Colorado July 2009: July 16th, 2009 (Day 9)

Thursday, July 16th, 2009 - On the summit of Grays Peak:

You are looking at the summit of Grays Peak.. There were 10-12 other hikers enjoying the summit when we arrived.

We located the tube with the summit register in it and Cindy makes it 'official' by signing the register.....

Then we get our summit shot........

The rest of the assault team is making its way up the final pitches..

Here we see Pete, Barb, Jim, Ruth, Ginny (Blue jacket) and Bob (right behind Ginny), working their way up the switchbacks. In the distance, you can see other hikers on the trail far below...

Pete and Barb reach the summit............... Looking Good ...

Jim & Ruth, ascending one of the final stretches before the summit...

They are all smiles when they reach the top........................

Bob & Ginny, as they hike the final few yards to the summit........

Well done !!

Hooray !!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a great day !

The view from the top is awesome... here is the scenery to the North ...

And towards the West......

Zooming in on Mt ofthe Holy Cross..............

Looking back to the East.. Kelso Mountain is in the foreground (right center).....

A look over at Torreys Peak from Grays' summit. It is only a few feet below the summit of Grays, at 14,267 feet...........

A couple of views looking to the southwest...

The world is a small place. While we were on the summit, we met a student who had graduated from Blair Academy. She had just completed her colleg studies in Boulder. Cindy discovered that she knew Cindy's friend, Rita Baragona from Blair, she had had her for art.

Now that we were on the summit, we were exposed to the wind again. There was a low stone wall that has been built from loose stone that serves as a nice windbreak when you sit down. We took shelter and enjoyed a well-deserved break for lunch, rest, and enjoyed the day............

Pete added his name to the register..

What a great assault team, we all made it. I found the last few feet coming up to the summit very emotional. We had not seen the mountains to the west, as they were blocked from view by the mountain. As we climbed the last few feet, it appeared as though the surrounding mountains were rising up into glorious view. Being in the company of our best and closets friends to share the experience made it all the more special..... All the toil of the last few hours was quickly forgotten, and I felt an euphoric lift.... Truly awesome... If you have ever summitted a peak like this, you have probably experienced a similar feeling.......