Today was a beautiful day to be in the mountains. For the most part, the Sun was shining and temperatures ranged from a little too warm to a little too cold. You can’t ask for more than that.
I was thinking the gate (part way up Mill Creek Canyon) opened on June 1, but apparently it opens on July 1. So while I had planned to hike further up the canyon today, I instead hiked to Mt Aire–the second time I’ve done this hike.
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- Mix of Grass and Snow
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- Trail Became a Stream
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- Saddle Below Mt Aire
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- Northeast
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- Southwest
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- Looking West
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- Hiking Back Down
This is a somewhat aggressive hike, climbing nearly 2,000 feet in just over one and a half miles.
However, because the gate was closed, I had to park at the gate at walk about one and a half miles before I reached the trailhead at Elbow Fork. This doubled the total distance and added about 500 feet to the hike.
The forecast called for a high of around 80 degrees today. It was mostly sunny and I saw a fair amount of snow, and melting snow. There were a few sections where the trail had turned into a small stream.
For some reason, I never thought to bring my MICROspikes for walking on snow. I really was expecting most of it to be gone by now. Fortunately, there weren’t many places where it was necessary to walk over the snow.
For me personally, it’s been a stressful couple of weeks. While I initially struggled a little up some of the steeper sections, I was then able to push myself a little. And I really felt great by the time I was walking back to the car.
Peek: Mount Aire, 8,621 Feet
Altitude Gained: 2,599 Feet
Total Distance Traveled: 6.14 Miles
Time on Mountain: 3 Hours and 34 Minutes