The beginning of the trail is a pleasant walk up a Jeep road. I could have driven up a ways, but it can get rough in spots and I was alone, so...
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At the time I left the Jeep, it was 4 degrees, which quickly became obvious when it felt like my eyelashes were sticking together when blinking. They were.
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After a little over a mile on the Jeep road it was time to turn right and head deeper into the forest.
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The few inches of snow the area received 2 days earlier did not obscure the snowshoe trench that was there from previous hikers. Thanks to them I didn't need to use the snowshoes I carried along, just microspikes.
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From this same area there is a spectacular view of Pikes Peak looking back in the direction from which I came (north).
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And looking south the summit of Mt. Rosa is seen. At this time it had warmed up to about 15-20 degrees I'm guessing. The final pitch to the summit is about 400 feet of elevation gain.
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