9-17-13

Martin: Heard Ruth blowing the balloons up before the sun came up. 

Me: A plethora of photos from Saturday's hike up Grays and Torreys Peaks.

The Arizonans (AKA: The Marmoteeers) at the start.

Dana on her way to her first 14'er!

Bob and Danielle. Cloudy and cool made for perfect hiking conditions.

Stopping to admire the view.

Blue skies appeared just before we topped Grays Peak. That is Torreys Peak far right. 

Top of Grays! Dana & Danielle's first 14'er. :-)

Summit Shots.
Grays Peak. 14,270 ft.

Lunch on the top. 

PS: The Marmoteeers like to have a milkshake bet on each hike: At the start we ask "How many hikers will be on the summit while we are on the top?" Then each of us pick up rocks (the number we think will be there) and at the same time display our answers to each other. Danielle said 0, Dana said 2, Anna said 4, Bob said 5, I said 7 and Rich said 10. While we were at the top of Grays Peak there were 6 other hikers. Bob and I tied so we each won a milkshake!. :-)

Carefully going down Grays rocky trail.

Watch your step. Dana, Danielle and Bob.

The saddle between Grays and Torreys.

The Marmoteeers...

Spelled with 3 e's and sung to the tune of the Mickey Mouse Club theme song. "M A R... M O T... E E E R S. Marmoteeers, Marmoteeers..."

Dana hiking towards us, up Torrey's Peak. That is Grays Peak behind her.

Torreys summit shots...

I won the Torreys Peak milkshake bet. I guessed 7 and there were 8 hikers on the top.

We did it!

Torryes Peak. 14,267 ft.

Bob's 3rd 14'er. My 9th 14'er.

What a view!

Bob looking and feeling good!

On our way down we had about 40 minutes of rain. It wasn't bad and we dried out before reaching the car.

A stop in Georgetown for a greasy hamburger and our winning milkshakes. :-)

I needed the recovery food in Georgetown having suffered some nasty altitude sickness that hit me at the top of Grays. It would have been best if I had come down then because it got quite severe (I was stubborn and wanted to summit both peaks :-/). Lesson learned, I won't ignore the warning signs again. I've never gotten altitude sickness this badly: dizziness, nausea, extreme head pressure, blurry vision, and unsteady walk. Thankful for Bob (he carried my pack) and thankful to be feeling good again. Ahhh.

Also thankful for great family and friends. Despite the sick part, it was a fun day for all!