Hello! My name is Dhruv Nambiar. For some context, a few months ago I started a GoFundMe to help combat the COVID-19 crisis in India. As part of the fundraiser, for every 500 dollars raised I would hike one of Colorado's 14ers. We ended up raising over 5000 dollars, and this is the fourth of ten hikes that I will be doing.

We arrived at the Quandary trailhead at around 4:30 in the morning. The road to the trailhead is much easier to navigate than that of Grays, with only a few bumps and a decent amount of parking available. We began the hike at 4:45. The hike up to the tree line was more difficult than I imagined it would be, and I got tired quickly. I think that this is partially due to the fact that the days prior to this hike I was on a trip to California, from which I had just landed the night before at 10:00 PM. This means that I was essentially traveling from 0ft elevation to 14,000 in the span of 12 hours, which I don't think my lungs appreciated.

One thing to note about this hike is that, while the views are spectacular, the view up the mountain is very misleading. On the final stretch as you approach the summit there are multiple false peaks, and every time that you think you see the top its best to assume that there is still a fair bit to go past that. Don't be discouraged, however. While the hike was tough(for me) the views on top are spectacular. You can see many of the collegiate peaks(i.e. Mt. Lincoln, etc.) as well as the road leading to Fairplay.

The weather on that day was alright, with most of the hike being cool and slightly breezy. At the top, however, I could barely manage. The winds were freezing and, even with my jacket tightly wrapped around myself and my arms tucked inside my shirt, I was still very cold. Your experience may differ, however.

We summited at around 7:30 AM, and finished the hike around 9:30(5 hours total, 3450 ft elevation gain, 6.75 miles). A relatively quick hike, but definitely one that I recommend.