Mount Princeton's summit sits at 14,196'. We set out to hike Mount Princeton thinking it would be relatively easy since you can drive to nearly 11,000'.
Showing posts with label 14er. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 14er. Show all posts
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Mount Princeton
Mount Princeton's summit sits at 14,196'. We set out to hike Mount Princeton thinking it would be relatively easy since you can drive to nearly 11,000'.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Capitol Peak
I'm WAY too big of a chicken to climb this mountain, but my husband hiked it with some friends and the GoPro footage is incredible (and terrifying)! Check it out!
Gosh! Between those camera angles and that commentary, I bet you're speechless right now! :)
Sunday, September 6, 2015
La Plata Peak
La Plata Peak is the fifth highest peak in Colorado with a summit reaching 14,336 feet. It has been one of my favorite fourteener hikes to date.
October was looming in the distance, and my husband and I decided we needed to head out for one more peak summit of the season. My sister was looking for a birthday adventure, and since this was her birthday weekend, she decided a summit was in order for her, too.
We arrived at the trailhead before sunrise and were surprised by how many cars were already there. With access just off on Independence Pass, this is a popular hike. After about an hour, we were greeted with a brilliant sunrise, which gave us a much-needed energy boost.
The wind began picking up as we neared the summit, and we were wearing all of our layers by the time we reached the top. It was worth it though; the views were spectacular and the smiles were bigger than ever.
October was looming in the distance, and my husband and I decided we needed to head out for one more peak summit of the season. My sister was looking for a birthday adventure, and since this was her birthday weekend, she decided a summit was in order for her, too.
We arrived at the trailhead before sunrise and were surprised by how many cars were already there. With access just off on Independence Pass, this is a popular hike. After about an hour, we were greeted with a brilliant sunrise, which gave us a much-needed energy boost.
The wind began picking up as we neared the summit, and we were wearing all of our layers by the time we reached the top. It was worth it though; the views were spectacular and the smiles were bigger than ever.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Missouri Mountain and Clear Creek Campout
With summer nearing an end, my husband realized we had yet to camp with our families this summer. We quickly called everyone and made a plan to meet up Clear Creek Road outside of Buena Vista for a weekend campout.
Justin's sister and I began plotting an additional adventure which required us to meet a day early and climb a fourteener, Missouri Mountain (14, 067'). Missouri Mountain is a ten-mile round trip hike with 4, 500 feet of elevation gain. We set a date, and met for the hike. My sister and two friends also decided to join, making us a party of 5 strong women and 2 dogs.
Our alarm clocks went off at 4:00 am, and we huddled around the stove to make coffee. We were on the trail by 5:30, making good time up to Missouri Mountain's summit. The trail was great and well-maintained; we even passed by the Colorado 14er Initiative Group working on the trail. Once at the scree field, however, the trail became steep with loose gravel. We took our time and made it to the ridge quickly. The ridge is exceptionally long and beautiful, and I enjoyed walking the spine until I saw the final scramble, which required a bit of climbing. The guidebook calls this a class 2 climb, and it didn't say anything about any climbing - or scrambling for that matter.
Unfortunately, Loki (my puppy) and I didn't feel like we could maneuver the climb together, so we stayed back and didn't reach the true summit that day. We did, however, enjoy the beautiful views on our very private "false summit," only feet lower than the actual summit.
After the hike, my friends left and my family arrived. The next day we took our stand-up paddle boards down the road to Clear Creek Reservoir and played around. My mom and mother-in-law took to the boards and had a blast. That night, we roasted marshmallows and enjoyed some family time.
Justin's sister and I began plotting an additional adventure which required us to meet a day early and climb a fourteener, Missouri Mountain (14, 067'). Missouri Mountain is a ten-mile round trip hike with 4, 500 feet of elevation gain. We set a date, and met for the hike. My sister and two friends also decided to join, making us a party of 5 strong women and 2 dogs.
Our alarm clocks went off at 4:00 am, and we huddled around the stove to make coffee. We were on the trail by 5:30, making good time up to Missouri Mountain's summit. The trail was great and well-maintained; we even passed by the Colorado 14er Initiative Group working on the trail. Once at the scree field, however, the trail became steep with loose gravel. We took our time and made it to the ridge quickly. The ridge is exceptionally long and beautiful, and I enjoyed walking the spine until I saw the final scramble, which required a bit of climbing. The guidebook calls this a class 2 climb, and it didn't say anything about any climbing - or scrambling for that matter.
Unfortunately, Loki (my puppy) and I didn't feel like we could maneuver the climb together, so we stayed back and didn't reach the true summit that day. We did, however, enjoy the beautiful views on our very private "false summit," only feet lower than the actual summit.
After the hike, my friends left and my family arrived. The next day we took our stand-up paddle boards down the road to Clear Creek Reservoir and played around. My mom and mother-in-law took to the boards and had a blast. That night, we roasted marshmallows and enjoyed some family time.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Mount Belford
To celebrate our second wedding anniversary, my husband and I decided to climb a mountain. Late June is still pretty early for mountain climbing, especially with all the late season moisture we got this winter, but we decided we would go for it anyways.
We chose Mount Belford (14,067'), accessible down Clear Creek Road outside of Buena Vista, Colorado. We arrived late Friday night and camped right off the road about a mile past the trailhead. With seven miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain ahead of us, we went to bed early that evening.
In the morning, we got an early start, hiking the first mile and a half of switchbacks in the dark. The water crossing was very high, so we took a half-mile detour to see if there was a better spot to cross - there's not! So we took off our shoes and crossed the icy knee-deep water. After the water crossing we quickly made it to tree-line and began our ascent of Mount Belford.
We saw several other groups on the trail, but the mountain wasn't too busy. We made it to the top in time for lunch, but the clouds started building around us. We decided not to bag two peaks in one day, and we left Mount Oxford for another day.
I was grateful for the icy water crossing on the way down because my feet were sore from the first fourteener of the season. After a wonderful hike, we made it back to van-trouble; it wouldn't start. It turns out we had jostled the battery lose on the washboard road. Luckily, Justin had it up and running with enough time for us to make our dinner reservation at Mount Princeton Hot Springs. Of course, we soaked in the over-priced hot springs, too.
It was a wonderful anniversary, and I am looking forward to many more adventures to come.
We chose Mount Belford (14,067'), accessible down Clear Creek Road outside of Buena Vista, Colorado. We arrived late Friday night and camped right off the road about a mile past the trailhead. With seven miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain ahead of us, we went to bed early that evening.
In the morning, we got an early start, hiking the first mile and a half of switchbacks in the dark. The water crossing was very high, so we took a half-mile detour to see if there was a better spot to cross - there's not! So we took off our shoes and crossed the icy knee-deep water. After the water crossing we quickly made it to tree-line and began our ascent of Mount Belford.
We saw several other groups on the trail, but the mountain wasn't too busy. We made it to the top in time for lunch, but the clouds started building around us. We decided not to bag two peaks in one day, and we left Mount Oxford for another day.
I was grateful for the icy water crossing on the way down because my feet were sore from the first fourteener of the season. After a wonderful hike, we made it back to van-trouble; it wouldn't start. It turns out we had jostled the battery lose on the washboard road. Luckily, Justin had it up and running with enough time for us to make our dinner reservation at Mount Princeton Hot Springs. Of course, we soaked in the over-priced hot springs, too.
It was a wonderful anniversary, and I am looking forward to many more adventures to come.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Handies Peak
No matter how long I'm away, the San Juan mountains always feel like home to me. Their beauty is like nothing I've found elsewhere. While visiting family in Durango, CO this past weekend, we decided a bit of adventure was in order and we went hiking to the top of Handies Peak.
We all woke up at 4:00 am, and my step-dad drove us all to Silverton, up Cinnamon Pass and into American Basin. The drive was rough - four wheel drive was certainly required - and it took us nearly 3 hours!
Everyone was happy to get out of the car at American Basin when we arrived at 8:15 am. We began hiking right away. I imagine hiking this trail in July is spectacular, as it would be lined with wildflowers. Unfortunately we didn't see many wildflowers, but it is the end of August, so we were expecting that sad reality.
The trail is very scenic from beginning to end, and Sloan's Lake is stunning - especially as seen from above. We summited the peak at 10:30 am, and quickly drank our celebratory beers. At 14,048 feet, Handies Peak became my sister's first fourteener summit.
As we began our descent the storm clouds rolled in. My brother, sister and I shared stories and laughter while searching for geodes and spotting fat, happy marmots all the way to the truck. It was a day I'll never forget, and I'm so glad to have shared the experience with family.
We all woke up at 4:00 am, and my step-dad drove us all to Silverton, up Cinnamon Pass and into American Basin. The drive was rough - four wheel drive was certainly required - and it took us nearly 3 hours!
Everyone was happy to get out of the car at American Basin when we arrived at 8:15 am. We began hiking right away. I imagine hiking this trail in July is spectacular, as it would be lined with wildflowers. Unfortunately we didn't see many wildflowers, but it is the end of August, so we were expecting that sad reality.
The trail is very scenic from beginning to end, and Sloan's Lake is stunning - especially as seen from above. We summited the peak at 10:30 am, and quickly drank our celebratory beers. At 14,048 feet, Handies Peak became my sister's first fourteener summit.
As we began our descent the storm clouds rolled in. My brother, sister and I shared stories and laughter while searching for geodes and spotting fat, happy marmots all the way to the truck. It was a day I'll never forget, and I'm so glad to have shared the experience with family.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Mount Quandary
Mount Quandary: 14,265 feet
Whenever I get a holiday off of work I try to make the most of it, so as the Fourth of July rolled around I decided I better do something special. My husband had to work all day, but I called up an adventurous friend and spontaneously asked if she wanted to climb a fourteener with me on the 4th! She said yes, and we quickly figured out a plan.
I left Carbondale at 5:00 am on Friday and picked my friend up in Minturn at 6:00 am. We made it to the trailhead at 7:15, and began climbing. The overflow parking lot was already full, but luckily we found a spot to squeeze into. We knew going into the hike that it was going to be a busy day on the summit of Quandary!
We didn't hike through the trees long before popping out above treeline and into the steep rocky trail that made up the majority of the climb. I had heard mountain goats are a common appearance on the trail up Quandary, and we were delighted to spot so many on our way up the mountain. They are really spectacular animals; to be in the presence of so many was almost magical.
We summited Mount Quandary at 10:30 am and celebrated with a beer! We took several photos before finding a great spot to hunker down out of the wind. The summit was crowded when we arrived, but it slowly thinned out until there were only a handful of us left. As the afternoon clouds made their way towards us, we packed up and headed back down the mountain.
Whenever I get a holiday off of work I try to make the most of it, so as the Fourth of July rolled around I decided I better do something special. My husband had to work all day, but I called up an adventurous friend and spontaneously asked if she wanted to climb a fourteener with me on the 4th! She said yes, and we quickly figured out a plan.
I left Carbondale at 5:00 am on Friday and picked my friend up in Minturn at 6:00 am. We made it to the trailhead at 7:15, and began climbing. The overflow parking lot was already full, but luckily we found a spot to squeeze into. We knew going into the hike that it was going to be a busy day on the summit of Quandary!
We didn't hike through the trees long before popping out above treeline and into the steep rocky trail that made up the majority of the climb. I had heard mountain goats are a common appearance on the trail up Quandary, and we were delighted to spot so many on our way up the mountain. They are really spectacular animals; to be in the presence of so many was almost magical.
We summited Mount Quandary at 10:30 am and celebrated with a beer! We took several photos before finding a great spot to hunker down out of the wind. The summit was crowded when we arrived, but it slowly thinned out until there were only a handful of us left. As the afternoon clouds made their way towards us, we packed up and headed back down the mountain.
For a fourteener, the hike up Quandary is short and relatively easy. It was the perfect first fourteener of the season, and I'm looking forward to summiting more!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Engaged on Mount Elbert
We had been planning a special hike to the top of
Mount Elbert for several weeks, but were rained out multiple weekends’ prior.
We finally decided that we would just wake up early enough that the afternoon
thunderstorms wouldn't be an issue because by the time they rolled in we'd
already be back to the car. My husband, Justin, woke me up at 2:30 am on
Sunday, July 29. We grabbed a couple granola bars and guzzled down as much
coffee as humanly possible.
We made it to the Mount Elbert trailhead at 4:45 am
and started our hike in the dark. It was a grueling beginning to a brutal hike
up to 14,440 feet. We were thrilled, after four strenuous hours of hiking to
finally reach the summit. We took pictures and celebrated our climb with delicious
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and ice-cold beer. Just before we were ready
to hike back down, Justin suggested we walk over and take one more look to the
west.
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