Timp Hike

[The Happy Medium]

I got invited to do the Timp summit hike this Friday night and I'm a little worried that it'll be too hard for me. I hiked a mile or two up the Timpooneke trail a few weeks ago and that wasn't too bad. Has anyone hiked Timp before? How hard is it and do you have any advice?

[thatonemom]

My husband hiked Timp a couple years back with the Scouts, and I think it was more demanding than he expected. (Granted he was nearly 30 at the time, and trying to keep pace with 15 year olds. He's a hiker, but more in nostalgic theory than recent practice.) I think it was hard to dress for, too. They went before sunrise and there was a big temperature change. But all the boys, of a variety of fitness levels, finished. He said it was really fun and they wanted to do it again sometime.

[Laser Jock]

During the day, I would say it would probably take most of your day (8-10 hours). I've only done part of the hike at night before, but I feel like at night you're likely to go slower. Everywhere I look seems to disagree on distance, but I've seen round-trips from the Timpooneke trailhead listed as anywhere from 12.5 to 15 miles, with a total elevation gain of 4,389 feet. The Aspen Grove trail is slightly shorter and somewhat steeper; I think Aspen Grove is prettier, though that's just opinion.

I've seen little kids (8-10 years old) do the hike, and finish it; it's a matter of pacing and determination, I think.

If you go, make sure to talk with someone who's been before to get advice on how to dress, what shoes/boots to wear, how much water/etc. to bring. If you get those things right, the hike is much more enjoyable! (And as thatonemom pointed out, it gets pretty chilly and windy up there, especially near the summit, at night, so you'll definitely want a couple of extra layers for the top, assuming you're doing a dawn hike.)

[wryness]

My main question would be, have you done any hiking or exercise recently? I am still getting over knee injuries from hiking to the top of Y-mountain and back 1.5 weeks ago. I assume you've exercised more than me, though (which is not at all).

[The Happy Medium]

I survived! Sadly I didn't make it to the summit because my knee started to hurt and I didn't think I'd be able to hike down if I pushed myself to the top. As badly as I wanted to make it to the top, I wanted to make it back down to the bottom more. I'll probably be recovering for at least a week, but I had a lot of fun!

[Whistler]

I still have aspirations to hike timp someday. I think I've hiked a third of the way up about three times! Glad you knew when to stop.