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.