Though I had planned on getting a very early start, this day I had a harder time than normal getting out of bed and didn't make it out on to the trail until after 9:00 am. Forgetting my map at home, which I know is a cardinal sin and my late start made me a little nervous about the distance I was going to be traveling to the summit having never done this hike before. Again the weather was great and being this late in the season afternoon thunder storms were probably less likely than a snow storm, but nevertheless I was a bit concerned about the possibility for weather change and made for the summit at just short of a jogging pace. Realistically though Twin Sisters Peaks are located for the most part just outside the Eastern edge of Rock Mountain National Park, separated by highway 7 from Mt. Meeker and Longs Peak which unless on the East side of the peaks are always visible from the hike so even if losing sense of direction without a map or compass it would be hard to be entirely lost. I could more or less just head downhill and would eventually end up on highway 7.
Heading up the trail through a beautifully carved path through the trees the trail gave many opportunities for spectacular views of the Northeast face of Longs Peak eventually giving way to progressively more difficult terrain as the summit approached.
Making my way to the summit of the first of the two summits that make up the Twin Sisters Peaks the views of Longs Peak were what I imagine the best to be had without actually being on the Peak itself.
Having now made it to the summit of the first peak and from what I could tell the end of any clear cut trail, I was a little in need for some additional excitement so decided to attempt to climb down the South side of the first peak and up the second.
After down climbing the class 3 South face of the first peak I decided to break for lunch and snap some more shots of Longs Peak.
By now the time was near 2:00pm and some ominous weather looked to be approaching from the West over Longs. Given the time of day and the additional climb that I must now make back up over the first of the two peaks I decided that I should probably call it a day and head back. The decent as with the ascent was quite easy although now knowing the distance to travel I set a much more leisurely pace arriving back at the car in nearly an hour from the summit of the first Peak. In no way a disappointing day but definitely a beginners hike... which I suppose in terms of days spent hiking I would be but in terms of experience I'm now quite past.
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