Quandary Peak: 14,271 fairly easy feet!

So maybe this time I was a little more prepared for what I was about to encounter, and maybe I was in better over all shape. I don't see how... I haven't done anything to improve my conditioning. I might be carrying a few less pound due to my on-the-road-bachelor-lifestyle, all work, no eating(OK probably once a day, sometimes twice) and adequate to less than adequate sleep. But for whatever reason Quandary Peak was a breeze. Yeah, I'm a little sore, and yeah, I had to take a few breaks on the way up and on the way down but in no way was/am I as beat down as I was after hiking Mt. Elbert.

There isn't really a camp ground at the Quandary Peak trail head so when I pulled up Saturday night at "almost too dark to set up a tent" time I was a little disappointed. The mountain is inside a national forest and camping is fair game anywhere you can find a spot. But like I said it was getting dark and I didn't really feel like stumbling around in the woods trying to find a level spot to put my tent. There wasn't a cloud in site so I just threw my sleeping bag in the bed of my truck and called it good. It got down to the low 40's so my 0 degree sleeping bag, which is supposed to be good for temperatures all the way down to 0 degrees F., was greatly appreciated. I got warm at times so I'm guessing it can get colder and I'd still be comfortable. Slept pretty well overall.

I started my hike at about 6:00am on Sunday(8/29/2010). The sun was just starting to rise and it was really starting to look like it was going to be a beautiful day. There weren't many people out that early which to me was surprising. Quandary is about 7ish miles south of Breckenridge, CO and is really easy to get to so I expected it to be a little "crowded." But other than the couple that left at about 5:45 and also woke me up I didn't really see anyone for at least the first hour.

The trail starts off at a pretty steep grade and I was already starting to think about how it took my legs 3 days to feel almost normal from the last climb so I was happy to find things leveled out rather quickly. The tree line comes pretty quick but before I got there I was starting to see that things were probably going to be as "crowded" as I had originally thought. There were tents scattered all along the trail in the trees.

The views on Quandary are definitely more spectacular than those on Elbert. On either side of the mountain are other smaller but more treacherous looking mountains that make for a spectacular scene. The trail above the tree line makes a fairly quick meandering elevation gain to the bottom of a narrow ridge that takes you all the way to the top.

I was starting to realize that this is definitely a tourists mountain. Several young couples were making the hike and there was almost always some argument about needing a break, time, and how much further. "My legs are tired I need a break." "The website said we had to be down by noon so we have to keep going or we will never make it." "You keep going I'm going back to the car." I passed several of these discussions on my way up remembering snowboard lessons that I've given in the past. Ladies, you need to realize that you are doing great, we're tired too, and confidence and/or desire are all that are holding you back. And guys taking a break here and there ain't going to kill you no matter what the stupid website says.

I made it to the top a little before 10:00. Hung out for a while, took some pictures and made my way down. Downhill is still the killer. I haven't quite bought into the "just let your momentum carry you down" method. I'm a little more cautious than that I guess and because of this my descents take the biggest tole on my legs. On the way down there were even more people on their way up, people with dogs of all sizes, children of all sizes even some couples that I would consider elderly. My Aunt Trink would be all over this hike. For those of you that don't know her, she's in her upper 80's lives in Idaho and in her spare time she gardens, goes on hikes, and does white water rafting. Don't ask her to sky dive she might just go for it.

I'm no expert, but I am smart enough to know that this hike wasn't that tough. With it being so close to Breckenridge, I think this would be a great place to start if you wanted to take a trip with climbing a 14er as your goal. There are 3 other peaks (Lincoln, Democrat, and Bross) all on 14ers.com's easy list that are within 10 miles of Quandary.

Here is a blurb about why the peak is called Quandary from 14ers.com:

"The peak’s name comes from a group of miners who were unable to identify a mineral specimen found on its slopes in the 1860s. The group was in a quandary over the exact nature of the mineral, and so dubbed the mountain from which it came “Quandary Peak.” In this respect, Quandary is a somewhat distant cousin of Conundrum Peak--a "conundrum" is a paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem--whose name comes from a group of miners who were unable to locate the source of a nearby gold specimen. In earlier times, the mountain was called McCullough‘s Peak, Ute Peak, or Hoosier Peak. "

Next Up.

Last weekend I was back in Oklahoma City (Happy Birthday Dan, and So long Buntings!) and this weekend I will be in LA visiting friends (The Delaney's). BUT!! The weekend after that I plan on making another hike.

These are the 5 I would like to to do before weather starts to make things difficult.

1. Quandry Peak (14,265)

2. Mt. Massive (14,421)

3. Mt. Harvard (14,420)

4. Pikes Peak (14,110) Hike not Drive!

5. Mt. Yale (14,196) I'm doing Harvard why not Yale?

I reserve the right to alter and/or totally disregard this list at any time.

Mt. Elbert: The Death Match.

First things first. I am really out of shape. I sorta knew this going in but I didn't realize just how out of shape until I decided to hike Mt. Elbert on Sunday (August 1).

I had heard from various sources that you want to be off the summit by noon when you're hiking 14ers. These mountains are big enough to create their own weather patterns and usually between 12:00 and 2:00 there is potential for a thunderstorm. This matters because in Mt. Elbert's case it takes roughly 4 hours to hike to the top... if you're in shape. Anyway, I took this advice and started hiking the 8.75 round trip miles of the North Mt. Elbert Trail at about 6:45am. I camped overnight at the nearby Halfmoon Creek Campground. It rained but I managed to stay dry in my tent I bought for 37 bucks!

The excitement of actually getting out and making my first climb was electric. The soggy morning and cool, almost cold temperature of 49 degrees didn't dampen my spirits in the least. I pulled into the lot and pulled together my gear for the day. A day hiking backpack with a built in hydration system, in the pack I carried food, water, rain gear, and a first aid kit. I threw on an extra jacket because it was pretty chilly starting off.

The hike through the trees was peaceful and fairly easy. I was still running on the adrenaline of doing something new so I don't think anything would have been much of a challenge at this point. Eventually, you come to fork in the trail. One way is the Colorado Trail and the other, the trail up Mt. Elbert. I made my turn and the trail changed a little. Instead of meandering switchbacks it started to take a more direct route up the hill. The adrenaline had started to wane a little and I started to think, "Man, the air is really thin up here."

The trees began to get thinner and thinner along with the air as I continued my ascent. I got my first glimpse of what I thought was the peak. The adrenaline came back almost immediately. I made it to the tree line at about 8:45. Not a blistering pace but not too bad either. I took a minute to shed my jacket and eat an apple and then continued on.

At this point I was at roughly 12,000' (2400 vertical feet to go) of elevation and the thin air and my lack of conditioning was really starting to take affect. Elbert was hitting me square in chest causing me to need a break every few minutes. From here on I was hiking/climbing for 5-10 minutes and then taking a break for a few minutes. I met up with a couple guys from Florida and we all went up the rest of the way at about the same pace. One guy was a talker... and he wanted to talk Bob Stoops and OU/Florida football. I'm not much of a talker myself and I really didn't have the breath for conversation so I'm sure the guy thought I was a jerk but whatever... It was just another one of Elbert's ploys against me anyway.

As we made our way up we started to pass some people on their way down which I thought was great news because they couldn't have possibly started much earlier than I did which in turn means the top must be close. This is also when I learned a new term. False Summit. The talkative Florida grad liked asking people how much further as they passed. He too thought the same thing about what I thought was the summit from earlier in the day. Turns out we were both wrong. This was the just the first of several false summits and there was almost 1800 vertical feet passed it still to climb.

It wasn't good news but at the same time I asked myself, "you didn't think it was going to be that easy did you." Well, yeah, I kinda did, but I was wrong. My legs were starting to burn and my breaks were now due to muscle failure more than lack of breath. I was, however, starting to leave the Florida guys behind. There are 3ish false summits in all on the North Trail. Each of them gives you a little hope that it might be the one. The footing gets progressively more treacherous. After the first false summit the trail is pretty much all scree field, loose rocks that aren't very stable. I was told that there is a final false summit and then a ridge to the actual summit. Once you hit the ridge, you know you are almost there.

I finally get a glimpse of the ridge that everyone keeps telling me about and a rush of adrenaline comes back again. I make my way up the ridge to the top. It was 11:39. I made it before my Noon deadline with plenty of time to spare. There are several other people there. A family from Stillwater, OK, and some other 14er types. I broke out some more food and ate really quickly. I signed the book to let everyone know I was there on 8/1/2010. Check it next time you're there! The summit was completely fogged in. Some of that self generated weather I was talking about earlier. So picture opportunities were pretty much non-existent from the top.

I was completely rejuvenated after reaching the top and started making my way down at what I felt was a record pace. But when my last does of adrenaline finally wore off my legs were completely done. Not cramps but just really, really sore. Each step they were starting to shake under my own weight. Not to mention the down hill hike is rough on your knees.

Slowly, I made my way back to my truck and at about 3:30 I finally got to take a seat. My whole body ached. I was exhausted and a little uneasy because this was #1 on the easy list I found online. It took me almost 9 hours. The websites I read said it should take you 6-8. My climb up was on pace with that but because my legs were in such poor shape it took a lot longer than it should have.

Some advice for beginners. Definitely start early. It rained on me on the way down. Being above the tree line when the storms start is dangerous. Take plenty of water. I ran out on the downhill which probably contributed to my troubles. Get in better shape than you are right now... particularly your legs. Even the easy ones are no joke. It's the Wednesday after and my legs are still sore. And try to find a way to not get too high or too low during your hike. You can waist a lot of energy that you might need later.