UN 9667 by Brian Schultz Thursday August 22, 2024

Roundtrip mileage: 5.50 miles
Elevation gain: 1,800'
Start to finish: 4 hours 10 minutes

I was hoping to climb two peaks today but a late start and a poor weather forecast would be working against me. I drove in from Nebraska, stopped in Evergreen to have lunch with Dave Chamberlin, and headed to the Strawberry Trail trailhead at Lake Granby. There's a pull-out for several vehicles at the tralhead and I began at 2:50 PM.

It was sunny when I started on the excellent trail but overcast skies quickly took over. When I reached a point along the trail southeast of the peak I departed the trail and followed a bearing to the summit. Thus began a horrible bushwhack over many downed trees and my pace really slowed. The summit has a distinct highpoint and I finally reached it at 4:25. It began raining in earnest while thunder boomed and flashes of lightning lit up the sky to the north. I was glad this was a low elevation peak because I was in the relative safety of the trees on top.

The storm passed over and I began my descent toward Granby Peak. This was another miserable bushwhack and when I descended several hundred feet, I realized I didn't have time to make it to Granby's summit and get out before dark. With all the wet downfall and hundreds of feet of elevation regain to the trail, my pace slowed down even more. When I reached the trail, the rain began again and continued all the way back to my truck. It was a relief when I got back at 7:00 and had cell phone service to call friend Tim Briese and let him know I'd be running late to meet up in Winter Park.