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Mt. Yale was my 14th Colorado 14er; my 9th solo. There were about 30 people coming and going on the trail on Tuesday, August 31, 2021. The weather was great, albeit some smoke. The challenging 1/4 mile scramble to the top was hard, and the switchbacks to the saddle seemed forever. I almost stepped on an inattentive pica on my way down.
I'm speed-challenged - not fast. I'm a Colorado native, but live at about 5,500' and the altitude always challenges me. Here are my times:
Arrived at large, paved Denny Creek Trailhead at 6:12 am. There were about 10 other cars, and 5 or 6 more came before I hit the trail.
After a little breakfast I started hiking at 6:37 am.
Reached the Hartenstein Lake/Mt. Yale fork sign at 1.4 miles, 7:27 am.
Reached saddle about 12:15. Gasp!
Summited 1:15 pm. Disappointed that yet another peak has no USGS elevation marker.
Spent time on top, in the saddle, and lower on the trail visiting with other hikers and eating lunch.
Back to car at 5:55 pm. I was so tired I thought the trail would never end.
I thought I was last one off the mountain, but there were a couple other vehicles in the lot, and while I was eating a little supper and getting settled in my car a guy came down from the trail. He could have been coming from the lake, not Mt. Yale.
The roundtrip hike was 10.1 miles. My recorded moving time was almost 9 hours.
The trailhead sign is just a few feet up the trail from the parking lot.There are five or six creek crossings.The sign at the fork.I still had a loooong way to go from here.The cairn on the saddle, looking up at the scramble.Someone wrapped a mesh "sign" around a rock on the summit.It was half a mile longer than I thought, but it looked like some of the trail might have been blocked and moved.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
That was a nice report with wonderful photographs.
I am never in a hurry when i hike as I love to enjoy the beauty at a comfortable pace.
And, as I continue to get older, I find that I hike even more slowish.
Thanks. Knowing my pace means I need earlier starts to avoid weather surprises. It's partly because I'm in my 60s, and partly due to altitude, even though I live in Colorado.
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