Reaching the summits of the Colorado Rocky Mountains and breathing in the cold alpine air at 14,000 feet is an awe-inspiring experience offering unparalleled views and moments of profound triumph, a feeling of being on top of the world. I have completed 9/58 summits, with the highest peak reaching 14,421 feet.
I first learned about 14'ers, the mountain peaks that rise above 14,000 feet, from someone I met while hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc in 2018. They mentioned that if I enjoyed hiking the high trails of the TMB, I would love Colorado, a place I had never considered visiting. It took nearly a year before I finally worked up the courage to take a solo trip to the United States and attempt to summit one of these towering peaks...read more.
The morning after completing my first 14'er, I found myself waking up before dawn once again to tackle another peak. This one was known to be less strenuous than Mt. Elbert, but having conquered the tallest and most challenging of the "easier" 14'ers gave me confidence. I was still curious to see how my body would handle this fresh ascent...read more.
For my second year hiking Colorado's 14'ers, I decided to camp near the trailheads. This way, I could wake up at 4:00 am instead of 1:00 am and drive three hours. Just ten minutes to the start felt like a luxury after last year's early mornings...read more.
For the second hike of my Colorado trip, I chose an easier summit, Mt. Bierstadt, and planned a later start at 6:00 am since I had to drive about an hour from my campground. This class 1 route involved some scrambling over boulders near the summit, but nothing too challenging. One of the most striking features of this 14'er was the massive paved parking lot, which was already overflowing by the time I arrived...read more.
For my final 14'er of this Colorado trip, I chose Grays Peak, a popular summit that begins above the treeline. This meant skipping the two-hour forest slog I had endured on previous hikes, which was a welcome change. I also hoped this peak would provide an opportunity to meet fellow hikers and campers along the way...read more.
This year, my partner joined me for my new September tradition of hiking Colorado 14'ers, turning it into a bigger adventure since she had family in the state. After spending a week visiting them, we headed into the mountains to tackle our first peak together: Mt. Shavano. It was a Class 2 trail with significant elevation gain of around 4,500 feet, making it challenging but manageable...read more.
After our challenging experience on Mt. Shavano, we made sure to carry as much water as possible for our attempt at the DeCaLiBro-n combination route two days later. This route connects four 14,000-foot peaks: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross via ridges, making it theoretically doable in a single day. We skipped Bross since it's on private land, sticking with the first three summits instead...read more.
Returning to Colorado for my fourth year in a row, I decided to start the trip with Mt. Belford, a peak with 4,500 feet of elevation gain over just four miles. The steepness promised a tough day, and it quickly became clear this would be one of the most physically demanding peaks I'd tackled solo, even compared to my first summit on Mt. Elbert...read more.
Mount Massive, the second-highest summit in Colorado, is just a few feet shy of Mount Elbert and ranks as the third-highest peak in the contiguous United States. Located in the San Isabel National Forest near Leadville, it offers a mix of grassy slopes, rocky ridges, and sweeping views of the surrounding Rockies. I had been anticipating this hike for a while, knowing the trail would challenge both endurance and focus...read more.
