An FKT run with friends, yay!
We had a week to explore the Buena Vista area with our friends Robyn and Art, climbing 14ers and such. I poked around local FKT routes and found an interesting one (without a co-ed time posted yet). We could circle Mount Yale on trails, go over two high passes, see some great scenery, and possibly set an FKT. Sounds like an adventure that's right up our alley!
The weather wasn't quite as great. We went clockwise and started with the road first to get it out of the way early (almost no traffic). Then we climbed over the exposed pass to try to beat any afternoon weather. Well, for once it rained in the morning and cleared up for us later. Best laid plans and all...
So we ascended into the mist, and just as I was wondering if it was possible to get rained on from inside a cloud, Mother Nature had an answer for me. We donned rain jackets at Browns Pass and not a moment too soon. At least it was just rain, no thunder/lightning and not too much wind, and visible was decent enough to follow the trail. Still chilly though.
The clouds lifted briefly for a lovely view into the lower valley. We hustled (while still trying to peek at the pretty landscape) over to the upper pass. Dropping down, temperatures improved and the rain stopped. The push through the willows made me laugh - that's quite the "trail"! Soon we got to some better footing. We walked/jogged down the long valley and eventually into some sunshine.
Tiny pellet poop and large hoof prints all along the trail - ? - that question was answered at the next trailhead when we saw a group of hikers with a couple llamas.
The climb up along Silver Creek and then up to the second pass is really something. Steep and relentless... we needed a brief break in the meadow before tackling the last part to the top. One final big downhill run. We watched dark clouds close in over Mount Princeton across the way and heard thunder. That gave us some motivation to move our feet. Somehow we didn't get wet on the way down, happy for that!
Super fun day, thank you John, Robyn, and Art for the group trek around Mount Yale!