The trail seemed longer than its stated 3.4 miles to the top. It was a consistent, tough, 1,500-foot climb to the summit of this 8,433-foot peak named for its purplish color. Here Frederick stands on the top of the peak in a forested area.
About 1/8 of a mile from the summit was this overlook where we also sat, in the rain, and ate our lunch. The view, when we first sat down was of the Gibbon Valley and the sweeping curves of the Gibbon River through the meadow. We could see thermal features sending up steam and we could even see our car parked at the trailhead over 1,500 vertical feet below. I should have taken pictures right away but I was hungry and, as we ate our lunch, we could see the fog rolling through the valley and within a minute, everything was obscured.
When we got back down, these two bison were browsing in a meadow across from the trailhead parking lot. I wonder if they are the same two that we saw ambling down the road during yesterday's hike to Monument Geyser?
Hike statistics:
Length - 6.68 miles
Elevation gain - 1,630 feet (163 floors on the Fitbit)
Duration - 3 hours, 8 minutes
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