First 14er June 7th

[swarrier]

Considering the trail conditions as of today, and the fact that we are attempting Mt. Elbert on June 7th as our first 14er, what might be a good acclimatization hike to do on Friday? We get in Thursday night to Leadville, would it be a stretch to attempt Quandary or Mt. Bierstadt on Friday?

[Hiker Mike]

Considering you will be just arriving to Leadville and you are coming from the flat lands, I might try for something to get the blood going rather than a 14er the day before you climb Elbert.

Bear Lake in the morning followed by Saint Kevin Lake in the afternoon would both be good warm up hikes. That way you won't shoot your bolt right out of the box. Elbert is a pretty straight forward Class 1 hike but it is the tallest 14er and I guarantee you will feel the altitude.

[Monte Meals]

^ "We get in Thursday night to Leadville"

A GREAT hike right out of Leadville is the (really rough) forest service road up to Mosquito Pass (13,185 ft)

Don't drive it !

Great altitude conditioning and super interesting since it goes thru the mining district

[swarrier]

Considering you will be just arriving to Leadville and you are coming from the flat lands, I might try for something to get the blood going rather than a 14er the day before you climb Elbert.

Bear Lake in the morning followed by Saint Kevin Lake in the afternoon would both be good warm up hikes. That way you won't shoot your bolt right out of the box. Elbert is a pretty straight forward Class 1 hike but it is the tallest 14er and I guarantee you will feel the altitude.

Thanks a ton for your advice, I really appreciate it!

[swarrier]

^ "We get in Thursday night to Leadville"

A GREAT hike right out of Leadville is the (really rough) forest service road up to Mosquito Pass (13,185 ft)

Don't drive it !

Great altitude conditioning and super interesting since it goes thru the mining district

Thanks so much, I will check it out!!

[lowland_missourian]

Summited today! We took the Northeast Ridge. We arrived in Twin Lakes on Tuesday 6/3, I definitely was not acclimated by Wednesday. We felt much better this morning when waking up so we went for it, and were able to summit today 6/5. My 17 year old daughter and I, 45 year old average fitness reached the summit in 4 hours 53 minutes including snack, bathroom break, and rest stops. Those false summits are ball busters so just don't ever think you are close. We started at 6 am, should've started earlier but I was being a baby about driving the Forrest Rd. to the trailhead in the dark. With the slightly later start the 4-5 snowfields above the tree line were slightly slushy and post holed a little. We were just in our hiking boots, but had poles and micro spikes but ended up not using. Weather/Clouds were moving in so we didn't get to stay at the summit too long. This was my first 14er and I was proud of both of us for gutting it out! Good luck, feel free to ask any questions.

[Hiker Mike]

Congratulations on your first 14er summit!

[lowland_missourian]

Congratulations on your first 14er summit!

Thank you!

[nyker]

Congrats! So what's next??

[lowland_missourian]

Congrats! So what's next??

Thanks Nyker! Not sure, I wish I had more time here to hit some of the others nearby where we're staying in Twin Lakes, but we head home tomorrow. Weather today around here also is a little iffy, so will just have to start planning for next summer! Maybe staying in Buena Vista and look more into some of the peaks near there. I'm definitely hooked!

[dtron]

Congrats! Sounds like a great day! Agreed on the false summits. Those can be demoralizing, but are so common on 14er hikes. You almost come to expect them and are pleased when you don't encounter one. I'm from the Springfield area. Where are you located in Missouri?

[HikesInGeologicTime]

Congratulations!!! Elbert’s a big one, literally and figuratively, and I still remember how demoralizing that first false summit was 13 years after I first encountered it.

Something to contemplate for your next visit, as someone else who isn’t the world’s biggest fan of driving up potentially sketchy Forest Service roads in the dark (but who is also slow enough that alpine, or dark o’clock, starts are a frequent necessity): maybe planning for more camping would be an option. That way, you can drive up the dirt road the afternoon/early evening before, when there’s still light, get to spend a night outside(-ish; it’s rarely warm enough at/near most fourteener trailheads that I’d recommend foregoing a strong tent with a good rain fly), then start early enough to make the summit before the typical afternoon storms set in without having to drive while fatigued from the so-early-it’s-late wake-up. Alternatively, you could put Yale on your list for the next outing - Denny Creek is paved.

Glad to hear you had a good time!