Colorado

6 years ago, we were planning a trip to Colorado to work on the 14ers out there but ended up pregnant instead. Now I'm thinking of going again but have a few questions/concerns. I want to surprise my brother but he is a die hard...hikes fast and unrelenting. I'm a little nervous.

Altitude....how long does it take to get used to the altitude out there? I have driven to the top of Pike's Peak once and made the mistake of running to my car to get my camera. Oh the headache I had.

What peaks would be good to do given a 2 week period?

I know some of you have hiked both here and there...is equipment same or are there other things I need to think about....

Any advise will be welcomed.

I'm sure others will chime in, but we have found the book "Colorado's Fourteeners" by Gerry Roach to be awesome. It breaks down the peaks into classes (easiest to most difficult) Great descriptions, lots of good info, and also groups the peaks into areas of CO, so you can get the most peaks for your drive.

We've always visited with friends in CO for a couple days first before heading to the peaks, so besides being short of breath on the actual climb, haven't felt any other signs of altitude. Slow and steady, same gear here and there (for us), just way earlier starts due to the high possibilty of t-storms out there.

Mt. Elbert is actually one of the easy ones and obviously quite popular, not sure if you want to start with the highest, but Mt. Sherman in the same area (Leadville) is also pretty easy going. There are quite a few Class I peaks and the Class II are not that much more difficult. We've started up a Class III before and people had climbing helmets

Have fun! I'm sure you've been to www.14ers.com which can be info overload, but fun to look at pictures!!!

And we've found out to take the road conditions seriously! Some of the trailheads really are "accesible by 4wd only"

It takes me 3 days to get (kind of) used to the altitude. After 1 week it's much better. :-(

The Sikes said:

Altitude....how long does it take to get used to the altitude out there?
...
What peaks would be good to do given a 2 week period?
...
I know some of you have hiked both here and there...is equipment same or are there other things I need to think about....

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It takes me 2 weeks to get ready for 14k so for 2 weeks I personally would stay under that

For a first-day hike near Denver try Devils Head in the Rampart Range

For mellow 14k try San Luis and Uncompahgre (4wd to TH), if you prefer crowds go for Elbert, Blanca, Lincoln, Yale

Longs Peak is more like Huntington Ravine

For timing, start early to avoid afternoon thunderstorms

For gear, sunscreen and water - very low humidity

The average fit person can do a 14er, the third day they are in CO. Things that can help, sleep high, I always sleep at the trailheads which average 10,000ft, this allows a full night of aclimating. Water, water and more water, fluids aid the aclimating process greatly. Advil, why wait, take it once above 10k. Do not expect your New England pace to be there up high, adjust your pace to your breathing. Be off all 14er summits by Noon or you could pay a dear price, lightning is a real threat on the high peaks, ex. Longs peak is a time consumimg ascent, most people start a 3.00am to get off summit in time, headlamp and alpine starts are the norm in CO. No offense Roy but two weeks is way longer then most take. I will give you a list of what I think are good 14ers to start with in order of ease.
1. Sherman
2. Bierstadt
3. Quandry
4. Huron
5. Yale
If it was my first trip to CO, I'd bag Sherman, then base camp in Buena Vista and hike in the Sawatch range. There are 14 14ers. lined up North to South ( forget Holy cross for first trip). Id then do Huron or Yale, if your doing good at that point, you can do all the Sawatch peaks no problem, the hardest would be Laplata ( but its nice). Harvard and Columbia via Horn fork basin are a popular combo ( I wouldnt do the traverse first trip), Harvard alone beautifull. Shavano and Tabequauche, a great 2fer ( avoid jennings creek rt.). My favorite 2fer, Belford and Oxford. You can camp in the valley below and on the second day bag another 14er Missouri. Antero, Long but easy.

Leadville is a great place to stay because it is at 10,000 feet and is a cute and funky town. Also, a number of the peaks are not far from there. As mentioned, Sherman, Elbert, Massive. Water, wter water, for sure. Understand that you won't feel "normal" and that is okay, unless extreme. Food doesn't appeal at altitude. Your belly will feel bloated, gassy. I've taken asprin for altitude, along with Pepto Bismol. I don't like to be under the stress of a hired guide at altitude. It always causes me ore anxiety and ill feelings than it should. I loved climbing Pikes Peak. We hiked up to Barr Camp and spent the night in a shelter. Hiked up and back to Barr the next day, and out the following. We paid extra to eat the meals they cook there and highly recommend them. If you go to Pikes, be aware that it is something like the summit of Mt. Washington with its cog railroad and auto road. But the famous donuts are a treat you don't want to miss (if only because they say so).

There are plenty that you can climb as walk ups. We did Torrey and Gray one day after sleeping at 9000'. It was 3500' of elevation gain. We felt pretty good. Then we did Sherman. It was only 2000' of elevation, but Laurie felt like her head was going to explode! I was ok, but I had to go slow.

Note: A 'route' is NOT a trail! It's more like a suggestion.

You will be above tree line 99% of the time. Be prepared for windy days.

14ers.com is very friendly and has a ton of information.

Scotzman is out there right now, maybe he will chime in, or you can PM him.

Some people have no problem with altitude, others, even if in good shape, suffer. It's a mystery. We were passed by 7 year old kids who were trotting up the mountains!

People actually wear jeans and hike out there, and it's no big deal, but I would still avoid cotton.

Drink LOTS of water, all day, every day. The restaurants really push water on you, which is a good thing.

Sierra, you SHOULD be starting down by Noon, but MANY people are starting UP then! At least, that is what we saw on the 3 peaks we hiked. Not saying it's a good idea.

The weather changes extremely rapidly, be prepared for summer and winter in the span of 10 minutes! Even in high summer, it can be below freezing at the summit.

Alas, Leadville no longer has North America's highest brewery, but it did when we went there.

Just because a road is on the map, does not mean it is a GOOD road! We rented a 4WD Exterra, it was a good choice!

Have fun and be safe!

My Trip report from 2008

erugs said:

Leadville is a great place to stay because it is at 10,000 feet

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Not everyone can make a rapid transition from the lowlands to 10K ft safely. 8K is the limit for some.

When I was at a business meeting at Keystone (9280 ft) at least one of the attendees had to be given oxygen...

Doug

A lot's been said already so not that much to add, but I like Roy's and Sierra's info best. The elevation thing is incredibly variable between individuals (I would love to know when they have the genetics etc of this figured out). There is no good way to predict how you will do until you do it. Being in good shape helps you climb things but doesn't have a ton of bearing on how you will react to O2-poor environments. I have learned 4 things so far:
1. Climb slower as you go higher- it will help. Fast hikers in the NE climb 1500-1600 vert ft/hr, fast hikers above 12K climb 1000 feet/hr.
2. Hydrate. A 5 liter summer day is not unusual.
3. Kids do better with elevation, on balance, than adults.
4. Don't be above treeline after 1 PM from June through August. Just don't. It will be far less fun. I love hiking in Sept and even Oct if weather permits for that reason. And remember, on top of a 14er, you are likely 2 hours from treeline.

Summer equipment is not real different from the NE, though depending on where you climb you may need a helmet (rockfall is often an issue... the mountains here are crumbling at a higher rate). And you will absolutely fry your face without sunscreen.

Also, the exposure factor (i.e. "if you fall you might die") is very different. We have a LOT of exposure here. Everyone's freak out factor is different. I am a chicken when it comes to exposure - when I climbed the Knife Edge on Katahdin I had to be talked down the Chimney - but working up to it over a few hikes can be really fun.


Enjoy!

re Colorado

Thanks Michelle for the info...I have the book the Colorado 14ers and plan to read it again but there is nothing like hearing it from "the horse's mouth" so to speak. Since my time will be short, I want to get as much as I can done while I'm out there but understand that altitude might be a problem for me. I also will recheck their site as it's been a long time and I just stopped looking because I didn't know when I would ever get to go but now that I'm thinking maybe....

Thanks to all of you for the ideas on which peaks to try for. I hopefully will be hiking with my brother but as I stated, he is a diehard...does the incline daily, sometimes 2 or 3 times and he runs. I do not. Thanks also for the reminder of the website for the 14ers, I am going to check them out...also for the time frames...Trying to figure out when will be good to go out there. I have heard of the thunderstorms. Don't want to be ontop of a mountain in that. Was once in my life and I was terrified!!!

Weatherman...thanks for the heads up on the exposure factor. As I get older, (note to all of you, I'm not old by any stretch of the imagination, just getting older ) I do not like heights even more than 6 years ago. We did Mansfield last summer and I was not the least bit excited about going down what I had just come up especially with my 5 year old. My daughter reminded me we all did it when they were little but I think I was out of my mind back then and didn't realize it. haha As far as Katadin, we took a different trail because I was concerned about my daughter being able to reach hand holds in the chimney and my fear of heights going over the Knife's Edge...so will read about this hopefully in the book.

I will also check out your trip reports Tom. I have hiked with you before and trust your judgement.

From roughly mid-July to early September the Rockies routinely experience thunderstorms which, as others have pointed out, can find you well above treeline and dangerously exposed. Hike early is the usual strategy but know precautions to take should you get caught in one and keep a sharp eye on the weather and the forecasts.

For me 3-4 days minimum is enough to attempt a 14er in reasonable comfort. Also keep in mind there are more then 54 mountains in Colorado. Many 12ers and 13ers are better then many of the 14ers. Similar to peaks in the north east, the best are not necessarily the highest. In those 3-4 days (or longer) you can be "knocking off" fabulous 12ers in 13ers. I love the Mummy range in northern RMNP, all walk ups (Ypsilon, Mummy I have climbed(hiked), 13ers). A good first hike (2nd or 3rd day) could be Flat Top & Hallett in RMNP, 12ers. I like to spend the 1-2 days just taking it easy in town at 5-8K', sleeping thereabouts. The Sawatch range has the highest concentration of 13ers and 14ers that are walk ups. I have done Elbert, LaPlata and Huron, and recommend them. See the references given by others above, 14ers.com gives so much detail in the route descriptions I feel like I have done some of the hikes. Also I second the advice on getting familiar with the local weather patterns to avoid bad weather. Someday I want to go back and climb more 13ers & 14ers, Longs, Wetterhorn, Redcloud, and several Sawatch(Hope, Audubon, Uncompahgre, Handies, Missouri, et al) are on my bucket list. I would like to hit one from each of the major Colorado ranges someday. But not likely this year. I just got done playing the acclimatization game last December (2012) in Ecuador, each trip is little bit different. Enjoy.

DougPaul said:

Not everyone can make a rapid transition from the lowlands to 10K ft safely. 8K is the limit for some.

When I was at a business meeting at Keystone (9280 ft) at least one of the attendees had to be given oxygen...

Doug

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True, but if one is flying in to Denver, one is already starting to get acclimated, and the drive out to Leadville adds to that.

erugs said:

True, but if one is flying in to Denver, one is already starting to get acclimated, and the drive out to Leadville adds to that.

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I left Boston in the morning (<100 ft), flew into Denver (5K ft), and was at Keystone (9240 ft) by that evening. (Many visitors leave home and arrive at altitude within 24 hrs.) Not much time for acclimatization. (I believe the person who required the oxygen flew in on a similar schedule.) I suppose that one can argue that the time on the plane (cabin pressure altitude typ ~7K ft) counts toward acclimatization. But still 8K ft is a good safety line--if you are going above it, pay attention to altitude issues.

From Wilkerson ("Medicine for Mountaineering", 6th ed, pg 239): "The incidence of mountain sickness in new arrivals increases from 25 percent to 40 percent as altitude increases from 8000 to 11,500 feet (2400 to 3500 m)." He even mentions that some unusually susceptible individuals may have mild mountain sickness as low as 6500 ft.

The tourist resorts and rescue squads in the area are used to this problem...

Doug

People do react different to altitude and there is little science to predit how anyone will fair. I smoke and drink, stay up late and never eat before 11am even when i hike, yet at altitude Im a madman. When i lived in san fran, I would get out of work at 5, drive to Toulome meadows (10k), drink a bunch of beers, then get up climb MT. Dana ( 13,000ft), then head into the Sierra's to bag 14ers. I met some people on Mt Dana that took 5 days to get to 13k. Listen to your body and react to how you feel, if the dude your with is a madman, dont let him drive your pace harder then it should be. Lastly climbing high is tougher then climbing low, huffing and puffing and being slow is ok, real bad headaches, dizzyness, lack of appetite and nausa,are signs of Alitude sickness and the only cure is going DOWN. Good luck. Ive done 30 or so myself all solo, you need any tips pm me,be glad to help. oh yeah like someone else said, Gerry Roaches book is the one to use, hell the maps shown in his books are so good , I never bought a topo map in 5 yrs out there, but then again I NEVER get lost. P.S. Best animal in the U.S., the mountain goat.

The Sikes said:

6 years ago, we were planning a trip to Colorado to work on the 14ers out there but ended up pregnant instead. Now I'm thinking of going again but have a few questions/concerns. I want to surprise my brother but he is a die hard...hikes fast and unrelenting. I'm a little nervous.

Altitude....how long does it take to get used to the altitude out there? I have driven to the top of Pike's Peak once and made the mistake of running to my car to get my camera. Oh the headache I had.

What peaks would be good to do given a 2 week period?

I know some of you have hiked both here and there...is equipment same or are there other things I need to think about....

Any advise will be welcomed.

Click to expand...

Go to my blog, www.myalpinesummits.com. There are trip reports for seven 14'ers. All seven hikes were very enjoyable. I had no problems. Just tried to get off the mountains by early afternoon.