Quandary Peak - #2

It took about a month for us to get back out there due to Jordan's travel schedule for work.  Our next goal was a peak that is very close to Breckenridge and one of the easier 14ers - Quandary Peak.  We didn't learn from our first 14er that it was preferable to get an early start.  So again, we slept in a little and got to the trailhead around 11am.

Quandary Peak - 14,265 feet
Route: East Ridge
Distance:  6.75 miles RT
Elevation Gain: 3,450'
Date:  8/21/11

This route started out steep right from the get-go.  It definitely didn't give my lungs much time to warm up, that's for sure.  But I pushed along.  The beginning of our ascent was uneventful - we ran into a famly who had never hiked a 14er before and we tried to give them some encouragement as we passed them.  As we got above treeline, we noticed the weather was starting to take a turn for the worse.  This is exactly why people say to start your hikes early in Colorado - to avoid the storms that have been deadly for many.  As we kept ascending, hikers were coming down warning us of the ominous storm.  We considered turning around, but ultimately kept pressing on.  We picked up the pace to try to beat the storm (which, in hindsight, this was all a terrible idea).  Mountain goats were running down the mountain as we were going up - never a good sign.  God must have been on our side that day - it was hailing as we summited, but it quickly stopped and the sun came out so that we could enjoy some time on the summit and eat some lunch.

Still, we hurried off the summit faster than we would have liked.  We ran into many of the mountain goats again on the way down - many within arm's reach.  We also saw our first marmot and pica.  The weather cleared up completely and we had a great hike down back to our car.  We finished around 5pm and vowed to never start that late again after being threatened with such terrible weather.

(pictures coming soon)

Gray's Peak - #1

So, this is where the obsession began. About a month after Jordan and I moved to Colorado, we decided to try a 14er. We were never huge hikers in New York, although we did a couple here and there. What made us decide to try to tackle a 14,000+ foot mountain? I have absolutely no idea. But it was definitely the beginning of a new hobby that we'll have for a very long time...

Gray's Peak - 14,270 feet
Route: East Slopes
Distance: 7.5 miles RT
Elevation Gain: 3,000'

Being new to Colorado, we had no idea of the general "rules of thumb" of hiking a 14er, especially in July - the middle of monsoon season. We didn't arrive to the trailhead until around 11am, which is VERY late. Ideally, we should have already summited and been back below treeline by this time. But, we had no idea and got started. We did this hike with two friends we met who had just also moved to Colorado from California.

The hike itself was gorgeous. The weather couldn't have been more perfect (lucky for us considering our late start) and we saw a few mountain goats along the way - our first time ever seeing them! The trail itself was very busy with lots of hikers descending from the summit. It was a tough hike for me - not being used to the Colorado altitude yet. I had to sit and rest often, but kept pushing on. We reached the summit around 3pm and the four of us were the only ones up there (with the exception of someone else who appeared to be taking a quick nap).  The views were outstanding, and the feeling I got at the top was indescribable.

Jordan continued over to Torrey's Peak, which is a quick hike across the saddle.  Considering it was so late and I was significantly slower than Jordan, I decided to hang out on Gray's while he summited Torrey's.  We then met down on the saddle for the hike back down to the car.  We arrived back to the car around 5pm and celebrated our first 14er and new friends with some Mexican food and margaritas in Golden at Table Mountain Inn.

The feeling of being on top of that mountain was so exhilarating - it definitely was a "high."  You forget about all of the struggles you had ascending and descending and just focus on how you felt once you reached the top.  It really makes you realize just how small you are in the scope of things and really appreciate nature and all there is in this world to experience...

Immediately after arriving back home to our apartment in Denver, Jordan and I started planning for our next hike... Quandary Peak.

(photos coming soon)

Welcome!

Welcome to my little corner of the internet!  I created this blog as a way to journal and remember my hikes.  Also, it is a great way to tell family and friends about my hiking experiences and to share photos.  I have to backtrack a little bit and write some blogs about 15 hikes that I've done over the past year, so bear with me.  The farther back the hike goes, the less detailed it will be.  I plan to blog very shortly after each hike I do in the future while my memory is fresh :)