I had first learned about 14'ers (mountain peaks above 14,000 feet) from someone that I had met on the Tour du Mont Blanc thru-hike in 2018 who told me that if I liked hiking in the mountains on the TMB (which I did) then I would also like Colorado, a place I had never even thought of vacationing to. It would take almost a year before I worked up the courage to go on a solo vacation in the States and attempt to summit one.
After doing a good amount of research on what to bring with me while on the trail to the summit, where to stay, and transportation logistics I booked my flights, reserved an AirBnb in Denver, and set out with mixed feelings. I was excited to be going, but nervous since I didn't know what to expect from the trail itself. This trip was also a test of my physical endurance to see how well my body handled being above 10,000 feet, which is when Acute Mountain Sickness (or AMS) sets in, and it can definitely be a mood-killer, literally. If I couldn't do this, then I would have to cancel my Annapurna trip that I had booked for a couple of months from now, since those elevations go above 18,000 feet.
Of all the mountain peaks available, of which there are more than 50 above 14,000 feet, I chose Mt. Elbert as my first. It was the tallest in the state of Colorado, because I figured go big or go home right? If you're going to do it, might as well do the biggest one first. I was too excited the night before doing it and I didn't get my sleep.
I left Denver around 2:00 am for the two and a half hour drive out to Mt. Elbert. The roads were empty as I tuned into the only radio station that worked all the way there: an 80's retro station. I hadn't given much thought to the car that I had rented, but it made it up and down and up the mountain highways. The road leading to the trailhead was full of potholes, some pretty deep, and it was a rough ride but the car made it.
It was about 4:30 am when I arrived at the trailhead. Thankfully I wasn't the only one here, and several other people were gettign ready and heading out ahead of me. The parking sure was filling up fast. Must be a popular trail.
I suited up, locked the car, and set out from the trailhead. Right away I could tell that I was going to be hurting by the end of this. The trail up through the woods lasted about two hours before leaving the trees behind. It was rough, not because of technicality, but because of the elevation. I had to stop often to catch my breath, and I was breathing very heavily. But no signs of AMS, so I kept going.
Worried about bears I kept checking left and right, and behind me, a lot. I was alone in the dark for a good portion of it, and anytime I saw a headlamp light in the distance I felt better knowing there were others nearby.
Luckily I made it above the treeline just in time to catch the sunrise. This wasn't my first time seeing a sunrise in the mountains, but it's still magical every time. I enjoyed this peaceful moment for as long as I could, and snacked on some protein bars.
The ascent ahead of me was going to be rough, and going to take a while. I knew this peak had multiple false summits, but that didn't stop me from getting my hopes up everytime I thought I saw the top. As I went I had to stop every 30-60 seconds in order to let my heartrate go down, and to catch my breath.
Even when I could see the true summit I had to pause before reaching it. I made it to the top around 10:00 am. This was my first time truly being very high up, and the 360˚ views did not dissapoint. I was overjoyed with having conquered this obstacle, and it was a great feeling to know that I could do it!
Sadly I didn't feel any kinship with anyone at the top as they were in their own groups, so I hung out for about 30 minutes as I ate my lunch I had put together the night before. By 10:30 am it was time to start heading down in order to avoid afternoon thunderstorms that people in online forums had warned about.
I could see the trail laid out ahead of me and it made me feel so small. Going through the trees once more wasn't the best part because I was so tired and hungry, and the trees seemed to last forever. It didn't seem this bad on the way up in the dark... Plus with the rising temperatures it was starting to feel much more stuffy and claustrophic while powering down the trail through these trees.
It would take about 4 hours before I got back to the car at the trailhead. Exhausted, I got in and prepared for the 2.5 hour drive back to Denver. I made pasta for dinner and then collapsed into bed knowing I would have to get up early again tomorrow morning in order to attempt my next summit: Quandary Peak.
