Pikes Peak via Barr Trail (14,110 ft)

Barr Trail is long trail up Pikes Peak. Starting in Manitou Springs at 6,600 feet, it climbs 7500 ft up over the course of about 25 miles round trip (27 miles if you have to park a mile away from the trailhead). Our group of 12 decided two nights at Barr Camp was in order, where the camp hosts prepared pancakes and spaghetti for weary travellers and a cabin (full of snorers, unfortunately) allowed us to forgoe packing our tents up the mountain.

With two hikers from sea level (one from California, the other from Maryland) and 4 first-time 14er hikers, we managed to get just about everyone up to the summit.

It was a great hike, topped by eating a celebratory donut at the summit!


View these photos and their locations in Google Earth or in Google Maps.

The blue group: Kristy, Mike, Andy, and Ken

Somehow we ended up with a large group of blue hikers, and red hikers... it"s almost like an election!

 

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7-17-2009 11:06 am

Photo by Venus Martinez

 

The group at the trailhead

 

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7-17-2009 11:07 am

Photo by Andy Westmeyer

 

Mike applies sunscreen to Andy...Andy is perhaps enjoying it too much?

 

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7-17-2009 11:08 am

 

Brian at the trailhead

 

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7-17-2009 11:09 am

Photo by Venus Martinez

 

Hiking up the trail

 

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7-17-2009 11:17 am

 

Sharon

 

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7-17-2009 1:02 pm

Photo by Venus Martinez

 

Venus

 

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7-17-2009 1:03 pm

Photo by Shari Post

 

Andy and Mike have fun with a wheelbarrow along the trail

 

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7-17-2009 1:12 pm

 

 

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7-17-2009 1:15 pm

 

Pikes off in the distance

 

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7-17-2009 1:32 pm

 

Kristy and Lisa

 

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7-17-2009 2:39 pm

 

Barr Camp

 

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7-17-2009 3:24 pm

 

Alan relaxes at camp

 

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7-17-2009 4:19 pm

 

The main cabin at Barr Camp

 

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7-17-2009 4:26 pm

 

Venus and Sharon arrive at camp

 

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7-17-2009 4:40 pm

 

Andy relaxes after the hike

 

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7-17-2009 5:22 pm

Photo by Shari Post

 

Brad and Lisa

 

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7-17-2009 5:29 pm

Photo by Venus Martinez

 

Ken relaxes by the stream

 

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7-17-2009 5:30 pm

Photo by Venus Martinez

 

Brian, Shari, and Andy

 

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7-17-2009 5:52 pm

 

Kristy, Alan, and Pam

 

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7-17-2009 5:52 pm

 

Mike

 

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7-17-2009 5:52 pm

 

Kristy and Venus in the upper cabin

 

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7-17-2009 7:36 pm

 

A view of the upper cabin

 

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7-17-2009 7:36 pm

 

Lisa and Brian

 

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7-17-2009 7:36 pm

 

Shari and Brad

 

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7-17-2009 8:52 pm

Photo by Andy Westmeyer

 

Alan, Lisa, Kristy, and Pam set off for the summit

 

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7-18-2009 4:58 am

 

Sunrise along the trail

 

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7-18-2009 5:43 am

 

 

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7-18-2009 6:37 am

 

Alan, Kristy, and Lisa on the trail

 

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7-18-2009 6:38 am

 

The summit about 2000 ft above us

 

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7-18-2009 6:44 am

 

The A-Frame shelter at tree line

 

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7-18-2009 6:49 am

 

 

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7-18-2009 7:08 am

 

 

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7-18-2009 7:16 am

 

Lisa on the trail

 

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7-18-2009 7:16 am

 

Kristy and the summit

 

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7-18-2009 7:32 am

 

Brian

 

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7-18-2009 7:34 am

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

Alan and Kristy

 

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7-18-2009 8:10 am

 

Looking southward over the southern cirque

 

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7-18-2009 8:27 am

 

The long traverse across the face of Pikes

 

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7-18-2009 8:27 am

 

A fuzzy marmot

 

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7-18-2009 8:37 am

 

The 1500ft high southern wall of the southern cirque

 

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7-18-2009 8:39 am

 

The start of the 16 Golden Stairs (32 switchbacks)

 

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7-18-2009 9:06 am

 

The maintenance train at the summit

 

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7-18-2009 9:10 am

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

Looking back on the trail from the near summit

 

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7-18-2009 9:13 am

 

A train of tourists arrives

 

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7-18-2009 9:13 am

 

Brian arrives on the summit

 

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7-18-2009 9:24 am

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

Lisa and Brian on the summit

 

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7-18-2009 9:25 am

 

Kristy arrives on the summit

 

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7-18-2009 9:45 am

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

Brian and Lisa

 

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7-18-2009 9:51 am

 

The very end of the cog railway

 

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7-18-2009 10:12 am

 

Clouds drift upwards from the face of Pikes

 

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7-18-2009 10:16 am

 

The trail below

 

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7-18-2009 10:21 am

 

Alan and Pam enjoy a burger on the summit

 

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7-18-2009 10:32 am

Photo by Shari Post

 

Kristy hiking down

 

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7-18-2009 10:50 am

 

Alan, Brad, Shari, Mike, Andy, and Pam

 

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7-18-2009 10:53 am

Photo by Andy Westmeyer

 

Clouds wisp over the trail

 

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7-18-2009 10:57 am

 

Lisa and Kristy

 

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7-18-2009 11:06 am

 

Alan, Brad, Pam, Andy, Shari, and Mike on the summit

 

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7-18-2009 11:09 am

Photo by Shari Post

 

Brad

 

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7-18-2009 11:19 am

Photo by Andy Westmeyer

 

Venus and Ken arrive on the summit

 

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7-18-2009 11:22 am

Photo by Andy Westmeyer

 

 

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7-18-2009 11:25 am

 

Switchbacks everywhere

 

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7-18-2009 11:33 am

Photo by Shari Post

 

 

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7-18-2009 11:44 am

 

Andy

 

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7-18-2009 11:58 am

Photo by Andy Westmeyer

 

Brian

 

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7-18-2009 12:08 pm

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

The clouds finally catch up to us

 

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7-18-2009 12:10 pm

 

Kristy, Lisa, and Sharon hike down through treeline

 

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7-18-2009 12:17 pm

 

The famed butt rock

 

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7-18-2009 12:55 pm

Photo by Shari Post

 

Kristy, Mike, and Andy relax in front of the upper cabin

 

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7-18-2009 2:49 pm

 

The Barr Camp switchback bread

 

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7-18-2009 5:03 pm

 

Shari, Brad, and Mike at Barr Camp

 

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7-18-2009 5:31 pm

 

Andy, Lisa, Alan, and another hiker at Barr Camp

 

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7-18-2009 5:32 pm

 

Venus's blisters

 

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7-19-2009 6:18 am

Photo by Shari Post

 

The stream running through Barr Camp

 

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7-19-2009 6:32 am

 

One of many hummingbirds at camp

 

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7-19-2009 6:44 am

 

Ken and Venus enjoying breakfast

 

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7-19-2009 7:12 am

 

A squirrel contemplates signing the log book

 

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7-19-2009 7:12 am

 

Triage corner: Venus and Pam bandage their blisters

 

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7-19-2009 7:53 am

 

The group

 

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7-19-2009 8:14 am

Photo by Andy Westmeyer

 

Boots!

 

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7-19-2009 8:15 am

 

Mike and Andy and a tripod: recipe for amusement

 

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7-19-2009 8:17 am

Photo by Andy Westmeyer

 

Lisa and Brian

 

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7-19-2009 8:27 am

 

Brad points out where we hiked to

 

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7-19-2009 8:40 am

Photo by Shari Post

 

A mariposa lily

 

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7-19-2009 9:56 am

 

Looking down on the group from a few switchbacks up

 

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7-19-2009 10:04 am

 

Lisa under a rock fall

 

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7-19-2009 10:08 am

 

Alan, Kristy, and Pam

 

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7-19-2009 10:19 am

 

Lisa

 

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7-19-2009 10:34 am

 

Looking out on Colorado Springs from about 9000 ft

 

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7-19-2009 10:34 am

 

Andy at the trailhead

 

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7-19-2009 11:17 am

 

Pam and her blistered foot

 

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7-19-2009 11:42 am

 

Mike and his man purse

 

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7-19-2009 11:44 am

 

Brad

 

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7-19-2009 11:45 am

 

 

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7-19-2009 11:52 am

Photo by Andy Westmeyer

 

Pikes from Garden of the Gods

 

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7-19-2009 3:11 pm

 

 

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7-19-2009 3:11 pm

 

Lisa, Pam, and Kristy

 

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7-19-2009 3:12 pm

 

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