“There are no easy Fourteeners” proclaimed the sign confronting us at the trailhead of Quandary Peak. We paused for a minute to read the sign lit up by our headlamps
(photos shared by Grant Williams)
It was June; but in the early morning hours at ten thousand feet elevation, it was cold and dark. In the Rocky Mountains thunderstorms are common in the afternoons. We wanted to get to the summit and back down below the relative safety of the tree line before noon.
My son and I were on a quest to summit our second “Fourteener”. I had chosen Quandary Peak because it is one the “easiest” summits above 14,000 feet to climb. We had conquered the tallest mountain in Colorado; Mount Elbert, in 2023. Excluding Alaska, the highest peak in the United States stands at 14,505 feet (Mount Whitney), Mount Elbert’s summit at 14,440 feet is the second tallest. Quandary Peak, at only 14,271 feet, should be a piece of cake – right?
The sign at the trail entrance reminded us that this hike would not be a walk in the park. I had been training for this hike for several months – but living in Nebraska at an elevation of 1,637 feet it is hard to prepare for the challenges of climbing above 14,000 feet.
Reaching the trailhead required a climb from the parking lot. The air was crisp and thin. Just 15 minutes into the hike and my lungs were already struggling; a stark wake-up call at an hour I am seldom awake.
The first hundred feet or so of the trail seemed unusually rugged for being the entrance to one of the most popular trails in Colorado. I have suspected that this may be by design – the idea to warn the unprepared hiker that this trail will be a tough hike and if you are not ready for this first part – you should turn around.
Every year far too many unprepared hikers get injured, rescued, or even die on trails across the country. Just days before summiting Quandary Peak my son and I witnessed the rescue of a hiker on Mount Herman.
Many hikers that get into trouble are unprepared or fail to use good judgement. We have done a lot of hiking over the last few years and have had the fortune to learn many lessons (and not just suffering from the consequences).
On one of our first major treks hiking down into the Grand Canyon and back up I made several mistakes. I could write a whole book about that experience. In future articles I will talk more about that experience and what I (we) learned.
Before tackling a mountain over 14,000 feet, we climbed up a “Thirteener” (Mount Audubon, at 13,217 feet in 2022). As we neared the summit, the trail vanished into a steep slope of boulders and loose rocks. We found ourselves scrambling on all fours against a fierce cold wind. The weather started to look worrisome with dark clouds moving closer, prompting us to turn back just about a half mile from the summit. I reminded my son that being caught at the top in a thunderstorm would be dangerous, and getting injured in a race against the weather down the mountain would be even worse.
I had researched the hike up Mount Audubon but underestimated how difficult it would be for me to get through the section of the trail that was described in one source as “barely a class 2”. If I attempt to climb Mount Audubon again in the future, I will give myself more time to complete the hike and learn more about how to scramble over rocky terrain.
In preparation for our hike up Quandary Peak, I looked into what trail conditions to expect. Early June can be a great time to summit a mountain in Colorado – the likelihood of thunderstorms is lower than later in the summer. However, the trail could be still covered with snow in places.
One of my smarter investments in equipment was to purchase “microspikes”. I bought them before winter so we could try them out in the snow and ice before hitting the mountain.
(above photos just examples – not the brand we purchased)
We did need to traverse fields of snow that covered several stretches of trail.
The ascent up the final ridge was snow packed and narrow – would have been at least scary if not a bit dangerous if we did not have our microspikes on.
(Photos taken by my son Zachary June 5, 2025)
What I did not do; is to remember to consume enough fuel as we were hiking. On our previous mountain climb and on our trek through The Grand Canyon, I used a mix of sugar and salt in what we drank during the hike. I had forgotten to bring along some sugar to put in the fluids we would be consuming on our hike.
We spent a few days in Colorado Springs while I attended a medical conference, then traveled to Breckenridge to be closer to our climbing destinations. I realized my omission when in Colorado Springs but hoped to find sugar at the rental property in Breckenridge. I hesitated to buy sugar since I rarely use it and had a nearly full bag at home. We initially planned to hike on our second full day in Breckenridge, giving us an extra day to acclimate, but after checking the weather forecast, we decided to move our hike up a day.
On checking into our rental, I had seen a bag in the corner of a kitchen cabinet that I thought was sugar. By the time I discovered it was flour – it was getting late, so I didn’t venture out to find sugar.
I did great the first couple hours of the hike. We were making really good time hiking up the mountain – I was happy with how well my breathing was doing – I had biased much of my training volume on activity that I thought would help me breath at an elevation more than 10,000 feet above my hometown – I was feeling really good about how I had prepared – almost a bit smug about how I was doing.
And then like a wave a different kind of fatigue started to wash over me. Marathon runners describe it as “hitting a wall”, the point in the race where they have depleted the stored up energy (glycogen) in their muscles. For me it was more like a wave than a wall. At first, I thought I could just pause for a few seconds and then go on but it did not help, the fatigue kept getting worse. Then I realized what was happening. I sat down and consumed much of the snacks we had brought along. After giving the snacks time to digest we started back up again at a slower rate.
Fortunately, the weather was great that day and we had plenty of time to summit the mountain. My failure to go out and get some sugar the night before could have slowed us down enough on a different day to prevent us from safely summiting the mountain – we lucked out.
A few days later we climbed Mount Sniktau (13,240 ft).
I left behind an almost full 1-pound bag of sugar in the rental.
Over the last several years, hiking has become an activity that has grown on me. I have had some fantastic experiences and some … learning experiences. In upcoming articles, I will discuss things like what a “class 2” means in regard to mountain trails, how to hike over rough terrain, how to contend with weather extremes, how to prepare your body physically, and many other topics. I will review some resources that are available to prepare yourself for hiking up a mountain in addition to sharing with you some of my struggles and mistakes.
Until then stay active and be safe.
Russ
For an introduction to this series see: Living an Active Life : Getting Out and Experiencing the Wonders Around Us
Something 2 Put A Smile On Your Face:
Check out this video: kids of the “Louisville Leopard Percussionists” group play a rendition of Crazy Train for Ozzy Osbourne. You don’t need to be a fan of Ozzy to appreciate how music can transcend time and bring together generations. At the end of the video one of the students asks Ozzy “When did you start playing music”? Ozzy tells of how when he first heard The Beatles “it changed my whole life”. He says he remembers the moment he heard on his “transistor radio” the song; She Loves You, “and I said what is this”. Ozzy Osbourne would have been 15 years old when “She Loves You” was first on the radio. In the video the student who asked the question, is asked if she has heard The Beatles; she replies and beams a smile that says it all:
Here
In this video kids tell the history of the Louisville Leopard Percussionists.
As the story goes it all started when a teacher was cleaning out a closet and found a bunch of instruments. That was in 1993 and much has happened since including financial help that included money for equipment from Carlos Santana who personally met with the band leader. After Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Paige saw their rendition of Kashmir he shared it on his Facebook page boosting their view from about 6 thousand views to over 5 million views. Check out this video their performance of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir that flows right into the rhythmically interesting song “The Ocean” followed by Led Zeppelin song popularized in the movie Thor Ragnarok “The Immigrant Song”.
See also their renditions of “Black Magic Woman” (Fleetwood Mac, Santana), Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen), and Money (Pink Floyd).
Check out A Few of My Favorite Hikes