on top of colorado

stoked to be at the summit... higher than Rainier!

Growing up with views of Mt. Rainier (when it wasn't cloudy...) I was always in awe of the fact that people climbed to the 14,411 ft. peak (it looks especially huge from sea-level). Today I hiked my first 14er, Mt. Elbert, and had the chance to stand on top of Colorado (it's the highest peak in the state and 2nd highest in the lower 48 states) at 14,433 ft... even higher than Rainier!

We woke up at 4:30am and drove to the trailhead just southwest of Leadville. We set-off amidst some morning cloud cover just before 7am. We climbed switch-backs and long steeper-grade stuff in the trees for about 2 hours before hitting the tree line. The climb was tough (still a little sore from the 10k) but definitely doable with breaks and water. As we hiked we passed two separate men (guestimating they were in their 50s) who were trail running... that's not a typo... the mountain. Nothing like seeing 2 dudes 20+ years older than you running the trail you're working hard to climb!

The section above the tree line had a bunch of scree and was pretty exposed to the wind (luckily the clouds had disappeared though) which made the climb sluggish. I'd count my steps (50-60) before giving my legs a short stop and taking off again. Aside from the legs and gluts getting tired quicker than normal I didn't feel much more of an altitude effect (no shortness of breath, air didn't seem super thin, but living and playing at 8,000 ft. definitely helps with that!). With the super warm temps we'd been having the past 5 days (mid80s+) there wasn't too much snow up there and a green lake had formed in the bowl. Nearing the top my stops became a little more frequent but it was actually pretty nice because the views were ridiculous- you could see for hundreds of miles across the top of the Rockies! (note: this hike was not technical- no crampons, harnesses, rope, etc)

Around 11am we arrived at the windy summit (it sounds more hardcore than top or peak :) ). We hung out there for a while eating, taking pictures and dancing/playing harmonica (guess which one I was doing? :) ) before heading back down in the afternoon sun. We all ended up getting a lot of sun (note, always wear a lot of sunscreen at 10,000+ feet) and arrived back at the car exhausted and starving. We stopped in Leadville at the Silver Dollar Saloon for food and beer and as a bonus got to see a few classic small-town bar shenanigans.

My photos

You can get more info (including topo maps and pictures) on Mt. Elbert by clicking here