Grays and Torreys compete with Bierstat for the distinction "Easiest of the Fourteeners". It doesn't matter
that that both stand above Longs Peak,
there's no denying theat the walkup for these two is pretty easy. We
actually climbed these peaks by accident - we were heading out to do Edwards and Argentine,
and missed
the Georgetown exit, so we took the next exit to turn around. Wouldn't you know it, the next exit is Bakersville,
which is known for one thing -
doing these two peaks. We figured what the heck, and followed the cars to
the totally huge, and totally full, parking area. This is a beautiful hike. You head up a gentle incline valley basically to the bas of the two peaks, and then take a gentle switchback right up the side of Grays. From the top, you take a well worn path to the saddle and then up to the top of Torreys, which is somewhat steeper, but not very far. Poor Grays never looks like much more than a hump throughout the entire hike, even though it is higher than Torreys. Actually, you do get one view of Grays that makes it look like the huge mountain it really is - from the top of Torreys. The angle is finally such that you can see its full profile. To descend, you return to the saddle and traverse across to the switchback trail, or you can glissade down a great snowfield just below the saddle; it is there almost the entire year. There are many other ways to do these peaks, including a popular class 3 ridge where you do Torreys first, and some extreme couloirs that go directly up Torreys. |
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Here's a shot of Grays (on the left) and Torreys from the top of Mt. Edwards. You can barely make out the trail up Grays cutting across the face. The snowfield you can descend is in the center of the photo. It doesn't look steep, but seems like it when you are standing at the top! |