Mt. Eisenhower: 4k #13 of '19: Casey's first 4k footer!

This Spring, Casey said "I'd like to go hiking with you guys sometime"  (Casey is a young person who has ridden with me for 13 years, and who we basically consider to be our littlest sister. From another mother. And father. But we borrow her.)

Anyway.

As soon as she spoke the words, we put it on the calendar. Don't tell me you want to go hiking/running/riding/beer drinking unless you want me to make it happen!

As it turned out, in a VERY unusual (for us) sequence of events, the whole weekend came together like a snap. Even though we made plans to hike on this weekend at least 6 weeks ago, basically guaranteeing terrible weather, it was GREAT. I was able to get the day off from work. It was the beginning go Casey's birthday week!!! AND she held off on catching a head cold until the next day (#winning)
I told my cousin Evan that we were taking her adventuring, and knowing how crazy Eric, Ellie and I are (relatively, we are no Presi trail runners here) he said "I hope she still likes you afterwards!!"

To ensure that she would not only like us, but probably LOVE us, we decided to climb Eisenhower. I mean really, you have to be pretty hateful of nature, fun, and views to not love Eisenhower. This was 4k #13 for Eric, Ellie and me this year, but Eric and I have been up there before. So, it only counted as a new hill for Ellie and Case.

We have to give a shout out to Edmands Path. Pure Magic.

Hello Lovely

We got to the lot at the casual morning time of 8:00-ish. The lot was pretty full but we found a spot (it clearly filled quickly, and there were about 25 cars on the road when we retuned mid day.)

We took the obligatory starting pic, and off we went.

Shiny and clean

And the trail was just lovely.

5 lane superhighway

Edmands is just a really great trail. Casey is NOT a hiker at all, this was her first 4k footer and she did Jack Dick to prepare for this hike. (I mean, generally she is young, fit, and spends a ton of time on her feet. But there was no pre planned hiking regimen to lead up to this.)  The grade is easy to moderate (there area couple steep stretches here and there, but they are very brief and non technical.) So yes, this is a good trail.
(and I should add: Casey Killed it. She hiked like an expert, and wasn't even sore the next day!!!)

Ellie loved it, and agrees that it was a really pleasant hike

You are basically below treeline for a while, but since Eisenhower is not a super long hike, it seems like no time before you are seeing some sweet views.

I'm sure the Northern Peaks were good and socked in this morning! 

And then BOOP up you go over treeline. There is one teensy stretch of rocks, and then you are there.

Well, you aren't "THERE" but you are up in the sky

It was such a nice day. There were a few clouds but we didn't mind them. It was a pretty toasty day, and there was very little wind. Certainly a much warmer day than we had experienced last year this weekend when we did a Presi. We spent some extra time looking around, and enjoying the views.

Ellington is very majestic 

We scooted up the loop path to the summit, which is always a blast.
And then, just like that, WE WERE THERE! REALLY there.

Birthday Girl at the Summit!!

There were a ton of people at the top, because Saturday hiking in July is dumb like that. However, we made ourselves comfortable and had some serious snacks, and took in the views for a good 20-30 minutes. #casual

Hiking buddies

Since what goes up, must eventually go down, we did begin to descend after a bit.

Eric and Casey were backpack twins

Casey borrowed all of her gear from us, including Lee's backpack. Clearly, I was a fan of the backpack twinning.

ALONE ON THE MOUNTAIN. Except, not really AT ALL

Nobody really likes going down. Even when it is a polite mountain path, we all get a tad ornery. Really though, it was smooth sailing. TONS of hiker traffic coming up, but it is unavoidable. Everyone was in a good mood because of the killer weather, so that was a plus. Nobody likes a pissy hiker.

And then. DONE!!

DONE!!

We had a parking lot party with a ton of mosquitos, and then headed back home while Eric and I told Casey stories of our youth.

Want a special 4Ker for your first attempt? I would definitely suggest Eisenhower. Yes, it's about 6.5 miles round trip but it's just a solid excellent, manageable hike. Moderate incline, nothing scary, views for MILES and you feel like you are REALLY on top of a big hill. Plus, we have living proof that is can be done, as we packed Casey right up to the top.

Strava data: (we take this with a grain of salt) 
-elevation climbed: 2,795
-miles covered: 6.3
-elapsed time: 4:35 (we took a really good break at the summit, certainly 40 minutes stopped time today if not more.)

Difficulty: On the gentle side of moderate. I hesitate to call anything easy that takes you up so high, and above tree line, but HONESTLY, this is one of the easier hikes in the white's. I always say that Pierce is the go-to for first 4k, but after doing this as a stand alone, I declare that this is the one. 

Views: Excellent and impressive. Unbeatable for a straightforward hike. 

Bugs: An annoying number of deer flies (they are awful this year) and mosquitos at the base

Dog friendly trail? Absolutely, unless your dog just can't hang (our Lab can't for example)