I had my favorite hiking partner with me again on this one.  This was my wife Melissa’s second 14er!  We took our time getting to the summit which allowed us to enjoy the plentiful wildflowers in bloom.  We also had multiple encounters with mountain goats right off the edge of the trail.  I had remembered seeing them a couple of years ago on this same hike but they seemed closer to the trail this time.

My niece from Ohio also accompanied us on this hike.  She went on to summit Torreys after we reached the top of Grays.  She’s young and in great shape so she caught up with us on the way down.  There was a good amount of people hiking for a Monday but this is a popular hike and everyone was so friendly and courteous – especially at the summit.  I think the instant comradery and bonds between fellow summiteers is so cool.

A couple of people passed by us on the way down with a beautiful husky mix.  We stopped to take some pictures with the wildflowers and noticed the same dog ahead of us rolling around in the grass just off the edge of the trail.  At the same time we heard a coyote, located on the top of the ridge to Mount Kelso, start yelping and howling.  We think he was either calling out to the dog below or warning him away but he carried on for about 10 minutes.  First time I’ve heard one in the middle of the day.

This was a great hike and memorable in many ways.  I probably wouldn’t have chosen to do it again if not for the challenge.  Thank you SixPack!