Healthy enough to Hike a 14er?

At the beginning of the year my husband and I decided that we were going to get into shape to hike a 14er (a 14,000 ft. mountain) in Colorado.  My husband lost 30 lbs with Medifast and decided that we should train for the hike.

We joined a gym and asked the trainers for the right exercises to reach our goal. With the goal in mind, we diligently went to the gym three times a week to strengthen the right muscles. Since the air at the top of a 14er is so thin, we also needed to strengthen our hearts with aerobic exercise. That turned out to be very important!

So last week we were in Breckenridge, Colorado and decided to hike Quandary Mountain (elevation 14,265 ft.). We knew we wanted to start early because every afternoon a thunderstorm rolled in and I didn't want to be caught at the top when that happened. The alarm went off at 5:00 am and we got up in the dark and drove to the trailhead arriving about 6:30.

The trailhead was at about 10,500 feet so we were going to gain about 3,500 feet on the hike that was 3 miles to the top. That didn't sound like a long hike to me.  I've done much longer hikes in the past. We think it should take us 3 hours to the summit and 2 hours back to the trailhead.

We hiked in the woods for the first part of the hike. The early morning scent of the Colorado Spruce trees was so refreshing and exhilarating! This is going to be a fun hike!  Then the trees thinned out and we got above tree line. Whoa, now it looks like we are getting high. The views are spectacular! Along the top of the ridge there were mountain goats.  Two mothers, each with a baby. Are they crazy?  I can't imagine living up there!

After 3 hours we still can't see the top. We are hiking along a ridge that is just a huge pile of rocks! There is no rest for the legs muscles. We are hiking a steady uphill and scrambling over rocks. Sometimes it is hard to tell if we are on the trail or not. Now the altitude is starting to get to us and my thighs are burning, so we stop for a rest, water and a power bar.

This hike was only suppose to take 3 hours to get to the top!  Now we are at 4 hours and still not there. We have to rest every few feet. I'm light headed, my heart is pounding and I'm very tired. Are we going to make it? I really don't know.  We talk about turning back.  How could we go back home and face our friends if we wimped out? The only reason we press on is that we told all of our friends that we were going to conquer the mountain. Why did we tell so many people we were going to hike a 14er?

So, walk a few steps and rest and then walk a few steps and rest again. We have been hiking for 4 and half hours. We must be getting close. No wait it that it? Yes, I can see the top. I almost burst into tears. We made it! I feel relief, exhilaration, and excitement! It took us 4.75 hours, a lot longer than we anticipaed! We take lots of pictures and enjoy the view.  It looks like we are on top of the world!

The afternoon thunderstorms came in early that day and we were at the summit later than we wanted to be. We could see rain and hear thunder on a mountain just across the valley from us. So after only about 10 minutes at the summit we decide not to get caught in a thunderstorm and start our descent.  It was disappointing not to be able to spend longer at the top and enjoy our accomplishment.

So we start our downhill rock scramble, far above tree line. The thunderstorm is fast approaching so we pick up the pace, hoping to get low enough to be out of danger. At one point I looked back at the storm and just at that moment a huge lightening bolt in the shape of an upside down Y strikes what looks like the top of Mt. Quandary.  Boy, am I glad we are not at the top.

There are so many nice people along the trail. We met up with two women and the four of us hiked down together. It takes us 3 hours to get back to the trail head and back to the car. We did it! Can't believe we did it!  Now we can face our friends and we have the pictures to prove it.  (facebook) Will we attempt another 14er?  I really don't know.  I think I'll enjoy this accomplishment for now.