From the summit of Quandary yesterday, Grays and Torreys looked pretty good. I sought some acclimatization before my South America trip and Christy and friend Jill Midthun were looking to get out and do something. I pitched the idea and they decided it sounded good.

We drove to the Peru Creek Rd. snow closure, skinned in and set up camp in Chihuahua Gulch around 11,000 ft. In the morning we would try for Grays Peak first, then Torreys.

Up and out early, the snow was pretty hard. Skinning up the south face to the summit of Grays was tough. As the angle steepened the frozen snow was challenging our skins and after slipping a bit, the 'slide for life' potential was realized and Jill decided to turn back.

Christy and I struggled to get off the frozen face, traversing to the southwest ridge, packing our skis we booted the remaining way to the summit. Once up top, with the hard part behind us we were ready to enjoy the day. Pushing right off the summit, we skied northeast towards the Stevens Gulch trailhead, before making an about face and heading up to get Torreys.