First 14er June 7th

[lowland_missourian]

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?

Thanks! We are happy and sore today! I am from the St. Louis area.

[lowland_missourian]

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!

Good ideas for sure and thanks for the tips. I'll definitely look into Yale. Now I just need to figure out how to get back here before next summer! Thanks again.