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Trailhead: Hut
Mileage: 8
Elevation Gain: 4,567'
Partners: Will
Another beautiful day on tap, so once again, no rush to complete it. Will had already done much of this approach before, and was now wanting to get up the peaks themselves. One should never turn down a Gore day!
As per the Gore Pledge, I'll keep this very simple. Will stayed mostly ridge proper, while I chose to follow the class 3 route (with some class 4 for fun on the way up). There are some cairns, but I got to practice my scramble route finding. A bit rusty after a couple summers off! Great day, minus the mosquito swarms!
The photos are in order. Enjoy the poem by Mary Howitt!
"Will you walk into my parlor?' said the spider to the fly;
'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you may spy.
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things
to show when you are there".
"Oh no, no,' said the little fly; "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair
can ne'er come down again".
"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high.
Well you rest upon my little bed?' said the spider to the fly.
"There are pretty curtains drawn around;
the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest a while, I'll snugly tuck you in!"
"Oh no, no,' said the little fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again who sleep upon your bed!'.
Said the cunning spider to the fly:
"Dear friend, what can I do
To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome -
will you please to take a slice?
"Oh no, no,' said the little fly; "kind sir, that cannot be:
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!'.
"Sweet creature!' said the spider,
"you're witty and you're wise;
How handsome are your gauzy wings;
how brilliant are your eyes!
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf;
If you'd step in one moment, dear,
you shall behold yourself".
"I thank you, gentle sir,' she said,
"for what you're pleased to say,
And, bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day".
The spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready to dine upon the fly;
Then came out to his door again and merrily did sing:
"Come hither, hither, pretty fly, with pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple;
there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like diamond bright,
but mine are dull as lead!'.
Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft,
then near and nearer grew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes
and green and purple hue,
Thinking only of her crested head.
Poor, foolish thing! at last
Up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast;
He dragged her up his winding stair, into the dismal den
Within his little parlor, but she ne'er came out again!
And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words I pray you ne'er give heed;
Unto an evil counselor close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale of the spider and the fly.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Very nice choice of route! True Dat on the Gores! Been there a couple myself from Booth Lake and Booth Pass. Someone posted from upper Piney the other day also. I spent a lot of time in the Lost Lake area hiking, biking and jeeping, so I know what you are talking about, never got that far on those old logging roads, but the potential is unlimited back there!
Cool photos. Any idea what kind of spider that is? There are a ton of those in the basin between the Bowl of Tears and the standard route on Holy Cross.
I was there the day before you guys, kinda ironic how many spiders were actually on all the rocks approaching the summit of Spider! Top notch summit views from up there!
This strikingly patterned species is a wandering hunter, often catching prey at night as well as during the day. They live close to the ground, under rocks and logs or in leaf litter, but are also occasionally found on (or in) buildings. Their movements are often ant-like, earning them the nickname ”antmimic.” (Colorado Spiders)
Since I just had to look up what spider was adorning my wall/ceiling last night (and Eastern Parsons), I was hoping I could ID this kind. Freaky how fast they moved, both of them. Good thing I don't mind spiders, as long as they don't crawl on me!
boureaux - Figured a Gore aficionado would know the route!
lodgling - I've heard about those spiders up on Halo. Too much snow when I was there.
Nat - Yes you do!
aholle88 - We were thinking the same thing! Had to get many spider photos on the summit of Spider. That one dude was all over my backpack and seemed to hand around us a lot. Love Gore views!
Nice added touch with the poem! Was just able to access and read this today, so now I know what you were talking about with Brian. Thanks for sharing this!
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