The previous day, Lisa, Lonny, Jim, and I tried climbing Mt. Princeton (a few miles south) and was turned back by foul weather. This morning was cooler, but far clearer.
We met Shari, Brad and Tracy at the trailhead, and Jim declined to join us for this hike. The temperature was in the mid 30's most of the morning, but the sunshine (and gruelling hike) kept us warm.
Tracy, Shari, Lonny, and Brad (nearly falling over) crossing a stream
Photo by Lisa Davis
9-10-2006 7:16 am
Brian, hiking through aspens
Photo by Lisa Davis
9-10-2006 7:41 am
Looking southward from the trail
9-10-2006 8:28 am
Brad and Tracy, ascending towards the summit
9-10-2006 8:52 am
Shari and Brad cresting a burm
9-10-2006 9:03 am
Brian, Brad, Lonny, and Lisa
Photo by Tracy Slaughter
9-10-2006 9:16 am
Ice Mountain, surrounded by clouds
9-10-2006 9:33 am
Antero and Shavano in the distance
9-10-2006 9:58 am
Shari and Tracy climbing up a steep section of trail
Well, actually all of the trail was steep...
9-10-2006 9:58 am
Clouds enveloping us
9-10-2006 10:13 am
Brad, looking up towards the saddle
Photo by Lonny Jacobson
9-10-2006 10:14 am
Brad, ascending through the clouds
9-10-2006 10:17 am
9-10-2006 10:20 am
Lisa, reaching the saddle
Photo by Lonny Jacobson
9-10-2006 10:35 am
Scrambling up towards the summit
9-10-2006 10:49 am
Ice crystals on a rock
...but is it art?
Photo by Brad Post
9-10-2006 10:59 am
Tracy, and her new friend from Chicago
9-10-2006 11:01 am
Brian and Shari, scrambling
Photo by Lisa Davis
9-10-2006 11:02 am
Finally reaching the summit
9-10-2006 11:07 am
Lisa, reaching the summit of Mt. Yale
Photo by Brad Post
9-10-2006 11:09 am
Tracy, receiving her birthday cookies on the summit
9-10-2006 11:21 am
Brad and Shari, with Harvard and Columbia in the backdrop
Photo by Brad Post
9-10-2006 11:24 am
Lisa, Lonny, Shari, Brad, Brian, and Tracy on the summit
Photo by Tracy Slaughter
9-10-2006 11:24 am
Lisa and Brian (with Harvard and Columbia in the backdrop)
9-10-2006 11:25 am
Lonny, pointing to the trailhead
9-10-2006 11:27 am
Downclimbing off the summit
Photo by Brad Post
9-10-2006 11:45 am
Lonny and Shari
Photo by Lisa Davis
9-10-2006 11:49 am
Tracy and Brian
Photo by Lisa Davis
9-10-2006 11:49 am
Shari watching as Lonny and Brad build a snowman
9-10-2006 12:01 pm
Lonny and Brad building a snowman
Photo by Shari Post
9-10-2006 12:02 pm
9-10-2006 12:04 pm
Brad and Lonny's snowman (snow-cairn?)
Photo by Tracy Slaughter
9-10-2006 12:12 pm
Back on dry land
9-10-2006 12:45 pm
Brad and Shari
Photo by Tracy Slaughter
9-10-2006 12:54 pm
The storm catches up to us at treeline
Photo by Lonny Jacobson
9-10-2006 1:15 pm
9-10-2006 1:48 pm
A curious squirrel
Photo by Lisa Davis
9-10-2006 1:58 pm
Brian, taking a break on the descent
Photo by Tracy Slaughter
9-10-2006 2:10 pm
Tracy, crossing the log bridge
9-10-2006 2:13 pm
The "pink" ladies: Lisa, Tracy, and Shari
Photo by Brad Post
9-10-2006 2:14 pm
Tracy, enjoying her celebratory beer and cookies!
9-10-2006 2:46 pm
Tracy's birthday cookies, enjoyed back at the trailhead (after being hauled all the way up the mountain)
We sang Happy Birthday to Tracy on the summit and gave her the cookies, but a storm was imminent, so we descended quickly to beat it. We didn"t get a chance to stop and enjoy the cookies till we were all the way down!