September 05, 2026
This was a fun and rewarding climb.
It was far more technical than Quandary, but felt less brutal. I’m not sure if that was from the shorter distance traveled or just because we showed up stronger this time.
We met a lot of mountain friends on the way up and also back down. Route finding was tricky following cairns in some places, but we generally stayed on route. At one point on the way down we began to deviate toward a different mountain instead of toward the starting point of our own! We quickly recognized this and made a course correction, saving several other hikers from making the same mistake both in front of us and behind us!
Overall a very satisfying climb. I look forward to repeating this one.
Max Elevation: 14,268 Feet
Class: 2
Summit: Yes
Buddy: Lizzie
Location: Mount Blue Sky, Front Range, CO
July 25, 2026
First 14er in 8 years, it felt good to get out there and go up again! This is the tallest summit I’ve climbed yet.
I felt good during the whole climb up. With an average heart rate of 139, my aerobic base training has been paying off. Since I haven’t been training for hills though, my legs fatigued quickly and were shaking before even making it to the summit! That made for a tough descent and quite sore legs!
We ascended 3,450 feet, from parking lot to summit, in 2h 50m. The descent took 2h and the total round trip was 6.75 miles.
As I ascended, I kept thinking that I need to strengthen my core and legs and do the Manitou Incline much more often!
I hope our next 14er is sooner than 8 years from now!
Max Elevation: 14,272 Feet
Class: 1
Summit: Yes
Buddy: Lizzie
Location: Quandary Peak, Breckenridge, CO
September 12, 2018
By far the most amazing mountain climb I’ve ever been on! There were so many unique features!
The Boulder Field leading up to the keyhole was the first ominous area.
The keyhole creates a wind vortex with 70MPH winds on the front side!
Many climbers gave up and were sitting down at this point, saying they were going down because they were afraid they’d get blown off the mountain.
The howling wind truly was incredible and fearful.
Once on the other side of the keyhole, it was completely calm. Surreal.
The Trough was a difficult and steep climb. There was a somewhat dream-like structure at the top of the trough, like I was emerging from “another place.”
The Narrows came next. A sidewalk-width path with a cliff drop to the right and a sheer wall face on the left. This needed careful and slow traversal before the last push to the summit.
I can’t wait to come back!
Max Elevation: 14,259 Feet
Class: 3
Summit: Yes
Buddy: Lizzie, Natalie, Monica
Location: Longs Peak, Estes Park, CO
July 04, 2018
Great 4th of July weekend to climb my first 14er! Hiked with some friends to make it more memorable.
Max Elevation: 14,065 Feet
Class: 2
Summit: Yes
Buddy: Lizzie, Natalie, Joe
Location: Mt. Bierstadt, Bailey, CO