Summit Journal Chat

BBob:
Thanks for all the info re: Gray's.  I thought maybe you would go up and fix the road before we get out there!   We'll be out the last 2 weeks in Aug.
Tim: 
He has not been to Nepal but one of the guys he is going with has been over there.  Lot's of people from WY go over to climb.  So many in fact that it is kind of a joke how many they run into at the Kathmandu airport or Lukla.
 

Ama Dablam should be a great trip for your son, jean.  has he been to Nepal/Himalayas before? 

jean - climbing Grays is slightly more difficult than climbing to the Boulder Field on Longs - they are both class 1 and about 3,000' gain - the Grays 3K is just at a higher altitude than the Boulder Field 3K - its 2K higher, so just a bit tougher. The road to the Grays TH is tough this year. Tim and I had to park 1.5 miles from the TH due to a bad spot on the road. We saw a Ford Explorer try and fail that section about three times and they had to walk it like us. That adds some distance and elevation gain. But Tim and I caught a ride to the TH and only had to do the extra 1.5 on the return.

Tim
Yes, we will be there at the end of August. We've done Twin Sisters. I love that one because of the great views of Longs. But, we've never done Estes Cone. Will try that one this year and Grays. Thanks for the advice. Have fun in SA. I think I've posted that my son is going over to Nepal in the fall and climbing Ama Dablam. They got their permit, so it's a go.

I don't think there's much comparison, at least by the normal route on Grays. Longs has a much greater mass and, imo, because of the time you will spend getting off the mountain, is much more committing. Grays felt more like a nice hike.

Are you planning a Colorado trip this summer? I recommend Estes Cone and/or Twin Sisters for warmups. You'll get above 11,000, although I forget what the starting elevation at the lake is.

Hey Tim and BBob,
Congratulations. Tim, how does Gray's compare to Longs? I have done Flattop, Otis and Hallet (but nothing technical like you, just scrambling) in 1 day and down climbed off the one next to Andrew's glacier but I can't remember which one. It was a long day, that I remember!

thanks all--congrats are really due Bob, who probably shouldn't have even been out there with a cold that had settled in his lungs. So he truly earned his 98th summit of Greys.

Was a fun time, we especially enjoyed talking to the youngsters who were going up--its good to see that every teenager isn't spending all of their summer at the mall or playing video games.

Had two and a half days prior to Saturday's hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. Enjoyed an acclimatization solo hike up to Estes Cone, easy trail from the Lily Lake Visitors Center with a nice view of Longs. Thursday was playing around on some snow with a CMS guide (actually took us a while to find some)--the elk were showing off some impressive, velvety racks. Friday we roped up and went up a snow couloir to the top of Flattop; getting over the head wall was a real challenge for me but a good feeling when
I got up and over--hopefully I wasn't graded on style points.

Good trip with some expected soreness. Peru is one month away, just received a guide book with pictures of our two climbs. Yannapacha looks like a real challenge, almost 18,000 ft with sections of 50 and 60 degree ice.

And thanks Rose, for all the Everest updates.

Rose - Thanks for the update on the searches for SI. With all that searching going on, it's too bad nothing more significant was found. I have not seen TTV yet but will soon, now that it's out on DVD. Your rave review agrees with all others I have heard.

Congratulations Tim!! I'm glad you were successful despite the weather. Sounds like you did great.

Congratulations, Tim. That's terrific.

Best regards,
Rose

Way to go Tim!!!