Bagging a Colorado Fourteener

When we started making vacation plans to go to Colorado, a friend at work who is from Colorado asked, “Are you bagging a 14er?” I had no idea what she was talking about until she sent me a website link (14ers.com). Colorado has 58 mountain peaks exceeding 14,000 feet (known as 14ers) and it’s a big accomplishment to hike one of these amazing peaks. 

There are six Class 1 Fourteeners and #4 on the list is Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado. A few years ago, we hiked the highest peak in Maine — Mt. Katahdin at 5,367 — so why not hike the highest peak in Colorado. To put it in perspective, Clingman’s Dome is the highest peak in Tennessee at 6,643. When Mike and I hiked to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, we were at 8,839 feet. Half Dome was the highest we’ve ever hiked. 

We spent our first two days in Colorado doing a few short hikes and getting acclimated to the altitude. Then on the big day, with the sign in my backpack that friends bought for me, we loaded up with water and electrolytes and we started our hike at 5am. Our plan was to reach the summit in 3 to 4 hours and be back off the mountain by early afternoon. Afternoon thunderstorms are very common and the top of the mountain is the last place anyone wants to be during a storm. 

Starting at an elevation of 10,040 feet, the first part of the hike seemed pretty normal but it didn’t take long to start climbing.  At about the half-way mark, we had gone up to an elevation of 11,900 in almost three miles. We had finally reached the much anticipated tree line, the place where trees stop growing because they can no longer tolerate environmental conditions. I was about at the point where I could no longer tolerate the environmental conditions. 

With Mount Elbert nowhere in sight, we rested for a while, picked up our hiking poles, and we started the steepest part of the trail. The weather changed after the tree line, it became cold and windy. I had gloves on but my fingers felt numb. The wind was strong and I could barely put one foot in front of the other. On one part of the trail (the rugged talus scree ridge), we gained 500 feet in three tenths of a mile.

We kept on, switchback after switchback, climb after climb, barely able to walk, and with little feeling in my fingers. I tried to drink water but when I drank a little, I couldn't catch my breath afterwards. We knew there was a possibility of rain that afternoon and because it took us much longer than we had planned, that possibility was getting closer and closer. At one point we were hit will small-sized hail for about 15 minutes. That’s when Mike said get out your sign, we’re taking pictures here, and going back.

Then as we talked to other hikers who were coming down and kept deceiving us by saying you’re almost there, we decided to keep going. I was losing focus and could barely walk. I really felt like someone stranded in the middle of nowhere with no help in sight. Mike said I looked pretty bad, really out of it. Somehow I managed to push on and we made it to the summit, the highest peak on Colorado. 

With a race against the weather and the time later than we thought, we didn’t stay long at the top. As we started down, we were hit again with small-sized hail and we could hear thunder off in the distance. A little scary to say the least and motivation to keep going down trying to make it back to the tree line before a storm hit. It really felt like the trail that never ends. We finally made it back to the parking lot at 4pm. It took us 11 hours to complete this 10 mile hike. I could not believe how long it had taken us and how exhausted I was. WIth the combination of being out of shape and the altitude, I was not physically or mentally prepared for this hike. We met people of all ages on the trail -- some who made it look easy and some who turned around and gave up. 

There were so many times that I said to Mike, “I can’t do this.” but that sign kept me going. I knew I had to make it. It was hard . . . it took us twice as long as it should have . . . we were sore the next day . . . but we did it! 

My friends said they ordered a Mount Everest sign for my next hike. Ha,ha! No more high altitude hikes for me. I need to stay in the lower elevations. 

Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God." ~Isaiah 40:9