Pikes Peak summit via Barr trail

I decided to attempt Pikes today despite predictions of light rain and possible afternoon T-storms. When I arrived in Manitou Springs at 2:30 am things didn't look that great. There were patches of fog as well as occasional lightning flashes from the remnants of Friday's T-storms. But the lightning seemed to be tapering off, so I got my gear ready and walked about a mile to the Barr trail lot on Hydro St. By the time I got there the lightning had stopped and a few stars were visible. So game on.

The reason for starting before dawn is that Barr is a very long trail, and I wanted to get to the summit and then back below treeline well before any afternoon T-storms. And in fact that's how the hike turned out. I started hiking at 3:15 am, using a flashlight for the first two hours. By that time I was nearing Barr camp, which is 6.5 miles from the trail head at an elevation of 10,200'. 

Although I was hiking at a good pace my legs already felt very fatigued. Not good as I still had another 6 miles and 3900' of elevation gain to go. In running or cycling this sense of running out of gas is called "bonking." Bonking occurs when you deplete your body's store of available carbs (glycogen). At Barr camp I realized that it had been many hours since I'd eaten breakfast, so I scarfed down a couple of energy bars. A half hour later I felt fine, so problem diagnosed and fixed.

In daylight the trail was quite scenic, especially near and above treeline.

But of all the sights along the Barr trail, without question the most sublime is "Butt rock"

Now... as you get closer to the summit you are treated to metal signs letting you know that you still have a long, long way to go. And because the trail gets progressively steeper and rockier  while the air is getting thinner, the last mile -- and especially the sets of switchbacks called the "16 golden stairs" -- seems to take forever.

But eventually you do reach the summit, where you can grab a donut or shop for souvenirs at the Summit House, along with all the other hardy souls who took the cog railway or drove their cars up the Pikes Peak highway.

The hike down was quick and uneventful. I did encounter dozens and dozens of trail runners getting tuned up for the Pikes Peak ascent and marathon in August. And I saw some marmots and wildflowers, including red penstemon and purple aspen daisies. The weather stayed sunny until the last 30 minutes, when big cumulus clouds provided some shade and a few drops of rain.

Let's call it 25 miles round trip with 7500' elevation gain. Ascent time was 5 hours 45 minutes; descent was 3 hours 45 minutes (not too shabby). In between I took a 30 minute coffee break at the Summit house. Coffee was so-so, next time I'll try a cappa.