Mt. Colvin from nearby peaks is unassuming yet the view from the small knife edge summit is awesome. To the North, upper Ausable Lake looms far below and the familiar view of Giant Mt. can be seen. To the East, the large slide on Nippletop seems close enough to touch. To the South, Elk Lake and to the West, The Great Range is spread out like a painters canvas. We got an early start from the St Huberts trailhead and made good time on the Lake Road. We had a picture perfect day for hiking weather wise. Temps in the high 30's in the morning and 40's in the afternoon. The sky was cloudless and the wind calm. The trail was in good shape initially and we made great time on the moderate grade. I was packing my snowshoes and poles based on my Sawteeth experience less than 2 weeks ago. My hiking partners chose to pack light and "hoped" that we wouldn't need them. They were right, I was over-prepared. Notice I didn't say "wrong". We did hit some snow at higher elevations as well as some ice in spots but we managed going bare-boot. There were quite a few blow downs so the occasional log walk was necessary. The trail climbed moderately with only a few really steep spots. It seemed to follow a ridge for most of the way. Through the trees we could see the slides on Gothics to one side and the Dial - Nippletop range to the other. There are a few spots on the trail where you wouldn't want to lose your footing as it drops off into a deep gorge.

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Lot's of options on the way, the cliffs will have to wait for another day

BJ performing a tightrope act over a blow down

Jeremy and BJ taking a "Gel" break before we start seriously climbing

Jeremy ponders the best route to start up at our last junction

BJ almost inadvertently decides to stop after 1 child

Interesting but different versions of ice

We reached the summit and were treated to the awesome views as described in the beginning of this trip report. We also watched a hawk or falcon cruise from somewhere near our summit all the way to the cliffs near the Sawteeth scenic route in a matter of 15 or 20 seconds. She never flapped her wings once and I would estimate she was hitting at least 75 miles an hour. We enjoyed our lunch and a nice breeze while we contemplated making the trek over to Blake peak. We decided against it this time.

On the way back, we took the short side trip to check out one of the flumes on the Ausable. It looked very inviting and I'm sure I would've been tempted to jump in if it was 100 degrees.

Almost back to the vehicle, I couldn't resist this picture of Giant Mountain with the shadow of a tree produced by the waning sun.

How many days will you get like this one in a lifetime?