SIMPLE N SIMPLE: October 2009

Pikes Peak, America's Mountain 3

>> Saturday, October 31, 2009

A shot taken as the train is going down the Pikes Peak

This was taken as we were going up.

Downhill train is waiting to switch the rail with the train that is going up the mountain.

A close-up of the red Swiss Cograil Train.

Finally arrived at the depot at 1:55pm

Crowds leaving the train

Out the station

It's much warmer down here than the at the peak.

Don't need jacket anymore.

Walking toward parking lot

I'm sure all had a good time up at the Peak taking in incredible breatless views all around.

Pikes Peak, America's Mountain 2

>> Thursday, October 29, 2009

At the summit

The summit has very little snow. It was cold but bearable.

I couldn't go near the cliff where people are looking out.

Too scary....

The brave ones go near the edge to look out.

With mild dizziness and weak legs, I did not dare to go near the edge.

The Cograil is empty now.

We were given 40 minutes to stay up at the summit.

Within 40 minutes, we had to go to the restroom, buy food and take pictures.

America the Beautiful

We owe the inspiration for the lyrics of the beloved song, "America the Beautiful " to the stunning vistas from the summit of Pikes Peak. It was the summer of 1893, and Katharine Lee Bates, a professor of English at Wellesley College, was in Colorado Springs to teach a summer session at Colorado College. On July 22, Katharine, along with several others of the visiting faculty, took a trip in a carriage to the summit of Pikes Peak. Horses got them to the halfway point, and, as was customary, a team of mules finished the climb to the 14,115 foot summit. Because altitude sickness affected of one of the party, they only stayed on the summit a half hour, but the brief experience was enough inspire a poem. She wrote.. "An erect, decorous group, we stood at last on that Gate-of-Heaven summit...and gazed in wordless rapture over the far expanse of mountain ranges and sea like sweep of plain. Then and there the opening lines of 'America the Beautiful' sprang into being." ..... "I wrote the entire song on my return that evening to Colorado Springs." ~ from http://www.cograilway.com/

I felt little bit dizzy up there. It was not like I couldn't move around.

But it wasn't the same with no energy.

We lose quite bit of water up here.

Drinking lots of water the night before and

carrying a bottle of water with you would help to get adjust to high altitude.

Incredible views

The cog train is waiting for our group.

A stop at a restaurant.

The statue of a prospector

The world famous Pikes Peak donut

I heard the recipe for this donut only works at this high altitude.

I am not a big fan of donut, but this one was delicious.

It's crisy outside and soft inside.

IT WAS GOOD!

But ...we did not have time to go back in line for more.

Time to catch the train.

If we miss our train, the conductor said we will become a hiker instead of a passenger.

Pikes Peak, America's Mountain 1

>> Monday, October 26, 2009

Pikes Peak Introduction

Click the picture for bigger size.

The most visited mountain in North America and the second most visited mountain in the world behind Japan's Mount Fuji, Pikes Peak forms a stunning backdrop for Colorado Springs and the Garden of the Gods. At an altitude of 14,110 feet above sea level, Pikes Peak is the 31st highest peak out of 54 Colorado peaks. It is the farthest east of the big peaks in the Rocky Mountain chain, which contributed to its early fame among explorers, pioneers and immigrants and made it the symbol of the 1859 Gold Rush to Colorado with the slogan, "Pikes Peak or Bust". The 8.9 mile Cog Railway started operating year round in 2007 weather permitting.

Over a half million people reach the summit house every year by the Pikes Peak Highway, Barr Trail or the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. The 19-mile Pikes Peak Highway, paved part of the way, is open year round, weather permitting. Barr Trail is the longest of any trails leading to the top of the 54 mountains in Colorado that are over 14,000 feet, and offers the greatest base-to-summit elevation gain in the state: 7,400 feet. About 15,000 people a year attempt to climb Pikes Peak on foot. The 13-mile trail begins at the base of Pikes Peak in Manitou Springs.

Three notable events take place on the mountain each year. The Pikes Peak Marathon, a 26 mile round trip foot race up Barr Trail and then back down each August, draws thousands of runners from all over the world. The current Pikes Peak Marathon record which was set in 1993 is 3 hours 16 minutes 30 seconds. The second event, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Sunday July 20, 2008 is a race on the 12.42 mile gravel road which starts around the 6 1/2 mile mark on the highway. In 2007 Nobuhiro Tajima set a new record of 10 minutes 1 second. The third event is the AdAmAn Club New Years Fireworks display on December 31 at midnight. ~ from http://www.pikespeakcolorado.com/GeneralInformation.htm

October 17, 2009.

At the Cog Railway Depot

We made reservation for the tickets.

At the depot

People are dressed for the summit since the trains are not air-conditioned or heated.
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When traveling up Pikes Peak (or any mountain) ascending 1000 feet is like traveling 600 miles to the north. The temperature drops about 3.5 degrees, and different life zones are experienced. So, in general, the top of the Peak is 30 degrees colder than at the station in Manitou. ~from Pikes Peak Cog Railway

It was sunny, clear and warm day high in 60's.

But, at the summit, the temperature will be in 30's.

We were seated at the two seaters at the right side of the train.

The right and the left side of the train has totally different views.

People from the 3 seaters are looking out the windows.

Unfortunately fall came too early, and the aspen trees had no leaves left on.

Had our trip been little earlier, we would have seen the beautiful yellow apen trees foliage.

Views from the 2 seaters.

Views from the 3 seaters.

As we go up, rocks becomes smaller and ther are less trees.

Plant and animal life is extensive and varied on Pikes Peak. The mountain encompasses four of the eight distinct life zones that exist in Colorado.

Before you reach the Railway, you are in the Eastern Plains Zone (up to 6,000 feet) which is comprised of wildflowers and grassland and is home to many small animals like prairie dogs and rabbits.

The depot is located at 6,571 feet. The Foothills Zone (6,000 to 8,000 feet) is composed of small bushes and trees such as scrub oak, juniper, sagebrush and pinion pine and is inhabited by raccoons, skunks, various squirrels, deer and an occasional bear and mountain lion.

The Montane Zone (8,000 to 10,000 feet) has various wildflowers and small shrubs, but large forests of pines and Douglas fir, as well as the colorful aspen tree, are predominant. Deer, elk, bear and mountain lions can all be found at this attitude.

The Subalpine Zone (10,000 to 11,500 feet) is less hospitable. Englemann spruce, Douglas fir and bristlecone pine comprise the area’s dense forests. It is estimated that some bristlecone pine trees on Pikes Peak are over 2000 years old.

In the Alpine Zone (11,500 feet and above), tundra composed of tiny flowers, mosses and lichen eke out a cold existence in the short growing season.

The denizens of this windy zone are mainly the yellow-bellied marmot and the bighorn sheep. The marmot hibernates during the winter, but the sheep migrate to lower and more hospitable regions.

Pikes Peak is home to one of Colorado’s largest bighorn sheep herds, and riders on the Cog Railway frequently see many of these magnificent animals. ~ from http://cograilway.com/aboutpikespeak.htm

I will soon post Pikes Peak, America's Mountain 2.