July 12, 2021
Pennsylvania Mountain (13,006 feet)
Route: Alltrails (Southeast Ridge)
5.2 miles; 1775 feet elevation gain
Total time: 2 hours 54 minutes
A repeat mountain for me but one I was excited to take my parents on while they were here. It is an easier and shorter climb with amazing views. We are staying in Silverthorne for the week so this mountain was only about an hour from the rental house. My dad wanted to do a 14er while he was here but I talked him down to a 13er for my own selfish reasons...aka quiet trails. We passed Mt. Quandary trailhead on the way to Pennsylvania and there was an overflowing parking lot at 7:30am, definitely the right choice.
With perfect weather all day and a shorter hike we didn't rush to get there. I had both dogs with me and my mom and dad joined on this one. We started hiking about 8:15am. We didn't see anyone on the ascent which was amazing. The route is very straightforward but does have three false summits. The sky was very hazy but there was no wind and the temperature was perfect. Last time I did this mountain it was covered in a foot of fresh snow and we hiked the entire peak in snowshoes. Today it was bright green grass and every inch was covered in wildflowers. It was absolutely stunning and looked like a different mountain to my last time here. On the descent we saw a few groups of people heading up, only one group with a dog, not bad for a Monday morning.
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