The trail became less steep for about three miles, so the hike wasn’t as hard as the beginning. However, energy-wise, I felt a little drained due to a bad choice of eating lunch. Just before the hike, I ate a cheeseburger instead making my own meal ahead of time. We just ran out of time and had to grab some food on our way to Barr trail. However, it didn’t help making my hike any more productive. Hiking with a full stomach did drain some of my energy. So I learned to eat a healthy meal at least 45 minutes before the hike.

On a side note: Our friend of ours, Ladd, also recommended eating a bar of Snickers that we had in our backpack, even though I wasn’t hungry. He explained that it does boost some energy, and he was right. From now on, it’d be wise to carry some snacks in such as dried fruits or any energy bars that contain quickly-metabolized carbohydrates.

While we hiked up, we had many photo ops but didn’t have time to take pictures. We had to keep going to reach the halfway point, which is at 4.5-mile mark of this trail. Travis and I were so glad to use our trekking poles at this hike. They really helped lifting the weight off our legs a bit. After a short downill, we hiked on a steep uphill that ends at No-Name Creek. Since we had water left in our hydration bladder, we didn’t use our water filter and collect water. We later regretted it because we did run out of water before reaching the Barr Camp. So, do fill up your hydration bladder and/or bottles when you get the chance.

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20-minute break of lunch and rest

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After the break, we all packed up and continued our way up to Barr Camp. We found a sign saying: Pikes Peak Summit 9.5, Barr Camp 3.5. We continued on the left trail. The wide trail gradually became narrow as a single track, and there is a wide path curving to the left but it’s a wrong turn. We continued going straight.

Since Travis and I are a bit slow, our friends went ahead of us. Since I’m not yet accustomed to the high altitude, I find this trail difficult, especially while carrying a backpack up the steep sections. Therefore, packing only what is needed is the key. Hiking on a steady pace and taking one-minute breaks when necessary certainly helped us. We also ate a fun size Snickers bar a couple of times when we needed an energy boost.

After passing two switchbacks, the rolling trail became less steep for the next two miles through the pine forest. Soon, the sign appears, saying: Summit 7.8, Top of Incline 2.5. The trail then became flat and before the next climb, look out for a right-hand turn to the corner of the hill, which is called the Lightning Point. It gives you a great view of Pikes Peak. We took few minutes break there, unaware that we were one mile away from Barr Camp. We already ran out of water and the sun seemed to set faster. The smell of barbecue motivated us to speed up our pace a bit. We couldn’t wait to settle and have dinner!

The trail leads downhill and there was a creek along the left side, but we lacked energy to stop and unload our pack to find that water filter. We kept on going and crossed the wooden bridge. Soon, the sign appears, saying: Barr Camp .5 mile, Summit 6.5, Elevation 9,800 ft. At first, we were excited and kept on going but soon, it seemed longer than a 0.5 mile due to the gain of 400 feet elevation. We hiked on three switchbacks, and then, it was a climb toward camp. Although it was hard, the smell of barbecue kept us going.

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Soon, a caretaker met up with us and showed us where our group has settled at. We were so relieved that we have finished our 4 ½-hour hike! By the way, we recommend starting your hike earlier so you will have time to set up your camp, dine and relax before it gets dark. Since we started at 1:30 pm, and our hike took longer than expected so we arrived late at 7 pm. Since the sun has set, we had little time to quickly set up our tent. It soon became dark, so we wore our headlamps to see. The temperature has dropped and the winds got stronger. We had our proper clothing on, so we were able to stay warm while we were outside.

While I unpacked and organized our belongings inside the tent, Travis brought our water filter and Nalgene bottles to get water we’d need to cook our meal. After I finished, I stepped out and saw Travis has already made dinner for us. A sigh of relief escaped my mouth, I sat down to enjoy food and relax along with our group.

For dinner, we brought a Nalgene bottle filled with whiskey for Travis, a container of red wine to share with our group and a pack of Mountain House freeze-dried lasagna with meat sauce. Believe it or not, the lasagna were delicious! Unfortunately, a caretaker warned us not to make a campground fire. We relied on our jackets to stay warm. Since we were exhausted from the long hike, we went to sleep in our tents by 9 pm.

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Since it was cold outside, I decided to sleep with my base layers, two pairs of socks, my beanie and my fleece jacket on. But an hour later, I woke up sweating. My sleeping bag actually kept me warm! So, I took off my jacket, socks and beanie. I was able to fall back asleep. I was pleased with my sleeping bag and pad, they were warm and comfy. I was able to move and sleep in a position just fine. I tried my travel pillow that I usually use for my flight trips, but it was uncomfortable. Therefore, I will buy a down pillow for my next camping trip.

At 7:30 am, we woke up and walked to the main cabin for breakfast, which was included in prepaid reservation. As we walked inside, the whole cabin is filled with fresh smell of coffee and pancakes. We all sat on a sofa nearby the wood-burning stove, where coffee and hot tea pots stood. Although the breakfast was minimal, the Pikes Peak Power pancakes were delicious and satisfying to our empty belly. I couldn’t stop getting a second serving … and a third serving! And there’s nothing like a cup of hot coffee or hot chocolate warming our body up.

We noticed that the main cabin also have snacks, hot drinks Mountain House pouches and Barr Camp souvenirs, including caps and shirts for purchase. Outside, there are picnic tables available for use. Behind the cabin, there are clean restrooms. There are no sinks nor mirror, just a non-flush waterless toilet and toilet papers for us to use.

Soon after breakfast, we brought our water filter and walked up to the running stream nearby the main cabin. Next to the front door, there are red coffee containers laying underneath the wooden bench. They are available to any one to borrow and fill it with water. We grabbed one and filled it. Then, we filtered the water into our hydration bladder. It took us awhile because the leftover water inside the tube and mouthpiece from my hydration bladder have frozen! So, I had to get inside the cabin to warm them up by the stove. Then, Travis helped me filling the filtered water into my hydration bladder.

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Next, we went back to our tents and packed up our gear.

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We had the option to hike up to the summit of Pikes Peak, which is an additional 6 miles from Barr Camp, but we opted to hike back down to where we started. Since we heard that it will rain in the afternoon, we left at 10 am, which gave us few hours of sunlight. Since most of the trail is downhill, the hike was easy and quick. We finished in 3 ½ hours, and we all celebrated at Old Chicago’s.

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WHAT TRAVIS AND I BROUGHT:

• 2 Backpacks
• 2 Hydration bladders
• 2 Sleeping bags
• 2 Sleeping pads
• Tenting gear
• 2 Mountain House dinner pouches
• 4 Sandwiches
• 8 Fun size chocolate bars
• 2 Nalgene bottles
• Whiskey
• Red Wine
• Water filter
• 4 Stuff sacks filled with our clothing and other items
• JetBoil stove
• Utensils for two
• Travel size liquid soap bottle
• Toiletries (travel size toothbrush/paste)
• A set of hygiene care (mini roll of toilet paper, disposable bio body wipes, deodorant)
• Headlamps
• Flashlight
• Extra pair of dry base layer
• Extra pair of socks
• Beanie
• Instant coffees
• Camera
• Outer shell jackets
• Micro spikes
• Space blanket
• 1 Travel emergency kit
• Liner gloves
• Trekking poles

Side note: Everything except my Microspikes that we brought was used or consumed, so we were glad to pack wisely because it was tough carrying our gear. We didn’t feel any lack of gear or items during the trip, we had everything that we needed.
I was surprised not experiencing any knee soreness after this long hike; however, I did experience pinching pain on my upper foot. At times, I had to loosen my shoe laces until I got fed up and stuffed a liner glove between the tongue of my shoe and my foot. At the end of the hike, I looked at my foot and it was already swollen and bruised. I cannot tell if it’s because my hiking boots were new or if I need to try another pair of boots.