Crushing Goals...My First 14er!

Yesterday I woke up at 3: 30 a.m. to get ready and mentally prepare for something I had been wanting to check off my bucket list for a while now.  Colorado has more "14ers" than any other state.  A 14er is a mountain peak that reaches over 14,000 feet in elevation.  There are a total of 58 peaks in Colorado that qualify as a "fourteener" or "14er."  And, I chose a Class 2 14er called Mt. Bierstadt to be my first 14er hike.  You must arrive early, especially on the weekend, to get a parking space and get on the trail before it gets really crowded.  This 14er is very popular and known for the gorgeous breathtaking views and sparkling melted glaciers on the other side.

Mt. Bierstaht is located in the Mount Evans Wilderness, near Georgetown, Colorado and Silver Plume, Colorado.  It's along the Guanella Pass Road.  This is rated as one of the more beautiful hikes I've have the pleasure of completing in Colorado.  To get to the trailhead, it's a bit of a challenging "white knuckled" drive through the mountains as the speed limit drops to 10 miler per hour.  As the sunrise comes over the mountains, the views are truly spectacular, and you'll be tempted to stop along the way for several pictures.  However, it's important to keep trekking on to ensure a good parking place as the parking is limited.  Parking along the roadside is not permitted.

Mt. Bierstadt offers a panoramic view of shadow dusted mountain ranges kissing the clouds.  In the spring time, the trail offers gorgeous wild flowers.  There are several small lakes and wooden planked boardwalks through the wetlands near Scott Gomer Creek .  The entire 14er hike is 7.5 miles and does not make a loop (rather you reach the peak and then come right back down the same trail...another reason it can get highly trafficked).  However, do not be deceived by a 7.5 mile hike where half of it is downhill.  Once you near the top and as your legs are starting to fatigue, there is a challenging series of switchbacks that gradually get steeper and these are immediately followed by a large bouldering mini mountain where hikers must use all four points of contact to reach the peak.  You can see, in the pictures below, the hikers summitting to the peak and how they look like little ants on an ant hill.  It's definitely an optical illusion.

On the way up, I met a couple from Florida out tackling their first 14er.  They had stopped en route to the trail to purchase some oxygen.  The air gets thin quickly on a 14er, and if your body is not acclimated to the change in elevation in Colorado already, you can risk altitude sickness (which is not very pleasant at all).  You can find yourself violently vomiting and extremely faint and light headed.  Trees cannot grow at 14,000 feet (considered "above tree line") and there is literally nothing protecting you from the high winds or storms that roll in.  Even a supply of oxygen cannot combat the strong winds hitting your face at that elevation.

We were aware that sudden afternoon rain storms could roll into the area, but we were not prepared for a snow storm (which wasn't forecasted).  It started snowing as I reached switchbacks, and by the time I reached the bouldering climb to the peak, the rocks felt like chunks of ice.  Gloves are definitely recommended to prevent numbs fingers and hands.  As I was triumphantly nearing the top, I stood up and a sharp gust of wind slammed into the mountain against a huge rock.  It was humbling experience to experience getting completely taken off your feet by Mother Nature.  I got up and continued to feel the wind beat against my back.  Another hiker asked me if I was okay and yelled up for me to not stand at the peak (thank you Captain Obvious, but he meant well).  

Earlier two young women decided to turn back before reaching the top, having felt the gusts of wind at the switchbacks.  They gifted me their cardboard sign and wished me luck.  Now prepared with a dated sign, I planned on taking a selfie when I reached the top of Mt. Bierstadt, but the wind was so torrential (unlike any wind I had ever felt beat against my whole being.  I harnessed all my energy and concentration into my balance on the boulders while trying to keep low.  When I reached the top, it took me putting both my knees in a crevice at the peak and holding the sign with one hand and my camera (that was all knotted up around my neck) in other hand.  Sometimes the peak doesn't work out as planned, but that's okay.  It's reaching the peak that counts.

I took some pics of my first Colorado 14er hike from beginning to the end.  There were so many people who were not prepared for the unexpected weather change.  A rain jacket/wind breaker should always be packed on a 14er.  In the shots, I've offered a progression of the changing elevation and the skies, as the snow clouds swept in.  On my way down from Mt. Bierstadt, little pieces of sleet needled at my face for about 15 minutes while my body slowly de-thawed.  And, then it intermittently snowed on the way back down.  At the end of the hike and as I neared the parking lot is was snowing at the base as well.  I saw people starting the hike in shorts and a t-shirt and wondered if they realized that it would get much colder at 14,000 feet. 

It feels great to have a 14er hiking challenge under my belt, and I hope to challenge myself to another 14er sooner than later!  Some things I did to prepare were: running to build my anaerobic lung capacity and endurance, squats and lunges to build leg strength and muscle endurance, some mini hikes the weekend before, and I got properly hydrated beforehand (and, still hydrating afterwards).  What goal would you like to crush this year?  What are you doing to get closer to that goal?  In whatever you do, I wish you the trail to success, whether it be a paved or a dirt road.  

Love, 
Kimmie