n

The last three miles…which is also the last 2500′ of elevation…is absolutely brutal. This took us about 2 hours.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>

This is the perfect picture of what the above-treeline hike is like on the Barr Trail. Rocks, rocks, and more rocks.<\/p><\/div>\n

I’m going to give you my list of observations about the hike above the tree line:<\/p>\n