Peak Condition Update | Grays Peak

Peak:	Grays Peak
Route:	Grays and Torreys
Range:	Front
Posted By:	Kristi Loo
Date of Info:	6/18/2015
Date Posted:	6/19/2015

Details
Conquered Grays and Torreys yesterday woot woot! The road going up to the trailhead was in pretty rough shape, but completely clear of snow. There were some major ruts and pot holes, and I do mean major. SUVs and trucks will do fine, but cars should reconsider, or park lower down. We left the trailhead at 7am and reached Grays at 11am. The trail going up is currently a creek of melt water. Be prepared to have wet feet. The summer trail going up the face of Grays is still snow covered. We were forced to swing to the left and head up the ridge. There are some snow tracks that you can follow. This alternate route added on roughly a mile to the journey, and was definitely more taxing. Also very windy, bring a windbreaker. Continuing from Grays to Torreys proved to be worth its salt. Getting down to the saddle from Grays was the most difficult part. Lots of large boulders to climb down, lots of snow, and little to no trail to follow. The trail going up the Torreys side is nearly completely clear of snow and was far easier than Grays. Summitted Torreys at noon. Headed back down to the saddle and attempted to bypass going back up Grays, not a great path to follow yet. Still quite a bit of snow, in some places only a few inches, in others I sank thigh deep. The group I was with ended up glissading down to the gorge. Exhilarating but freezing. I would have never attempted it if I were not with such an experienced group. Boots were completely soaked from the trail on the way home. Reached the trailhead at 230pm. A long but successful and fun day. PS lather on the sunscreen, I got burned pretty badly on the back half of my body from the morning hike.

Details

Conquered Grays and Torreys yesterday woot woot! The road going up to the trailhead was in pretty rough shape, but completely clear of snow. There were some major ruts and pot holes, and I do mean major. SUVs and trucks will do fine, but cars should reconsider, or park lower down.
We left the trailhead at 7am and reached Grays at 11am. The trail going up is currently a creek of melt water. Be prepared to have wet feet. The summer trail going up the face of Grays is still snow covered. We were forced to swing to the left and head up the ridge. There are some snow tracks that you can follow. This alternate route added on roughly a mile to the journey, and was definitely more taxing. Also very windy, bring a windbreaker.
Continuing from Grays to Torreys proved to be worth its salt. Getting down to the saddle from Grays was the most difficult part. Lots of large boulders to climb down, lots of snow, and little to no trail to follow. The trail going up the Torreys side is nearly completely clear of snow and was far easier than Grays. Summitted Torreys at noon.
Headed back down to the saddle and attempted to bypass going back up Grays, not a great path to follow yet. Still quite a bit of snow, in some places only a few inches, in others I sank thigh deep. The group I was with ended up glissading down to the gorge. Exhilarating but freezing. I would have never attempted it if I were not with such an experienced group.
Boots were completely soaked from the trail on the way home. Reached the trailhead at 230pm. A long but successful and fun day. PS lather on the sunscreen, I got burned pretty badly on the back half of my body from the morning hike.

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