What a great way to spend a Saturday morning this fall! Whether you plan to reach the summit or want to hike the first half of this mountain trail, our hope is that we all enjoy some time together in the mountains while encouraging one another to either try something new or share your hiking 'expertise' with others.
RSVP's are pretty essential since we want to make sure we can carpool and know who to look for at the trailhead.
Water: recommend about 2 liters
Food: For consistent energy levels, it's helpful to have a variety of simple carbs (think crackers, stroopwafels, etc.) and foods that have more fats and protein (e.g., nuts or peanut butter). We also bring candy (Swedish fish) to help with any altitude sickness. Also, who has the birthday treat for Amy at the top...Donuts?
Rain/wind jacket/layers
gloves
toilet paper
mini first aid/bandaids in case you get blisters
headlamp/flashlight of some sort for the first hour or so
backpack
Midweight coat or jacket as we approach the summit.
Sunglasses
Hat/something that covers your ears
Shoes with good tread
Trekking poles (optional, but if you have them they can be helpful for the descent to save your knees).
Snacks for the drive home.
Because it is a Saturday in the fall (ideal 14er hiking season) I anticipate that the parking lot is going to get full early even with the not ideal weather. I think we should be at the trailhead at 5:15am, hiking at 5:30am. This way we have 5-1/2 hours and should be home around noon. I know this is early but it will be better than having to walk an extra 2 miles to the trailhead!
The parking lot is 1 hr 10 min (ish) from my house in south Arvada. If you want to carpool, let me know and those of us with space could meet in the TRex Parking Lot in the foothills. Feel free to drive yourself if you plan to do 1/2 the route and don't want to wait until others finish or if you need to summit and head back sooner rather than later.
The parking lot is here: https://goo.gl/maps/UTmovhLSPsFk39f5A