10 day 14er gameplan

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Tuxedo4
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10 day 14er gameplan

Post by Tuxedo4 »

Hey everyone, I’ve been lurking around here for a little while but just registered. I’ve done a few 14er’s the past couple years (Pikes, Bierstadt 2x, Evans via sawtooth, Sherman 2x, Grays and Torreys standard route) but I definitely consider myself a beginner when it comes to 14er’s.

This summer I’ve got a trip planned for mid July to mid August. I’m flying out and first 10 days I’ll be solo before meeting up with another friend. And those first 10 days I’d like to knock out as many 14er’s as possible. I’ve got a ton of notes and potential plans but nothing solid yet. I’m looking for advice on an efficient way to go about this. Any help would be appreciated.

I’ll be renting an suv but nothing with great clearance, I live at 1500ft, I tend to acclimate very quickly and am in what I’d consider great shape for a regular person and probably below average shape for a true mountain athlete, the sawtooth is the most technical route I’ve done, I want to do Kelso ridge, I don’t want to do any class 4 stuff at this point, I’ll have my backpacking gear with me and plan on sleeping in the car or camping at the trailheads or wherever makes the most sense, Elbert-Sneffels-Uncompahgre are already planned for the back half of my trip with my friend so I don’t want to include them in the initial 10 day plan. That’s all the helpful info I can think to provide, if I missed something let me know. Looking forward to hearing your replies.
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Buckie06
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Re: 10 day 14er gameplan

Post by Buckie06 »

The Sawatch Range will be ideal for this. Tons of peaks right next to each other with minimal driving.
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Re: 10 day 14er gameplan

Post by climbingcue »

Buckie06 wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 6:55 am The Sawatch Range will be ideal for this. Tons of peaks right next to each other with minimal driving.
This is perfect advice, Sawatch range is exactly what you are looking for.
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dtron
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Re: 10 day 14er gameplan

Post by dtron »

Taking a day to hit the Decalibron would be worth your while, either one your way to the Sawatch or to meet your friend.
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Scott P
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Re: 10 day 14er gameplan

Post by Scott P »

If you are coming out here from far and don't get to visit often, i would suggest focusing on the more scenic areas.

Although Holy Cross is pretty, the Sawatch or Mosqito 14ers (Decalibron) aren't nearly as scenic as the San Juans or much of the Sangres (or the Elks either, but many peaks are more challenging than most other 14ers).

Unless you want to climb Holy Cross, I'd recommend skipping the Sawatch and Mosquito 14ers entirely. Focusing on the Sawatch or Mosquitoes would be like flying to New York just to visit Walmart.

You will aleady be in the San Juans doing Uncompahgre so I'd add Handies as well. If you can handle the Kelso and have done the Sawtooth, Wetterhorn should be reasonable. It's one of the best, most scenic, and enjoyable 14ers. Wilson Peak isn't so bad if you have done class 3.

If you want something in a different area for variety you can head for Humboldt and have a great view of the Crestones.

I'd recommend Holy Cross too. If you really must visit another Sawatch 14er that is not Holy Cross, do Huron.

Longs might even be a possibility if you warm up on some class 3s.
Last edited by Scott P on Tue May 25, 2021 10:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 10 day 14er gameplan

Post by nunns »

dtron wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 7:56 am Taking a day to hit the Decalibron would be worth your while, either one your way to the Sawatch or to meet your friend.
Is Decalibron back open for climbing again?

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cedica
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Re: 10 day 14er gameplan

Post by cedica »

Scott P wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 8:39 am If you really must visit another Sawatch 14er that is not Holy Cross, do Humboldt.
Scott meant to say Huron here. His recommendations are spot-on, as usual. Wishing you a quick recovery, Scott!
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Re: 10 day 14er gameplan

Post by Scott P »

cedica wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 9:21 am
Scott meant to say Huron here.
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Re: 10 day 14er gameplan

Post by Scott P »

nunns wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 9:02 am
dtron wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 7:56 am Taking a day to hit the Decalibron would be worth your while, either one your way to the Sawatch or to meet your friend.
Is Decalibron back open for climbing again?

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prairiechicken
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Re: 10 day 14er gameplan

Post by prairiechicken »

Scott P wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 8:39 am If you are coming out here from far and don't get to visit often, i would suggest focusing on the more scenic areas.

Although Holy Cross is pretty, the Sawatch or Mosqito 14ers (Decalibron) aren't nearly as scenic as the San Juans or much of the Sangres (or the Elks either, but many peaks are more challenging than most other 14ers).

Unless you want to climb Holy Cross, I'd recommend skipping the Sawatch and Mosquito 14ers entirely. Focusing on the Sawatch or Mosquitoes would be like flying to New York just to visit Walmart.
Personally I find the Sawatch to be absolutely gorgeous. And if you don't want to spend hours and hours driving between ranges it would be a great place.
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Scott P
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Re: 10 day 14er gameplan

Post by Scott P »

prairiechicken wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 10:45 amPersonally I find the Sawatch to be absolutely gorgeous. And if you don't want to spend hours and hours driving between ranges it would be a great place.
But any way you slice it, it's still not nearly as scenic as the San Juans or Crestones. Except for maybe around Holy Cross and Gold Dust. Maybe even the Thee Apostles. That's it though.

The Sawatch might still be pretty, but there are also much prettier ranges to consider, especially for someone traveling a long way to get here.
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Re: 10 day 14er gameplan

Post by Tuxedo4 »

Thank you for the replies everyone.

DeCaLiBron was on my list but I’ve left it out of my plans for now due to the uncertainty. Currently I’m thinking about doing Torreys and Grays via Kelso, then Quandry, and after that some combination of Sawatch peaks (deciding which is what has me stuck) for the remainder of my time with a slim chance of hitting Longs before I pick up my friend from the airport.

I do agree there are likely more scenic parts of the state but the Sawatch is no slouch in my limited experience and it seems to make the most sense for my purposes this time around. I also agree the San Juan’s are incredible and I’ve been lucky to spend some time there over the past handful of years. I normally make it out for 3-4 weeks every year and that’s where I’ve been the most active (no 14er’s yet though). Also, the second part of my trip will include a good bit of time down that way.
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