Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
I arrived at DEN at 11am on Sunday and by 1:30 I was at Elitch's with my family, looking at the clouds over the mountains hoping the weather was going to hold off for our climb on Tuesday. After another perfect weather day spent with family on the 4th, I was getting more nervous about the weather and the fact I did not get to go above 6,500 ft to acclimatize at all.
The alarm went off at my sister's house in Castle Rock at 4am. We were out the door and to the trail head on the pass by 6:30. Everything was going as planned (other than the fact my teeth were still rattling from the gravel portion of Gunella Pass road we come in on). We took 285 and came up from the south to avoid any construction delays.
My Dad (71), Sister and I were so excited and had no idea what to expect on our first climb.
We started off about 6:45 on the trail taking in all the scenery.
I felt great, even though I didn't get nearly the sleep I would have liked to the night before. Once we started to gain elevation we all started to realized that this was going to take a little work to get to the summit. After about an hour my sister and I also realized that Dad was not going to make it. She was second guessing herself some as well. Surprisingly, with no acclimatization I was feeling great and was not going to be denied. Finally, at about 13,300 Dad gave up, so my sister and I continued on.
At this point it was getting tough, but we were getting close to the ridge and the summit seemed in reach. Once we got to the final 300' and began to climb the boulders to the summit, the climb strangely became easy and tons of fun! It could have been the adrenalin, or the rest between boulders that helped.
Finally, at 9:30am we made the summit! Mt. of Holy Cross was easily visable a look really cool!
The weather couldn't have been better with a few high clouds and tons of blue sky! We took in the views for about 30 mins. During that time I started to get a bit of a headache. I think the altitude finally started to get to me. We started down to meet back up with dad and to get back to the car. The hike down was a lot more difficult than I would have imagined, but still enjoyable even with a pretty bad headache. As we got closer to the car we could see a few clouds starting to build, but nothing that looked threatening. We made it back to the car and headed out. Within 5 mins of leaving it had started to rain. The mountain got really busy as we were making our way down and I have a feeling a lot of people got wet that were on the mountain after noon that day.
I can't wait to get back out to CO next summer to take down #2 and #3 (hopefully).
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Excellent photos! My husband and I tackled Grays and Torreys for our 1st and 2nd last month and hope to tackle Bierstadt soon! Thanks for the inspiration!
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.
