and post without seeing the pictures. :)

The old gray ones are almost certainly the ones that fruited last year, so it's good to pull them out.  Our last-year canes (fruiting this year) are reddish-brown, and just leafing out (in Seattle).  It's possible that the reddish-brown ones without leaves also fruited last year, and just haven't died all the way yet.  The vibrant ones with leaves sound a lot like our canes that will fruit this year.  I think the new canes that fruit next year wouldn't have come up too high yet, but I could be wrong.  

Better safe than sorry--watch them this year and see if the leafless reddish-brown canes flower or just finish dying.  Then you know for next year!