A 13er or 14er is fine, I'm not picky on the height. We are both 26, I'm in decent shape and she's in okay shape. We'll be going in late July, and will be hitting the gym hard until then to prepare ourselves physically. Looking for good views (I know, that's nearly all of them), solitude, and a nearby campsite with showers for the lady. No high clearance vehicle for us, so relatively close access to a trailhead by way of a VW Jetta is a plus. Maybe I'm looking for a unicorn, but I figured I'd ask the experts. many thanks to any advice we get!!!Where to go
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Kiowa Adams
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 6/11/2020
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Where to go
Hey guys, newbie to climbing 13ers and 14ers here. I've been doing my homework here to learn as much as I can, and you guys seem incredibly helpful. So my question is this: where should I go? Me and my gf are looking to climb a class 2+ summit, or maybe an easy 3 with limited exposure or vertical climbing. I relish a challenge, but She'll be afraid of anything with an overly obvious chance of falling to her doom on our first big hike. Go figure A 13er or 14er is fine, I'm not picky on the height. We are both 26, I'm in decent shape and she's in okay shape. We'll be going in late July, and will be hitting the gym hard until then to prepare ourselves physically. Looking for good views (I know, that's nearly all of them), solitude, and a nearby campsite with showers for the lady. No high clearance vehicle for us, so relatively close access to a trailhead by way of a VW Jetta is a plus. Maybe I'm looking for a unicorn, but I figured I'd ask the experts. many thanks to any advice we get!!!
A 13er or 14er is fine, I'm not picky on the height. We are both 26, I'm in decent shape and she's in okay shape. We'll be going in late July, and will be hitting the gym hard until then to prepare ourselves physically. Looking for good views (I know, that's nearly all of them), solitude, and a nearby campsite with showers for the lady. No high clearance vehicle for us, so relatively close access to a trailhead by way of a VW Jetta is a plus. Maybe I'm looking for a unicorn, but I figured I'd ask the experts. many thanks to any advice we get!!!-
MtnResident
- Posts: 61
- Joined: 9/4/2013
- 14ers: 58 13
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Re: Where to go
Welcome. There's a lot of peaks that fit that bill, except maybe the solitude part, as there's not much of that on 14er's these days. It sounds like you're new to altitude, so if you're not sure how you react to altitude, I'd strongly suggest trying an "easy" 14er or 13er as your first one. I'd not recommend a 3rd class peak at this point. Try one you can easily follow the trail (Quandary or Grays for example) and has other people on it (pretty much every 14er). Take it slow and drink a lot of water. Watch the weather and don't push it too much just to hit the summit. They'll be there for a long time and you can try again. Good luck.
Re: Where to go
If you do a 13er during the week you should have relative solitude. If you do the South slopes of Silverheels from the creek crossing that is accessible for pretty much any vehicle. There Are Places to shower in Fairplay afterwards.
The 13ers near Breck have a bit less solitude but more defined trails: Bald mtn is very accessible.
The San Juans have some like 40% if the states 13ers so tons of options. Finding a place near a campsite is tricky. Maybe Lake City? You can buy a shower the hostel and there are 5 14ers and dozens of 14ers near there.
Consult this site and its trip reports, Summit post, or climb13ers.comm for information on routes. Most 13ers do not have defined trails to their Summit. Some are much better done as snow climbs than summer hikes. Read up and look at photos or ask questions here before you make a commitment.
The 13ers near Breck have a bit less solitude but more defined trails: Bald mtn is very accessible.
The San Juans have some like 40% if the states 13ers so tons of options. Finding a place near a campsite is tricky. Maybe Lake City? You can buy a shower the hostel and there are 5 14ers and dozens of 14ers near there.
Consult this site and its trip reports, Summit post, or climb13ers.comm for information on routes. Most 13ers do not have defined trails to their Summit. Some are much better done as snow climbs than summer hikes. Read up and look at photos or ask questions here before you make a commitment.
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CaptainSuburbia
- Posts: 1103
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Re: Where to go
Mt Hope with an option for Quail Mountain would be a nice class 2+ climb.
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Kiowa Adams
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 6/11/2020
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: Where to go
Thanks for the quick responses guys! I'm at work at the moment so I'll mainly just be reading your replies and I'll do some homework when I get home tonight and update if needed. Same goes to any future responses, thanks!
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Rollie Free
- Posts: 456
- Joined: 6/8/2012
- 14ers: 45
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Re: Where to go
For reference, class 3 can have situations where you are climbing at pretty steep angles and if you were to fall backwards you die. Doesnt sound very girlfriendy.
"Quicker than I can tell it, my hands failed to hold, my feet slipped, and down I went with almost an arrow’s rapidity. An eternity of thought, of life, of death, wife, and home concentrated on my mind in those two seconds. Fortunately for me, I threw my right arm around a projecting boulder which stood above the icy plain some two or three feet." Rev. Elijah Lamb
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Kiowa Adams
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 6/11/2020
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Re: Where to go
Noted... "laughs nervously"Rollie Free wrote: ↑Fri Jun 12, 2020 2:14 pm For reference, class 3 can have situations where you are climbing at pretty steep angles and if you were to fall backwards you die. Doesnt sound very girlfriendy.
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AlexeyD
- Posts: 1286
- Joined: 10/28/2013
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Re: Where to go
For 14ers, the closest I can think of that checks all these boxes would be Mt. Yale (fully optional class 3 scrambling along the summit ridge). For 13ers, you might look into the Audubon to Paiute ridge, returning back over Audubon (a loop route is also possible, but involves some routefinding challenges). This ridge is probably the least-scary thing in CO that is rated class 3. I don't know about showers for either of those, though...
