I was thinking the same thing

Here's the peak from Manitou Springs High School. No wonder that predawn jog was so chilly. Probably 50 people on the Incline already.

Last gasp for alpine flowers

I was up on Pikes Peak the other day and took a few photos of the remaining alpine flowers. Fall is a very short season up there, and the plants are quickly turning brown. Below is a spring beauty. The low-growing, leathery plant has a huge tap root. Like many alpine plants, it turns red toward the end of the season, possibly to absorb more heat from infrared light. Another favorite, which I didn't see last year, but spotted in droves this year, is Arctic Gentian. When this little white, speckled flower blooms at the end of August, it means frost and snow are near. Most flowers are dead and brown by the time its petals open.
Makes me wonder when we'll see the first real snow on the peak. Maybe very soon.

Celebrate in nature

If you've got a few free hours this week, celebrate the USofA the natural way - take a hike.

Zen sends these images from a recent hike on the Mount Esther Trail. You can hike up from Chipita Park or from the Crowe Gulch Trailhead off the Pikes Peak Highway.


Paintbrush popping up through the grasses near stands of aspen,
Cheery, yellow wallflowers
Blue-eyed grasses
Groundsel and geranium
Open meadows (Feel free to burst out in The Happy Wanderer song)
And a shockingly orange dandelion.
Whatever you do, don't forget your buddy.

Zen says the mix of blooms is fantastic and the grasses are knee deep. He also saw columbine, penstemon "rioting enmasse," daisies, irises, buttercups, cinquefoils and mertensia (chiming bells).

I have to agree with hiker Zen: "What a phenomonal year."

Peek at the peak

A look at the peak from the parking lot at Manitou Springs High just before 8 a.m. (One of my fav views.) Inviting? Oh, yeah. See below (or the front page of today's Gazette) for the scoop on conditions, courtesy of Dave's reporting.

Chopper rescue

Don't know whether the chopper was necessary medically or if Air Force brass simply wanted to whisk the cadets away, but the two AFA cadets stuck on Pikes Peak overnight were lifted off the mountain a little while ago.

Dave's talking to Neal and Teresa at Barr Camp and the rescue crew. We'll add details about the rescue here. And tomorrow's Gazette will feature more info about conditions on the peak (we'll post here, too).

Snow's expected overnight, so any thoughts of an easy Memorial Weekend trek to the summit are silly.

Rescue on the peak

Just heard that a search and rescue team is headed up Pikes Peak to rescue a pair of Air Force cadets who called for help after finding themselves in waist deep snow.

TV weather guys are saying to look for snow on the peak. Looks like there were a few flakes falling up around W Park and Divide this afternoon. I know it's chilly out there. Did you get caught in that downpour this afternoon? Anyone in the high country where it was snowing earlier today?

It's a sloppy time to be out - be careful if you're headed out for more than a quick jaunt. Take your sunscreen - and your snowshoes.

Let us know if you hear about the rescue. We'll do the same.

PP hiker rescued

Rescue crews this morning reached a hiker who had been stranded overnight on Pikes Peak in a severe spring storm.

The man wasn’t injured, but he was poorly equipped for extreme mountain conditions, said Steven Sperry, public information officer for El Paso County Search and Rescue.

The rescue team found the man shortly after 10 a.m. and planned to bring him to Barr Camp, which is along the main trail up the peak. From there the rescuers will take him about a mile to the cog railway, which will make a special trip for the rescue, Sperry said.

The man, who is in his 40s, was hiking alone and used a cell phone to call for help about midnight, Sperry said. He waited for rescuers just off Barr Trail near the tree line, or about 12,000 feet.

Two teams, each with four men plus two Sno-Cat-type vehicles, took part in the search. The risk of avalanche was high because several feet of snow fell overnight in some places, Sperry said.

The snow dampened sound waves and reduced visibility, making the rescue more difficult, he said.

“They could literally walk right past him ... if the snow’s coming down quite heavily,” Sperry said.

The hiker attempted to cross the trail from Elk Park, about 11 miles up the mountain near Glen Cove on the north face, down to the Pikes Peak Highway.

Rescue under way on Pikes Peak

A hiker has been stranded all night on Pikes Peak. El Paso County Search and Rescue worked all night to try to get himdown.

Heavy snow increased avalanche danger, making the rescue particularly treacherous, said incident commander Brian Kinsey.

The hiker attempted to cross the trail from Elk Park, about 11 miles up the mountain near Glen Cove on the north face, down to the Pikes Peak Highway.

“He got a couple miles down, but didn’t have snowshoes and the snow was a little deeper there than he anticipated,” Kinsey said.

The hiker, whom Kinsey did not identify this morning, tried to ride out the snowstorm in a small tent, but the wet spring snow collapsed the tent, Kinsey said.

“He became a little concerned at that point.”

The hiker has been in communication with rescuers via cell phone. Kinsey said they have been trying to reach him since 1 a.m.

“We had to take rescuers in with a snow cat,” he said.

Parts of that trail have some of the highest avalanche danger on the mountain this time of year.

Mixed bag on Barr

Here's a look at Barr Trail earlier this week. Gaz photog Christian Murdock snapped it. He spent the night as guest caretaker for Neal and Teresa. I posted earlier that Barr Camp has received 205 inches of snow since, oh, October.

Thanks for the photo, Christian. Send us your trail reports and we'll post them. Is there any trail out there that ISN'T soaked?

Dumping on the peak

Gazette photog Christian Murdock spent the night filling in for Neal and Teresa at Barr Camp. (Just beat the downpour.)

The camp had received 205 inches of snow as of this morning. Do I hear a boo-yah!?

Last week's storm dropped 17 inches. Look for pix in the a.m.

He says the trail is in great shape up to the 1/2-mile mark before Barr. (Knew I shoulda headed that way Sunday!)