Bottomless Pit of Pikes Peak
On Memorial Day, after a weekend of being very unhealthy, a small party of us decided to the hike Pikes Peak from the Westerly side. This came to be after a late night call on Sunday from Ben and Amanda looking for a hike. After deciding not to do the hellish 26 mile trek that is Barr Trail, we set off in the morning for the Crags of Pikes Peak.
In the morning, we stopped and got the necessary food provisions for the day, donuts and banana chips. We got to the trailhead pretty late in the day, that is if you’re hiking a 14er, around 8am. We hopped out of the Blazer and made our zombie march up the hillside. On the hike we gained around 4000ft of altitude and traveled approximately 12 miles over several ridges and snowfields.
We stopped for lunch at about 12,900ft, in the middle of the Devils Playground, an area known for its volatile weather and lightning strikes. But none of this was a concern as it ended up being a perfect day. For half of the hike we were above 13,000ft – completely taxing our bodies. Ben and Amanda ended up having severe headaches, while my left ankle gave out.
We crossed several of the huge features of Pikes Peak, including the bottomless pit, which is a 2000ft drop off the side of cliff. During the hike to the top we were buzzed by several jets and planes.
Upon reaching the top, we celebrated with some photos alongside the other tourists that drove up or took the cog. We hung off some safely rails on the edge of the cliff, and then grabbed some the Pikes Peaks Famous Donuts. Thereafter, we made the journey back down to the Blazer. Going downhill is always the worst part on foot and the familiar feeling of exploding knees was present again.
