I hiked Mt Quandry last year and had so much fun I decided to do Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado and the 2nd highest in the continental USA. As far as hiking goes, I think all 14teeners are in the advanced category, but within the 54 14teeners themselves, Mt elbert is categorized as one of the easiest, as it doesn't require any climbing or technical skills. Going up the North Ridge trail, the roundtrip was approximately 10 miles. Going up is hard on the lungs and going down is hard on the legs, at least for this 54yo. It took me about 8 hrs to complete. Doing it on a Saturday in mid July, the trail was pretty crowded, but still lots of fun. This is a false summit. I took this pic at about 13,500ft. The actual summit is behind and to the right of this crest. About a mile and 1/2 to go from this point...and pretty steep and rocky. DSC_0558 by mhcti, on Flickr This is about at same elevation. The kid without a shirt finally wised up as it got cooler the higher up you got. It actually spit a little snow at the top. DSC_0562 by mhcti, on Flickr Mt. Massive. Another 14teener nearby DSC_0557 by mhcti, on Flickr At the top. Snow in the background. photo elbert 2 by mhcti, on Flickr DSC_0569 by mhcti, on Flickr View from the top DSC_0575 by mhcti, on Flickr
Yeah even the easy (non-technical) ones are certainly challenging! How many 14ers have you done? I think I have done 7
