Burnt out on peak bagging?

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Scott P
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by Scott P »

Mix things up and try something else besides the 14ers.

For example, you could try the following (with proper gear and experience of course):

A non-14er with solitude
Rock climbing
Canyoneering
Non-technical slot canyons
Canoeing
Non-summit hiking
Etc.
I'm old, slow and fat. Unfortunately, those are my good qualities.
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AyeYo
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by AyeYo »

Tory Wells wrote:For me it's always the driving I get most tired of, not the peaks themselves.
This.

I'm in it for what's enjoyable. Waking up at 2am to drive across the state and spending 50% of my waking weekend in the car = not enjoyable. Lots of crowds = not enjoyable. Loose scree/talus slogs = not enjoyable.

Why go through all that not enjoyable stuff if it's... not enjoyable... just to tick a box? You don't get to tick boxes scrambling and climbing obscure areas on the front range, but it's a fraction of the drive time, few or no people, and you can go where the rock is better. The 14ers I've done I did as a novelty after moving here because they were readily accessible for a reasonable day trip. The 13ers I've done were to avoid doing 14ers. This past holiday weekend, trying the loose talus cluster***k C3 on Ellingwood really solidified in my mind that I have no desire to climb miserable routes just for the sake of saying I did it.
Last edited by AyeYo on Mon Jul 10, 2017 3:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JROSKA
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by JROSKA »

I had a similar "burnout" year back in 2015, where just like you, I had many opportunities to climb, hiking partners with time available, plenty of flexibility with the work schedule, and a new high clearance vehicle. It was about this exact date in 2015 though when I just had that feeling, "I just don't want to do this". In a summer where I had grand plans, I ended up climbing just two 14ers in 2015, and none before Labor Day weekend. Slightly different time frame than you present, I had been at it since 2010, and I've never done 20 in one year but I can share a few thoughts.

Try to analyze what your mindset was on your hikes last year, especially the later ones. Were you happy to be there or was it more of just going through the motions? For me, whenever an activity starts to get that dull, boring feel, just being done out of routine, it's becoming an addiction and needs to be curtailed. As my activity level ramped up in 2013 and 2014, in hindsight, while there were a few exceptions, I enjoyed very little of what I did in the mountains in those two years. Life is just too short for that. In my case, I just started focusing on other things that I enjoy doing.

Dialing it back really helped me. Only two 14ers in each of the last two summers, and one so far this summer, but I've found so much enjoyment in every hike, and a big reason for that is, there aren't as many. Moderation. And variety too. Harvard was on the mundane side, but Crestone Needle tested my physical ability to the max, Culebra with the uniqueness of a private property hike, Wilson Peak was fun day with a new climbing partner, and San Luis was a beautiful hike on the 4th of July. My last three 14ers are some of the least-climbed on the list. Last year I threw in a couple of 13ers and really enjoyed those. In case you're wondering, while I do still check off peaks here, I've scrapped the "checklist", "Peak bagging" mentality for the most part. I'm trying to choose peaks that appear interesting or may offer a memorable experience. Yes, generally I default to the 14ers but I no longer feel like a slave to the list. Finishing is off the table for me. I'm just trying to hike a few here and there and make sure I enjoy and have fun.

And lastly, when I felt the burnout going on, I just took a good month off (August 2015), to do some soul searching, analysis, discussing with other people I hike with, praying, to figure out what was going on and how to proceed. No trip planning, no travelling, no trips period. I really believe that 14er hiking / climbing, even the easier ones, can become especially dangerous if one doesn't feel committed and excited for each hike. For me the attention to detail drops off if I'm not enthusiastic and that's just not a good thing. Also in my case things were getting to the point where I was regularly bailing on hiking partners, which is inconsiderate.

Hope my general advice helps. Tough to know for sure, but I think maybe in your case, 20 was just too much too fast. I have a feeling that if you reflect and substantially reduce that number, you'll return to feeling more vigorous toward the hobby.
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James Dziezynski
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by James Dziezynski »

You may be suffering from what I call the "Colorado Problem" - there's just so much cool outdoors stuff to do in this state, it's sometimes hard to lock into one sport all the time. And you can't do it all.

The seasons help with that, but I've also had some big hiking quests that started to burn me out a little bit as well. I had a year where I moved my primary sport to mountain biking, even doing a couple of 100-mile events (I hesitate to call them "races" in my case). Some years it was a lot of ultimate frisbee, some years backpacking, and so on. Mountain hikes are always key to me, though some years I like solo stuff, some years winter stuff, some years social hikes, etc.

I find that all of those longings are cyclical - this year happens to be a dog hiking / mountain hiking and climbing year for me. The last thing you should do is invest your precious free time is something that leaves you unsatisfied. Stepping away from 14ers may re-ignite your love for 'em down the road.
“Dogs teach us a very important lesson in life: The mail man is not to be trusted.” — Sian Ford
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TallGrass
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by TallGrass »

Not burnt but I've only done Sangre/Elk/SJ Cents except for Holy Cross/HCR. Rather than focusing on a big goal, I chunk it like finishing ranges and finishing routes. Tip: Find better peaks? :-k Find better routes! \:D/ "Fourth rule, is, eat kosher salami."
Tory Wells wrote:For me it's always the driving I get most tired of, not the peaks themselves.
Kansas City peeps say =; .

:mrgreen:
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Mtnman200
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by Mtnman200 »

TallGrass wrote:"Fourth rule, is, eat kosher salami."
Tallgrass, are you channeling your inner Ramone?

Others have made good suggestions about avoiding burnout. I would add that it helps to have a partner to share the experience.
"Adventure without risk is not possible." - Reinhold Messner
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lcjackson
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by lcjackson »

When I lived in Texas, I used to have to drive 9 hours just to get out to far west Texas to climb peaks. OR I'd have to drive 16+ hours to get to Colorado, which involved weeks/months of planning with friends and coordinating schedules just to get up here to this beautiful country.
I moved to Colorado 8 months ago and have been climbing 14ers for the past 3 weeks. After completing my 6th as I was driving home I started to wonder whether I'd ever get burnt out with all that there is to do up here (14ers, 13ers, canyons, rivers, forests, etc). I hope it never happens but I'm sure I'll get those feelings sooner or later.
Advice from a native Texan who loves the outdoors and the mountains: Whenever you start to feel burnt out with peak bagging and such, remember that there are millions of Texans who would give their first born child to be in our position, living in Colorado with all of these mountains in our backyard.
For my last 14er I drove 3 hours to Mt. Elbert from Grand Junction on Monday July 3, summited at sunrise on July 4, and was back home to my apartment in Grand Junction by 1 pm on July 4. That absolutely blew my mind.
My friends and I used to get off work on Thursday night, drive 9 hours straight and arrive at Guadalupe Mountains National Park around 8-9am, nap for 1 hour, climb Guadalupe Peak (highest point in Texas), get back to the trailhead and camp that evening, then get up and drive 9 hours back home so we could be at work on Sunday morning. THAT is an exhausting amount of driving just to summit something. 3 hours to get to a trailhead for a 14er is so minimal compared to what a lot of other people have to do.
I'd say just try and keep perspective, and remember that there are lots of people who will never in their life get the chance to do what we can do on a weekly basis.
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oldschoolczar
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by oldschoolczar »

James Dziezynski wrote:I find that all of those longings are cyclical - this year happens to be a dog hiking / mountain hiking and climbing year for me. The last thing you should do is invest your precious free time is something that leaves you unsatisfied. Stepping away from 14ers may re-ignite your love for 'em down the road.
I find I'm kind of the same way. I think I climbed ~20 peaks in 2012 and then I got married the next summer and climbed 1-2, then bought a house the next summer and focused on home improvement and yardwork. Now I'm kind of feeling the bug again. The natural ebb and flow of life may bring you back. If not, then maybe you just weren't diggin' it very much!
“what matters most is
how well you
walk through the
fire” -Charles Bukowski
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Jon Frohlich
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by Jon Frohlich »

I'm having a burnout year right now. My 2017 has been rough and the motivation has been difficult. I have 6 centennials left to go and it's hard to get motivated to get down to the San Juans for them (and my vacation is limited right now). I'll end up doing them it just might not be that fast. I don't have a regular partner right now either. Most of my friends don't care about peak bagging anymore and I haven't wanted to do another round of 14ers to meet new partners. I can put on my running shoes and be on half a dozen different trails right near my apartment in 15 minutes instead of driving hours to a trailhead. And I don't have to get up at 4am.

It's a big part of the reason I'm going out to Seattle for some hiking in mid-Sept instead of staying here. It sounds more fun to visit new areas right now instead.

Suffice to say, yeah, it happens to everyone I think.
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Krinkles
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by Krinkles »

Hey - sorry to hear that. If you look at my profile you'll see I've done a lot and most of it was solo. On Mt Lindsay in 1998 I went through exactly what you're feeling. I was part way up, alone and in clouds and light snow, and I thought, "All I want to do is be home right now. I hate this." I just turned around and walked out. I had a combination of guilt, regret, and relief on my drive home. That was about 14er #35 for me. I took the rest of that year off and went backpacking with friends and mountain biked a lot. The next year I focused on more exciting peaks that I was pumped for: Maroon Pk solo snowclimb, big mountains in Peru, sleeping on 14er summits, mountain biking up easy peaks, etc. I just paced myself and that helped. I stopped putting pressure on myself to bag peaks and I focused on fun challenges.
I still truly hate driving out the night before and laying in my car alone while I think of everyone (like my wife and daughter) having fun in Denver without me and I've never been able to get past that. Once I'm on the peaks, I'm great, but it's the whole other part that is tough. Do you feel that? It has to be fun - maybe you should find someone at your skill and speed level to share it with. I never could find that person (although I never really tried). The other day my wife said, "You never climb mountains anymore" and I said it's because I don't want to drive out alone and lay in my car by myself. If it's not fun you can't do it!
Hang in there!!
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Wish I lived in CO
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by Wish I lived in CO »

This is a hobby. Hobbies are supposed to be fun. If it's not fun at the time, then just don't do it. Simple as that. Like others have said, maybe later you'll get excited again.
I look up to the mountains - does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! Psalm 121:1-2
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Re: Burnt out on peak bagging?

Post by SnowAlien »

I think it's not that uncommon, especially if you jump in it too quickly too much. Like others noted, I also like to rotate activities throughout the year. If I do too much of one thing, I burn out.

Winter - winter 14ers. Unique challenges, pretty psysically hard, especially with overnights, have to pace myself here. Usually take several weeks off before the start of skimo season to recover. Try to fit in some rock climbing.

Spring Skiing - my favorite time of the year, but very short (late April-May-early June). Never seem to burnout, never seems enough. Flies by like a flash.

Summer - switch to 13ers and dry hiking after ~6 months in ski boots. Ridge runs vs couloirs. Fast burnout rate with Class 1-2, just have to spice it up with harder peaks to stay motivated. Backpacking trips usually are pretty fun.

Fall - quit peakbagging and do as much rock climbing as possible. Wait for snow.

Also picked up MTB last year as another distraction/ way to stay in shape/ social interaction.
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