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
Brian, hiking through aspens
Looking southward from the trail
Brad and Tracy, ascending towards the summit
Shari and Brad cresting a burm
Brian, Brad, Lonny, and Lisa
Ice Mountain, surrounded by clouds
Antero and Shavano in the distance
Shari and Tracy climbing up a steep section of trail
Clouds enveloping us
Brad, looking up towards the saddle
Brad, ascending through the clouds
Lisa, reaching the saddle
Scrambling up towards the summit
Ice crystals on a rock
Tracy, and her new friend from Chicago
Brian and Shari, scrambling
Finally reaching the summit
Lisa, reaching the summit of Mt. Yale
Tracy, receiving her birthday cookies on the summit
Brad and Shari, with Harvard and Columbia in the backdrop
Lisa, Lonny, Shari, Brad, Brian, and Tracy on the summit
Lisa and Brian (with Harvard and Columbia in the backdrop)
Lonny, pointing to the trailhead
Downclimbing off the summit
Lonny and Shari
Tracy and Brian
Shari watching as Lonny and Brad build a snowman
Lonny and Brad building a snowman
Brad and Lonny's snowman (snow-cairn?)
Back on dry land
Brad and Shari
The storm catches up to us at treeline
A curious squirrel
Brian, taking a break on the descent
Tracy, crossing the log bridge
The "pink" ladies: Lisa, Tracy, and Shari
Tracy, enjoying her celebratory beer and cookies!
Tracy's birthday cookies, enjoyed back at the trailhead (after being hauled all the way up the mountain)
