Massive

There are two main routes for ascending Mt. Massive, the long way and the short way (in terms of distance).  The short way has--from what I hear--a pretty steep trail, so I opted for the long way.  However, the long way comes with, obviously, more distance, but also more overall elevation gain.  My day started right before sunrise, and I quickly came to the main Massive trail turnoff.

Once I came out of the more densely populated tree area, I got my first view of the summit.  Another one that seems pretty far off in the distance.

I gradually made my way across the large basin, after which the terrain got a little steeper.  Once along the ridge, the trail turned to the left and I made my way across some larger rocks to the summit.

As always, the views from the top were excellent.

I met a big group of guys at the summit who were visiting from Texas and came up the short way.  They said that while it was steep, the trail was good and it was basically like walking up steps the whole way.  They also started almost 2 hours after me and were at the summit only about 20 minutes before me.  Which, of course, could just mean that they are fast and I am slow, but they said they considered themselves moderate hikers, so I'll just go with that and say that, in fact, the short way is shorter.

At this point, I am up to 13 summits this year, and 22 in total!  I have also hiked just over 100 miles and gained almost 50,000' of elevation.  Still a lot to go, but feeling good about the accomplishments so far:)

Hike Summary
Date:	Tueday, July 9, 2013
Mountain:	Mt. Massive
Hike Start Time:	5:21 AM
Summit Time:	10:28 AM
Hike End Time:	2:00 PM
Miles:	13.74
Elevation Gain:	4,354