Let me repeat that. There is no easy 14er.

Yes – it is true. I read this on the 14ers.com website and I wasn’t sure what to think about it at first. Now I do. This last weekend we hit Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado at 14,438’ (and second highest in the contiguous U.S.). We did the standard route which was rated a class 1 and boy, it was a beast. There was no scrambling but the ascent NEVER.LET.UP. My quads and hamstrings were already tired from our workouts with a personal trainer (thanks Chad!) the week prior and then you add in 4500’ ascent with a total of 43’ descent on the entire way up – you get MUSH. Yep, my legs were tightening up and then going to mush. 

It was another early morning start: 4:45AM. We left the house shortly after 2:00AM and headed towards Leadville. Little did we know that the Leadville 100 (a 100 mile trail race) “Race Across the Sky” was happening that same day therefore the streets were full of people, cars, etc. at 4:00AM! This race ends the following morning and the runners have to clear twelve cutoffs to have the opportunity to run through the finish line in downtown Leadville. (Keep in mind there is a 30-hour cutoff time!). If you are not familiar with Leadville, CO it was part of the gold rush in the 1870’s and silver boom. Doc Holiday was a resident along with Martin Duggan and Soapy Smith. It is also the highest incorporated city in North America at 10,158’. 

Just knowing what these runners are taking on makes summiting Mount Elbert cake! 

We parked just off the road at the trailhead, donned our headlamps and set out in the dark in the woods (eerily similar to our Pikes Peak hike). The sun was peaking over the horizon just before we made it out of treeline. I have my new Sony ZV-E10 camera attached to the strap of my hydration pack and I am determined to learn how to use it therefore I pull off the trail several times trying to get nighttime and sunrise pictures. While I was able to get some photos, unfortunately I am not an expert on this camera yet and so they did not turn out special. Honestly, at this time my iPhone takes better pictures! But I am doing research and WILL learn how to take better pictures so stay tuned!

We hike out of the treeline thinking the grade would let up a little but we continue to have zero luck. Up ahead we see hikers weaving up the mountainside and our spirits improve as we see the top of the peak. Little did we know that was not only one false summit, but there were at least two more! 

The weather was pretty amazing though and was a bluebird day. The wind was not too awful (expect at the summit which was a little cold and windy). We got pretty hot on the way down once in the treeline due to little breeze. The summit was beautiful with 360 views. We made it there in about 5 hours. I took some video on my new camera but lost them since I am still learning how to save and import. Next time!

After a little snack, we packed up and started our descent. It was a long trek and seemed never-ending but most of that was my tired legs yelling at me. Trailmix came in handy and gave me a little boost of energy to make the final few miles back to the truck.

Last week I also was able to pick up the REI convertible pants I have had my eye on (they had my exact size as a return at our local REI and so I got them like $29 off!). I am glad I wore those because they turned into shorts in the treeline. I cannot imagine had we started on this route any later than we did because it was pretty toasty on our way back. 

As with most of our hikes, we met some awesome people along the way. This included a girl with her German Shepard (his first 14er) who was a vet student. We met two other gentleman who were experienced hikers and one was working on the 7 summits. Later, we ran into a couple who live just a town over and are big into mountain biking (we definitely exchanged numbers!). On the descent there was a volunteer from the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative who was educating hikers on protecting the trails and leave no trace. It was nice to meet him and thank him and the organization for all they do to help support our continued use of the trails. 

Overall, it was a great day – very challenging – but great! 

10 miles
4500’ elevation gain
14,438’ summit
8 hours roundtrip
Northeast Ridge Route
Class 1