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It had been a few weeks since Spriggs took that fateful trip to the puppy clinic that Bob Barker always so enthusiastically recommended. This didn't make him any less of a man though, and at 5 months old he intended to prove it. We thought Handies would be a good 14er for the puppies first trip, class 1, low mileage and elevation gain etc. So we set off toward Lake City, drove to the 2wd turn off and used the small fire pit to cook some salmon before going to sleep in the back of the car. Full after a delicious meal and ready for bed we went to sleep. We woke up the next morning around 6AM and carefully drove my mom's Subaru Outback to the 4wd trailhead, this by the way was easy to do as the drive to there was no worse than what you've already driven over and can easily be managed under good conditions. When arriving at the trailhead we took a few pictures and set off.
Alpenglow in American Basin
Spriggs had the energy of a 5 month old puppy and he cruised up the trail with us. We made fine time, stopping only for drinks, snacks and layer changes and got to the summit pretty quickly. We both left our phones (and who wears a watch anymore?) so I'm not sure what time we summited but we left around 7AM and got back to the car around 11AM.
Handies casts its shadow...Spriggs follows behind Jessica
This was Jessica's first 14er of 2010 and our first together as a married couple, it also happened to be exactly one month after our wedding. On the summit there were some cool clouds surrounding us adding to the view but also reminding us that we shouldn't linger.
Clouds coming in (it looks worse in the picture than it was.)Spriggs on the summit!
On the way down we passed a lot of folks on their way up, the weather seemed to be holding out so I'm guessing everyone had a great day. Spriggs stopped just about everyone in their tracks with his overwhelming cuteness.
Spriggs having a bite to eat up top...
He did great on his first 14er, never needed to be carried, didn't bark at or try to chase people or animals, and for the brief moments I took him off his leash (on the summit and during a break) he stayed right with us. He's proving to be quite the behaved young man and soon he'll be quite the little climber.
Happy family on Handies.
On the way out we stopped at Poker Alice's in Lake City for a slice of pizza, it was good but probably not worth the 30-40 minute wait (it wasn't too busy either) for our 2 slices and garden salad. Next time we'll probably skip it...
Here are some more pictures from the trip...
From the drive...
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
I loved hiking Handies a couple of years ago, one of the most scenic hikes I've taken. The San Juans just have a unique beauty. That might be one of the cutest dogs I've seen on a 14er too.
Everyone... Lucky- his little legs had no problem, he had more energy than anyone on the mountain I think.
Trevor- you didn't miss it... also Spriggs recovered much quicker from his, shall we say, removal, than I'd imagine a human would.
Huffy- it sure is a scenic area, one of the best. We tend to think Spriggs is pretty cute as well but we're also pretty biased...
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