Saturday, December 22, 2018

The Rawahs Part 2 & 3.

Back to the Rawahs, as if my arm had to be twisted at all.  My plan was to try to visit the areas farthest and most inaccessible from my house first, while the weather was still good.  And now, in wintery weather, visit the closer and easier to get to summits.
Thus I set out with a partner to do a fun loop from the Link McIntrye trailhead, near Glendevey.  To get here, take CO-14 to 103.  Turn north on road 103, and continue on this dirt road until you get to road 190, where you'll take a left at a pretty obvious intersection.  The trailhead and parking are on your left just AFTER Brown's Park Campground.  
My partner for the day: none other than peak bagging legend Alyson Kirk.  I'd have to move to keep up!
We'd start on the McIntyre trail, which was fun and in pretty decent shape.  We were both speculating that probably not many people hike here, so we didn't know what it would be like, but it was generally well maintained, though slightly wet in places.
We got to a point south of our first objective of the day, peak 10100, and headed up.  The movement was pretty easy and pleasant, with the forest being pretty open.  (Note that I only took three photos on this day.)
From there we continued north and faced a little bit of bushwhacking before reaching our next destination, peak 10148.  From there, we dropped west to Shipman Park.  
While strolling through this grassy meadow, we discussed how it was unusual that we hadn't seen any animals.  It looked like Elk or Moose would love it here.  
We also said that this was the first day it truly felt like fall, and this was on August 23rd.  Summer always goes by so quickly.  
Trees on the other side.
From here, we ascended, encountering a little more bushwhacking.  But it never got too bad, and soon enough we broke out into some more open terrain near tree line.  We hit the trail and had to back track slightly to visit peak 10620 before heading south along the Medicine Bow Trail.  This trail pretty consistently flirts with tree line, and the views just get better and better.
But the easy movement would come to an end, as we'd drop east to visit our final and highest peak of the day, 10790.
It really wasn't too bad at first, with no bushwhacking, but steep terrain.  It got flatter, but the bushwhacking increased in difficulty, though again it was never too bad.
I stopped to grab some water from McIntyre Creek before we started the final climb.  It wasn't too long before we topped out and signed in at the last register.
The long downhill back to the car was just stupid fun, fast and flowy, though we never got up to a true run.  There was one section where we got off the main trail due to some social trails, but we were back on it shortly.  We'd originally talked about doing a few other things in the area, but with a long drive back and a longer than anticipated day, we decided against that.
This was a fun loop, and a good way to visit this group of four.  The scenery is beautiful and the trails in generally good shape.  And the bushwhacking wasn't too bad really.  While not a short day, this would certainly be recommended as a fun one.
Link to hike map/gpx on Caltopo (in orange).
The Rawahs Part 2:
10100: 5.6 miles, 1653 foot gain.  Second class.  Moderate-.
10148: 8.4 miles, 1701 foot gain.  Second class.  Moderate.
Shipman Park, 9559 feet: 9.9 miles, 1112 foot gain.  Second class.  Moderate.
10620: 12.5 miles, 2173 foot gain.  Second class.  Moderate+.
10790: 20.9 miles, 2343 foot gain.  Second class.  Strenuous-.
As a whole, this loop covered 28.32 miles with 5902 feet of elevation gain in up to second class terrain with a fair amount of off trail but not too bushwhacky time.  Strenuous.

A few weeks later, I set out for a pretty grand loop.  Due to the length of this day, I made the decision to drive up and sleep in the car at the West Branch Trailhead (follow previous directions, and you'll pass it on your left as you head north on road 103 just AFTER Tunnel Campground).  These planned early starts are always a crap shoot.  While the idea is that I can get up at the same time as I would at home and have that much more time out there, I also never sleep as well, so things are kind of a wash.
I tried to sleep in the reclined front seat, then in the back, then in the seat again... I eventually fell asleep somewhere, as I snapped awake when my alarm went off, but I did not feel well rested.  I also took a look at the weather, and if it wasn't September with an unknown time before the first snow, I probably wouldn't have gone.  No precipitation was predicted, but the winds were gusty (40+ miles per hour), and I could hear it as soon as I woke up.  Unfortunately, this wind led to a pretty major navigational error, which really put into question my ability to finish up the goal for the year.
I got ready in the early morning darkness and started up the trail.  I had a partial GPX file in the Gaia app in my phone, and occasionally stopped to check it since I'd never been here before and was not one hundred percent familiar with the trails.
The plan was to do a nice loop, starting with peak 11330, so I kept an eye out for the Camp Lake Trail.  I would continue going the way I was for a bit after that, and then break from the trail and head northwest up the hill to visit that summit first.
The bushwhacking was okay, nothing too heinous, though it was more difficult in the darkness, as I could only see as far as my headlamp shone thus it was hard to pick the best way forward.  Some of the terrain was steep, but most of it was pretty manageable.
I was around treeline when daylight broke, and thus far on the leeward side of the peak and out of the wind, but I could hear it ripping.  Soon enough, I popped out on the summit and into the full force of the wind.  Though the area was beautiful, it was pretty miserable.  Not quite enough to knock me off my feet, but certainly enough to alter my course here and there.
From 11330, I jogged a bit while en route to the next summit of the day, Sheep Mountain.  I was able to find and follow some animal trails that made the going easier.  I decided to sidehill north of point 11787, which worked alright terrain wise and kept me out of the wind for the time being.
Looking into the future from Sheep Mountain.
This was the first time I was fully exposed to the wind, and I already knew it was going to make the day challenging.  I crossed Grassy Pass, and visited Lake 4 to refill on water.
Lake 4.
I was quite mercifully out of the wind here, and most of the climb up to North Rawah Peak.
Looking south from the climb.  What a stunning ridge!
At the summit and back in the wind.
This would be pretty fun if not for the wind.
I decided to stay down a little bit from being right on top of the ridge, this seemed to help mitigate the wind a little.  I also felt this got rid of the possibility that a really strong gust might hit me out of no where, and cause me to stumble the wrong way, resulting in a serious fall.  At least this way if that happened, I'd only stumble and have a short fall up a slope vs off a cliff.
But still, it was windy and miserable.
I'd planned to possible drop down after Rawah Pyramid, and continue on to Lewis and Clark, but the lack of sleep the night before and the conditions today cast serious doubt on this actually happening.
At this point, I made a pretty dumb navigational error.  I'll chalk it up to the wind.  I had the idea in my head that one of the peaks I intended to do, Snowbank Peak, was south of North Rawah Peak.  In reality, this one is south of South Rawah Peak.  I thought about pulling out my paper map to check "just to make sure", but I thought I was remembering things correctly, and it was so windy I didn't think I could manage a paper map, and that it would likely end up somewhere east of me.
From the "summit" of what was definitely not Snowbank Peak.
I did not find a register or cairn, which wasn't really that big of a surprise.  There was indeed a snowbank to the east of this summit as well.  It had to be it, right?
Stupid me, I never realized it until I was back at home that night logging my peaks for the day, and looked at the topo.  Uhoh. 
A flat, leeward area just past the false snowbank.
The summit of South Rawah came pretty quickly and easily, which should've been another clue that this was not a ranked peak- it just didn't have enough elevation gain.
South Rawah Peak.
Back to the north.
Looking back to South Rawah Peak.
And east from the saddle.
I started up again, keeping myself down and east of the ridge as it again looked pretty rocky and with possibility of injury.  There were some times with less wind, but I never stopped to check the map because I thought I'd visited the summit!
Looking west to 11580 and the plains beyond.  A pretty neat perspective on that one as well as Clear Lake.
Looking ahead.
That prominent, hard, peak looking thing?  Snowbank Peak.
But I stayed down and east of it, thinking I was easing the way forward.
Apparently, I didn't take any photos from the summit of Rawah Pyramid, but this unranked peak provided one of the best views of the day.  The terrain eased up a bit from there, so I continued on the east side of the ridge and descended a bit north before heading east.
South from the ridge, what beauty!
The decent was a little loose and rocky, but became better as the steepness lessened.  It was GREAT to now have that massive land mass at my back and be out of the wind.  I was able to delayer finally.  It felt pretty good to enjoy the day.
More beauty, but I would not get there on this day.
I made my way around the rocky humps between myself and Dodad Peak.  It looked like a very easy walk up from there.
Dodad Peak.
On the summit back to Rawah Pyramid.
The sharp tooth looking peak is Snowbank, argh!  South Rawah on the right.
Looking back to summits visited earlier in the day.
To past and future- Clark, Lewis, and Island Lake Peak as seen from my 500th summit in Colorado.
As I climbed up to Dodad, I kept my eyes open for the best descent route.  I spied a gully that looked like it would work well and also not have me descend all the way back to the saddle. 
Twin Crater Lakes.
The trail starts on the other side of the smaller lake.  As I descended, I noticed some haze and a smoky smell from the multitude of forest fires burning over the summer.
Always a unique perspective to be at a lake that is only a few hundred feet lower than one of the earlier summitted peaks. 
Peak 11330 as seen from the trail.
Headed down...
The trail back down was pretty fun, largely joggable with one steeper switchbacky section.  It felt like it took forever, but I was back at the trailhead less than three hours after standing on the summit of Dodad Peak. 
Well, I had initially planned for more, but I couldn't be unhappy with this day.  Except for the wind.  The wind sucked.  But what a pleasure to spend 12 hours in this place, to celebrate my 38th birthday with my 500th summit in Colorado, and still be able to get home at a reasonable hour and spend some time with my wife and pups. 
Though I was tired, I enjoyed a nice dinner at home, and was feeling pretty good until I finally took the time to log my peaks for the day.  It was only then that I discovered the identification mistake I made.  It was pretty dumb, and could've been easily avoided if I'd just stopped to look at the map.  But oh well. 
There went the nice, easy loop I'd do next week to complete the peaks in the area, as I'd definitely have to go out of the way to visit Snowbank Peak.  That would take enough time that I might not have the time to get everything else; therefore the goal of finishing up all ranked peaks in Roosevelt National Forest might not happen.
But, I suppose time passes, and time would tell.
Link to hike map/gpx on Caltopo (in blue).
The Rawahs Part 3.
11330: 5.2 miles, 2767 foot gain.  Second class.  Moderate+.
Sheep Mountain, 11820 feet: 7.55 miles, 3257 foot gain.  Second class.  Moderate+.
North Rawah Peak, 12473 feet: 10.4 miles, 3910 foot gain.  Second class.  Strenuous.
South Rawah Peak, 12644 feet: 12.5 miles, 4081 foot gain.  Second class.  Strenuous.
Rawah Pyramid, 12460 feet: 14.5 miles, 3897 foot gain.  Second class.  Strenuous.
Dodad Peak, 12060 feet: 15.7 miles, 3497 foot gain.  Second class.  Strenuous.
As a whole, this loop covered 23.8 miles with 7388 feet of elevation gain in up to second class terrain, and is a supremely awesome way to link up these peaks.  Just don't walk by Snowbank!  Strenuous+.

Monday, December 10, 2018

The Rawahs Part 1.

I guess now is as good a time as ever to get caught up on some trip reports.  2018 is quickly coming to a close, but even at this point I've visited more peaks this year than ever before.  I entered the year with a plan, which was to try to take as big of a bite as possible out of Larimer County, finish Roosevelt National Forest, and hopefully finish Larimer and RMNP next year on the same summit. 
With the race I signed up for being a pretty big effort, I also wanted to focus on days that would have alot of elevation gain relative to the distance, and days that would have me spend alot of time on my feet.  I like doing long, adventurous days, and I've detailed some of those here already.
This was one of my last bigger days before the race, done with my friend Dave.  His primary goals were peak 11667, above Kelly Lake and in Jackson County, and the unranked Mount Ashley.  He quite wisely suggested adding on the ranked Island Lake Peak, as that would ease my future days in the area (or so he said, and he was right!).
We met at an ungodly hour in Fort Collins, and started the drive up to State Forest State Park.  He took the drive both ways and I got to play the role of deer spotter.  It's funny that I'd never been up the Poudre until the Never Summer 100k last year, and now I've been up it so many times it seems like I have every curve memorized.
We started from Ruby Jewel, also important to take his SUV up vs my car as I'm not sure it could have gotten up the road.  The first bit was on a progressively rougher jeep road, and we talked about if we could've made it farther up or not.  Not that I minded a slightly longer hike.
All of our on trail time would cover the same ground as the NS100K, and I made sure to take some time to enjoy the scenery, as I felt like I didn't do that much last year.  We reached tree line, and were provided some great views in all directions.
South down the valley.
And up to 11667.
We left the trail and found a way up this slope.  It was pretty easy going really, especially compared to what would come.  We topped out and headed south to the true summit.
Great views to the west were enjoyed.
It was pretty neat to still be in the shade of the taller peaks to our east.  We headed back down the way we'd come, ending up in the saddle over Kelly Lake. 
Quite beautiful.
We'd stay on the trail toward the lake for a bit before cutting east towards Island Lake Peak.  Funny, I was feeling a little pensive here, as this peak is third class, imposing looking, and it had been a bit since I'd done any scrambling.
Some large talus and rock hopping led us to the base of the ridge between Mount Ashley and Island Lake Peak.  We faced a choice here, with two obvious gullies up.  We'd ready the trip reports, but couldn't remember if it was the north or south gully to take.  Neither really looked great, so we headed up the south gully as we were closer to it.
Looking back, this gully bore obvious signs of recent rockfall- namely that the corners of pretty much all the rock in the area looked to be a powdery, lighter color than the rock itself.  That happens when rocks fall and bash into each other.
It was a little sketchy at times, but we were fortunately very close to the top when Dave kicked a rock loose, which we heard tumble down the slope and initiate a pretty substantial rock slide/fall below us.  That was a little scary, but we were nearly on solid ground.
Topping out and looking north along the ridge to the summit.
The rock from here out was solid, the route finding fun and engaging, the company great.  You'll want to cross over to the west side after the obvious tower, and will have to eventually if you want to keep it under fifth class, or stay on the ridge as much as possible to enjoy the scramble.
The summit.
Dave signs in as I look to out next and last peak of the day.
North to Rawah Pyramid and Snowbank Peak (made a dumb mistake on that one, trip report forthcoming).
East to Dodad Peak.
We had a not great weather prediction for the day, but things were looking good so far.
We wisely decided to take the northern most gully back down.  There was some loose stuff here and there, but nothing like we'd encountered in the south gully.
Find the person on the east side of Island Lake Peak.
The rocky terrain didn't relent as we headed back south toward Mount Ashley, but we were finally able to get into a grassy area to move a bit quicker.
You can see the result of the rock fall we'd initiated here, all the powdery looking stuff at the base of the gully.  It definitely didn't look like that on the way up!
We sat for a snack and looked at the terrain ahead.  There was a pretty obvious gully ahead of us, and it looked fine- great in fact, compared to what we'd previously done.  It was fun, very solid rock, and reasonable movement.  It was a short stretch to the summit from where we kicked out.
South to Lewis and Clark.
And north back to Island Lake Peak.
Note the incoming weather to the east...  We had earlier talked about visiting Lewis and Clark before dropping down to Jewel Lake, but the weather definitely wasn't looking like it would cooperate.
Lewis and Clark.
The way ahead was clear though, so we kept on.  But as we got closer, it became pretty obvious it wouldn't be an option to do both due to the weather.  Dave suggested just visiting Lewis, but I was pretty keen on pairing them up, and I'd have to go pretty much all the way back anyway to visit Clark, so we started to descend west.
11667 and Kelly Lake.
We descended the pleasant, grassy hillside back to meet the trail we'd come up.
Looking back down, now with some weather inbound.
Lots of beautiful wildflowers were seen.
Shortly after this, it started raining.
It wasn't bad at all really, barely enough to warrant rain gear.  It was pretty cool to hear the thunder echoing down the valley.  I felt briefly wistful about missing the sign up for the 2019 NS100K, and wished I'd been more on top of things, but in the end I am pretty happy to have went to Ouray instead.
We got back to the SUV, and started driving down.  We'd also talked about maybe visiting one or more of the lower peaks in the area if we had time and want, and we had both.  We decided on Bull Mountain, pretty easy by any stretch, particularly so as we could drive most of the way up it.
It was just a short hike off trail to the summit area, though it was one of the flat and broad ones, and did not have a cairn or any other marker we could find.
Where we were not too long ago, now completely engulfed in clouds.
We made the short hike back to where we'd parked, and started the long drive home.  Thanks to Dave for making the drive, as I was pretty tired and had some trouble keeping my eyes open.
This was a pretty awesome day, and a great intro to the peaks in the area.  As Dave suggested, it was a smart move strategically to visit Island Lake Peak with these peaks, as it is the only thing on the ridge that is more technical and difficult to visit versus the much easier peaks around it.  If not for this one, you'd have nearly 30 uninterrupted miles of rolling peaks from 10833 in the north to South Diamond Peak in the south, with much of that above treeline.  It made sense to plan for this day and the more time consuming movement that came with it to facilitate later days in a more timely manner.
And later days would come.
Link to hike map/GPX on Caltopo(in red).
The Rawahs Part 1.
11667: 4.4 miles, 1998 foot gain.  Second class.  Moderate.
Island Lake Peak, 12220 feet: 6 miles, 2551 foot gain.  Third class.  Strenuous-.
Mount Ashley, 12380 feet: 7.3 miles, 2711 foot gain.  Third class.  Strenuous-.
As a whole, this day covered 12.15 miles with 5306 feet of elevation gain in up to third class terrain with engaging route finding.  Strenuous-.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Isolation Peak, Fleur de Lis, Mount Craig,and Ten Lake Park from Wild Basin.

After a several year hiatus from Wild Basin, this year has marked a return to the place where it all started.  Earlier in the year, I decided to "run" Isolation Peak in preparation for the race.  While I say run, it was really more of a fast hike, particularly with the off trail time after Bluebird Lake.
It was a rather pleasant and peaceful day, and it was awesome to revisit the area that captured my imagination years ago.  A return to the memory of some big and fun days.
It was several years later on a pretty big day with Dan that I finally got to see the west side of Isolation Peak.  Like many others, it was interesting to get a different perspective on the mountains I was so familiar with from the east.  And that west ridge looked extremely fun!  
With other goals and wants, a return has taken a few years, but another friend proposed a long and adventurous route to visit Fleur de Lis and Mount Craig.  We'd start and end at the Wild Basin trail head, going up and over Isolation, taking the west ridge out and back, with a brief drop down into Ten Lake Park.  My kind of day, it took zero arm twisting to get out for these repeats!
We met and started just as the sun was rising, headlamps not needed, but brought along just in case.  Dave beat me to the trail head by a few minutes, and said one person had started before us, though we never did see them.  In fact, the only people we saw the whole day (besides each other), was a couple near Bluebird Lake who had camped at the site close to there.
Bluebird Lake, Ouzel Peak.
With my visit earlier in the year, it was pretty easy to follow the cairned social trail around Bluebird Lake and to the bench above Lark Pond and Pipit Lake.  There's some bushy stuff in this area, but it's generally easy to avoid.
We stopped at the beautiful and isolated Isolation Lake for a snack and water.  While there were possibilities on the other side, this was the last definite water we'd come across for a long time-possibly until we made the return trip and went by this lake again.
We started up the scree slope towards Isolation.
Somewhere up there, Mahana Peak and Copeland Mountain behind.
We made it to the summit of Isolation relatively easily.  There aren't any technical difficulties along the way, it's just the gain to get there.
Dave on the summit.
He'd copied and brought the route description from Lisa Fosters book along.  This suggested staying on the ridge direct as fourth class at the easiest, with multiple towers to go around.  With this in mind, we decided to drop down a little and contour around, staying at around 12700 feet.  The terrain was pretty manageable, with just a touch of loose stuff here and there. 
Looking back towards Isolation and those deep blue skies that only seem to happen in September.
Copeland Mountain.
We reached a flatter section and headed north to meet the ridge, which was outstandingly fun third class.
Dave descending the ridge.
This ridge was pretty awesome, with fun and engaging route finding.  As we kept remarking, we'd yet to hit any real difficulties, and the day was going swimmingly.
On the way out, we bypassed the small lump west of the ridge at around 12200 feet on the south side.  On the way back we stayed up higher on it and it was fine either way.
We crossed a small social trail at the saddle between Isolation and Fleur de Lis, then started up.  Though this peak is second class, the easiest approach is from the west side, and we found a little bit of scrambling to get to the top.
Looking back at Isolation.
We continued on to Mount Craig.  From previous experience, I knew we should stay to the south of point 11902, as it's scrambly and difficult to go over.  On the other side, we took what was probably not the best route up.  This was probably the hardest few moves of scrambling of the day, or so I felt.  But it was short, and we were soon back on tundra.
Looking back from near Mount Craig. 
Right near the summit.
Well, it's probably easier to get Fleur de Lis and Mount Craig from the west, but I wouldn't say that day is "easy".  I do vividly remember my previous visit, with friend and oft hiking/running partner Dan.  Near the end of the day, he told me (I *think* in jest) that if we'd done the loop we did in reverse, he would've never spoken to me again.  At the very least, that would've made for an awkward ride home.
But here Dave and I were at our furthest point out.  Now all we had to do was turn around.  And go all the way back.  We decided to drop down into Ten Lake Park and take a promising looking gully up, and skirt around Isolation.  (Now that I'm writing this a few weeks later, I think that was the intention here.)
Beauty.  Of course, just as we were wondering aloud how long it had been since someone had been there, I found a German made Swiss Army style knife on the ground.  It had been out for awhile, but at least we can say people sometimes come here.  And I again learned the hard lesson that when water is getting lowish and the next definite source is a good bit away, you should fill up.  Figured I'd know that now, and I never seem to do it.  Ah well, not having water for an hour didn't kill me!
Now looking back on Mount Craig.  What an awesome day!
We were both getting tired, and as we got back towards the west ridge of Isolation, made the choice to just go back the way we'd come, but to possibly stay on the ridge the entire way.  Fosters book calls this fourth class and talks about bypassing towers to stay direct on the ridge.
I felt and we talked after that we both felt this ridge was no more than third class, and we didn't find any towers to bypass.  So I'm not sure where her description came from.  Sure, there's some route finding, but it's pretty easy to stay right on top.  "Easy".
We made it back to Isolation, and ended up meeting the south ridge maybe forty vertical feet below the summit.  Since I have a sick desire to visit isolated peaks multiple times in the same day from different trailheads/directions/whatever, I climbed back to the top while Dave descended and waited for me. 
The same view as earlier, hours later.  Different and just as spectacular.
The south ridge in the afternoon.
We descended back to Isolation Lake, where we were both happy to filter and drink some water and eat some food.  Though we were still a good distance from the trailhead, there was finally some sense of being almost done, at least for me.  There were no more major elevation gains, and while there was still some off trail time, we were past the hardest and talusyest terrain.  Soon we'd have a trail, and from there we could just motor on down.
We wanted to see how far we could make it without headlamps, but it wasn't much beyond Bluebird Lake.  Ah well!
Now with food and water in us, we enjoyed some conversation on the way back.  I think we were both suffering a bit for various reasons going back up over Isolation.  But we identified the problems, corrected them, and got over it.
I generally like my work schedule and love my job, but after days like this I wish I had more weekend time available.  This was my second time hiking with Dave this year, and what awesome days they've been with a more experienced partner.  It's been particularly nice to hike or run with some new people this year, and to find some other kindred spirits out there.
We got back to the trailhead and got situated before saying our farewells.  At least this time it was me who had the shorter drive home, I was definitely tired!
While this day was all repeats for me, I certainly had an awesome time going along.  I'm sure not many people will venture in far enough to do the west ridge of Isolation Peak, but if you are looking for a fun scramble, it's pretty great.  Though not on the map, there is a pretty good social trail all the way up to Fifth Lake, and it would be pretty reasonable to do from there.
Link to hike map/GPX on Caltopo (like last time, there might be some bonus miles here).
Isolation Peak, Fleur de Lis, Mount Craig, and Ten Lake Park from Wild Basin:
Bluebird Lake, 10990 feet: 7.4 miles, 2490 foot gain.  Second class.  Moderate+.
Isolation Lake, 12000 feet: 9.5 miles, 3500 foot gain.  Second class.  Strenuous-.
Isolation Peak,13118 feet: 10.25 miles, 4618 foot gain.  Second class.  Strenuous.
Fleur de Lis, 12250 feet: 12.3 miles, 3750 foot gain.  Third class.  Strenuous.
Mount Craig, 12007 feet: 14.4 miles, 3507 foot gain.  Third class.  Strenuous.
Ten Lake Park, 11228 feet*: 15.5 miles, 2728 foot gain.  Second class.  Strenuous.
Isolation Peak, 13118 feet: 18.7 miles, 4618 foot gain.  Third class (from the west).  Strenuous.
Isolation Lake, 12000 feet: 19.6 miles, 3500 foot gain.  Second class.  Strenuous.
Bluebird Lake, 10990 feet: 21 miles, 2490 foot gain.  Second class.  Moderate+.
As a whole, this day covered 29.15 miles (maybe a little less, again got some GPS interference) with 8794 feet of elevation gain in up to third class terrain.  One of the big difficulties you'll face is the time above treeline, which is from around mile seven to mile 21.  Water is scarce, make sure you take advantage of what you find when you find it.  Strenuous+.
*This is the approximate elevation of the lake we were at.