Completed my first 14er this weekend! Quandary Peak. Car to car, just over 5 hours. It was a perfect day! I chose this peak since I have a whiskey that mentions it. Thank you to the nice couple that let me borrow the cardboard sign!
What’re the pros and cons of south slopes vs the southwest ridge? Which would you recommend to someone with some exposure/class 3 experience?
Planning to hike Tabaguache and Shavano on Saturday, 80% lightning reported. Going to monitor the weather but anyone have experience hiking with these chances?
For me, the Needle always represented the next step for climbing. I’ve done several class 3 and long hikes but, I always just thought, “someday, I’ll climb Needle”. Well, that day was this day. After climbing Peak last month, seeing Needle right there was the final push for me to take a shot. And I summited. It was a very fun challenge but, it didn’t feel beyond my abilities at any point. Which made the success feel even better. First ever class 4, done. Would absolutely do again (if someone else drives).
Did the Wilson El diente traverse earlier this month, (August 1st). So far probably the easiest of the 4 great traverses that I've done (3/4). Easy backpack in to camp the night before, then a quick and fun summit day, leaving at around 5 and getting back to the car at 12:30. Fun climbing, great weather and just a good time. Also up there for Colorados 150th birthday, unintentionally
Definitely top 5 hike and summit I’ve done so far. Started early, I think around 12:30-1am, and the sunrise from the ridge was just amazing.
I’ll be coming back out next summer for some more summiting, any recs on the next one or link ups I should try? My main goal is finding the best views from the summits, regardless of difficulty.
Hi everyone. I’ve only done 14ers in the front range that get a lot of traffic, so I’ve typically arrived at the TH well before sunrise. With Mount Yale being a so far from Denver, how early should I aim to get to the trailhead? Does Denny Creek typically fill up pretty quick?
Snagged my 2nd and 3rd 14er with this pair. Willow lake was beautiful. After you pass the lake, that’s when the real challenge begins. The descent from Challenger Point back down to Willow Lake has to be the worst I’ve ever encountered on a hike.
Does anyone have experience hiking Handies Peak via approach from Silverton through Eureka? I'm driving down Rt 550 and thought it might be possible to get to Handies that way but wasn't sure of the road up to Eureka and beyond. Thanks -
i promise i looked before posting this, didn't want to spam, so apologies if there is an all encompassing post. Went to the REI downtown location and their climbing section was almost absolutely bare and no one around to answer questions, kind of annoying. those who did answer me basically just yada yada'd that climbing season was not very active this year. not very helpful
I currently use the addidas terrex free hiker 2.0s but I assume they're not the best for class 3/4 routes and theyre also around 3 years old at this point. Was doing a bit of research and apparently alot of people refer to wearing "approach" shoes and i was hoping for a good recommendation. In addition, looking for a good helmet and gloves ppl like that won't break the bank.
Any other recommendations on things to do to prepare for some class 3/4 scrambling or products you felt really helped, I'm all ears for being safe and prepared. my current training regiment is peloton climb rides 3-5 times a week haha. i know ppl have mentioned climbing gyms but not sure if there are any at home exercises you could recommend.
I am thinking i will do Longs peak first, maybe late september. I didnt think i would do a class 3 until maybe next year but i peaked grays/torreys this weekend in under 4 hours stopping alot for my friend doing his first 14er and before starting to head down felt good enough to where i felt i could do another 14er that day. So i think my stamina is ready.
I'm surprised this wasn't already a rule honestly. This sub is for people who like 14ers, not people who like drama.
Its fine to do a public service announcement about rules and why they are important. Posts that encourage people to engage with resources that empower them to make better decisions and increase their understanding of these public lands are helpful and encouraged.
It is not fine to post a nonconsensual picture of a stranger doing something wrong and promote strife because of their ignorance. This goes for all the low effort things we all hate; bluetooth speakers, dog poop in bags on trails, dogs off leash, people going off trail, and so on. These posts do nothing to encourage better behavior and are often examples of bad behavior themselves. If you want to consume or farm karma with media whose purpose is to humiliate others this sub isn't for you.
A great way to hike La Plata, but not for everyone.
For starters, the road to the trailhead was... rough. My stock Crosstrek S (8.7" of clearance) got up there just fine, but I can't imagine driving anything less capable. We were surprisingly the only ones to park at that TH the entire day, it was empty when we got there around 7-7:30 and still empty when we returned.
The trail was quiet and solitary. We saw a total of 3 people on the trail (before the summit) the entire day. The trail itself is quite beautiful and well maintained (despite a bit of overgrowth and some downed trees) up until about the 2 mile mark when you start to ascend a steep and incredibly loose gully. That gully climbs around 1000 feet and only gets worse until you top out on the ridge crest. Once you get to the ridge crest, it's smooth sailing until you hit the talus field, a crux wall that climbs around 1000 feet up some solid high class-2 scrambling. Going up the route doesn't seem to be very apparent. I'd suggest you aim for the due center/center-left of the field and try your best to follow the cairns. On the way down it makes way more sense and is pretty clear. After you top out of the talus field at 14,000', it's a pretty clear shot to the summit, where you meet up with the standard La Plata trail.
This trail was crazy beautiful. The basin you spend a good chunk of your time in on the way up is otherworldly. Panoramic views no matter where you look. There was a helicopter flying very low in that basin, I heard they were looking for a lost child. Overall I can clearly understand why this isn't the standard trail. But if you're well equipped mentally for a loose and steep trail, and have a capable car, check out the La Plata south ridge!
8.3 Miles, 3700 feet, 7:45 car to car (that descent was superrrrr slow hahaha).
Completed 3/4 of the GT with El Diente - Wilson. Overall, the traverse was straightforward and nothing too crazy, but the North Buttress on El Diente was the spiciest part of the day. There is some scary rockfall risk in the boulders with massive stuff you wouldn't expect to move. We took the line to the climber's right on the final pitch and it was steeeep with some good exposure. The traverse pretty mild until the final ridge obstacles, which were quite fun. The descent via North Slopes is tedious and loose, but if you look for cairns, you should be alright. Also, the view of El Diente from the Woods Lake approach is top tier.
Woods Lake -> Navajo Basin -> North Buttress -> Traverse -> North Slopes
USFS only allows dogs on leash on Bierstadt. I love furry friends, and I don’t care much if an unleashed dog well behaves. But this baseball cap guy’s dog is too friendly that it follows other people on trails. I asked him to put dogs on leash but he just laughed it off. And he stepped on plants with his shinny crocs. Wow thank god he was not bringing Bluetooth speakers.
I know Bierstadt can be a sh*tshow, honestly it’s better than expected. Most people are courteous, and view was good. If desired, harder routes can be linked to Mt Blue Sky. I think it’s a good warmup for harder 14ers
Seeing reports that it is as of 8/11 but it still says closed on AllTrails
Recently summited Quandary last monday from the parking lot. Super easy to get to. Good build up and pretty straightforward path up the whole way.
Busy as expected being close to Breck but a good hike anyway. Top was large and plenty of room to sit and snack before packing out and heading down. Great hike. 6th 14er for me.
Thinking about hitting the trio this Saturday. I'm trying to get one last big day in before a trail run I have in 3 weeks and I've been eyeing this one as a good fitness test. As for my speed, I've completed Shavano + Tabeguache in 5 1/2 hours as well as DeCaLiBron in a similar amount of time. Lmk if you'd be interested! Or you're thinking of doing something of similar difficulty and want a buddy
Hello all,
I've recently completed Quandrys peak, Grays & Torreys last week and my next one will be Sherman. It looks like you can follow Ridgeline from Sherman to others such as Dyer or maybe do a loop with the other 13ers.
I saw a video from VirtualSherpa about crossing a Ridgeline towards Dyer and then ascending back to Sherman to get back on the trailhead.
Anyone mind telling me about their experience doing other summits with Sherman? After this I'll try the Decalibron loop.
Queen of the San Juans was kind to me yesterday. This was my first 14er!
Climbed into dense clouds lingering over Eolus Thursday. No rain or thunder but the lingering cloud/fog made route finding on the final pitch a bit spicier than I expected. Only saw one other person up there all day (though plenty of people were heading over to Sunlight and Windom).