Highest State Peaks: September 2007

One more peak done...only 46 to go. Even after having a few days to recoup, I can't stop thinking that I should move on to the peaks in the Eastern States, but that's only because my knees are still kaput.

Anyway, here's a brief summary of our trip:

Day 1 - August 30, 2007
Day 1 consisted of just driving 550 miles from Las Vegas to the trailhead. Shaun arrived at my house a little earlier than expected at 5:30 AM. He claims to have left work a little early to make the 6 hour drive from Phoenix, but knowing Shaun I think he just put a brick on the gas pedal and made really good time. Shortly after Shaun arrived we packed everything into my truck and headed to St. George to pick up Shan, who is notorious for being late. Surprisingly to his credit, Shan had everything packed, ready to go, and we were on the road again heading to Salt Lake City to pick up my brother, Ed. We rolled into SLC at around 3:00 PM, threw Ed into the truck (he's only 140 pounds), stopped at REI to grab a few luxuries for the trail like food and clothing, grabbed some dinner at Cafe Rio, and jettisoned SLC at around 5:00 PM heading for the Wyoming boarder. We finally reached Henry Fork Trailhead via Evanston, Mountain View, and Lonetree. Daylight was spent, so we found a camp spot near the trailhead and waited for morning to arrive.

Priorities first...FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! By the way, have I ever mentioned that Ed is a pyro?

Shaun decided it would be a good idea to set up his tent while there was still some residual light.

Day 2 - August 31, 2007
Rain?!? After waking and eating the best breakfast for the next few days to come (Shaun & Shan's mom had given us four mini-loafs of zucchini bread), we packed up our stuff again and hit the trail at around 8:15 AM. The rain did little to delay us, but Ed had neglected to bring a jacket. Fortunately for Ed, Shan had purchased a stylish rain poncho, which Ed gladly accepted. Hiking from the trailhead to the campsite (or basecamp as we called it) was relatively easy and pleasant. It would have been more like a 9-mile stroll had we already been aclimated to the elevation (the trailhead is approximately 9,100 feet and our campsite was approximately 11,300 feet), but the high altitude was taking its toll on us. After several hours of hiking (and a little backtracking), we picked a campsite near a spring so that we could have easy access to water. It was mid-afternoon when we arrived at the campsite, and we were all hungry. We ate a late lunch, after which Shaun tried fishing in a nearby lake with no luck (Dollar Lake would have been better), then we ate an early dinner, and finally finished off the day with some dessert in the evening--we figured that we would need all the calories we could get for the upcoming summit hike the next day.

Ed puts on the high-performance poncho that Shan purchased for $0.79.

Shaun thinks he knows the way, but I still consult my GPS...yup, I guess he was right.

Me, bringing up the rear with Shan and Ed way out front.

Me, Shaun, Ed, and Shan. King's Peak is finally visible--located right between Shaun and Ed.

Taking a quick break to catch our breath and admire the scenery. We are nearly at the campsite.

Here's a picture of the spring we camped near. The water was clean, cold, and tasted GREAT!

Ed and Shan attend to the fire. I would later learn that this was just "kindling" for the real fire to come, which caused Shaun and I to relocate our tents about 20 feet further back from their original spot.

Home sweet home...

Shaun dances with joy after setting up his tent. This is just before Ed stokes the fire, and Shaun must move his tent or sleep on a bed of ashes under an open sky.

Day 3 - September 1, 2007
Lucky for me, I'm the only one in the group who can't sleep in. I woke up, started the fire, grabbed some water from the spring, and ate breakfast before anyone else even emerged from their tents. After everyone else finally got ready, we hit the trail for King's Peak at approximately 10:00 AM. Although I was slightly soar from the prior day's hike, I felt pretty good and was anxious to get to the top. The going was slow but steady. We hiked 5.1 miles in 4.5 hours and gained approximately 2,200 feet--making it to the top of King's Peak (13,528 feet) at approximately 2:30 PM. The weather was quite variable on our way up. We hiked thru some rain and even some hail, but the temperature was never too cold, and there were only a few windy spots (mostly near Anderson Pass). Fortunately when we arrived at the top, the weather was PERFECT! We spent a half hour on the summit to admire the 360-degree views and to snack up for the hike back.

Unfortunately for me, the hike down would take nearly twice as long as the hike up. My knees decided to mutiny and stop bending, and I was forced to use my hiking poles as crutches down the steep, rocky terrain. Meanwhile, Shan and Ed decided to take a shortcut down Anderson Pass (a steep 1,000 decline scrambling down rocks) to prepare camp. Shaun stuck with me while we tried taking a shortcut of our own back to Gunsight Pass. Still, the terrain wasn't as easy as I had expected and my knees worsened. At one point, as the sun was setting and the pass looked unapproachable from the route we had taken (where'd that cliff come from?), I was accepting the possibility that Shaun and I would have to survive a rough night on the mountain. Fortunately, we were able to find a way down the cliff to the pass, but I still struggled putting each foot forward. As we finally reached Gunsight Pass, the last residual light diminished behind the mountain, and Shaun and I were greated with yells from Shan and Ed, who had started hiking back up the trail with a flashlight and some Advil for my knees. We all finally made it back to camp at approximately 10:00 PM. We ate a quick dinner and went to sleep almost immediately. What a day!!

Gunsight Pass...can anyone find Ed?

A view back from Gunsight Pass towards our campsite area. Where'd all the trees go?

I recommend a full-brimmed hat and a long-sleeve shirt...or you can make due with a dish towell.

Wouldn't an eyepatch, pirates hat, and cutlass make this costume complete?

I'm not in Vegas anymore.

Ed, Me, and Shaun with King's Peak in the background. XX?

Shan in front of King's Peak.

Hey, where'd these clouds come from? I hope my hair doesn't start standing up.

So the weather improved, but now where did the trail go? This was one hell of a rock scramble to the top.

Hmm...how can I describe my expression as I gaze upward towards the peak and the disappearing trail.

What do you mean that's not the peak!?!

Don't you just love it when you think you've almost reached the top only to find out it's still way out there ahead of you?

If anyone needs any decorative rocks, I know an excellent location.

I found out that the lack of oxygen makes Shaun giddy.

A view of King's Peak. It appears closer than it really is.

Almost there...

Summit! 13,528 feet!

Glamour Shot of Ed.

Ed practiced weeks for this pose.

We spent a half hour enjoying the view.

Shaun didn't dare get any closer to the edge.

So the campsites all the way back down there?

GPS calibration is slightly off. Should be 13,528 feet.

Trip data. 15.4 miles total distance travelled to reach the top, which includes hiking to and from the campsite. If we had camped directly on the trail, the total distance would only be 14.1 miles.