Pikes Peak (14,110) by Brian Schultz  Wednesday  September 17, 1997

I overslept and worried about starting late on Pikes Peak. My plan was to hike from the Crags Campground early but I didn't get going until 7:30 after driving in from Woodland Park. Fortunately the weather was good- sunny and cool. The route-finding concerned me (reading Roach's description) as well as having enough daylight, but the trail was good and I paid close attention. I was the only person on the trail; I never saw anyone else on it the whole day. I enjoyed the hike but it took a long time to get to the Pikes Peak Road. There was lots of vehicle traffic on the road.

When the trail crossed the road at a place called the Devil's Playground I could see a solitary hiker making his way up to the peak. At this point there was no defined trail, you simply make a line for the summit which I finally reached at 11:50. Many people were on the summit, having driven or taken the cog train. The experience of being on top of Pikes Peak was markedly different, definitely not the camaraderie one feels with fellow hikers or the reward of making the summit like other fourteeners. It was like being in a small tourist town. I had lunch with a group from the cog train and they were amazed to find out I hiked up here.

I stayed until 12:20 and on the way down met the other hiker. Fred was 70 years old and full of cancer but he enjoyed hiking still. He finished his last fourteener just two years ago! I was totally impressed. He'd driven up to the Devils Playground and hiked from there to the summit so we parted ways when we got back there. The afternoon turned warm and I enjoyed the solitary hike back down, reaching the car at 3:30.

Total hike time- 8 hours (including 30 minutes on the summit)

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