Tackling Two 14ers

On the Summit of Torreys

Saturday I tackled not one but two 14ers.  A 14er is a 14,000 foot peak.  There are 54 of them in Colorado.  I did my second and third by hiking Grays and Torreys with four friends.  I'm still an extreme newbie to doing this and for two in our group it was first time to a 14er.  You start at an elevation of 11,280 feet in Stevens Gulch.  Round trip is just over 8 miles.  We took off in 44 degree weather.  The path was green and lush bursting with wildflowers.  As we climb of course it turns more rocky.  We decided to hike up Torreys (14,267) first then Grays (14,270).  Grays Peak is the highest peak on the Continental Divide.

According to 14er.com the trail is 8.25 miles when from Stevens Gulch to do both peaks.  

 

It's a pretty tough workout with the altitude.  We definitely savored the gorgeous day.  The views were spectacular, even with the clouds really rolling in when we were on top of Grays and heading down. 

My friend Chris, who does 14ers all the time, told me the only way to get faster and better at them is to do the climbs.  Everyone reacts differently to the altitude.  You definitely get a chance to push yourself farther than you think you can go.  For beginners plan on it taking 8-9 hours to do both.  There will be lots of breaks.  More intermediate hikers will do it on average in about 5-6 hours.  More advanced hikers and trail runners can do this route in 3-5 hours.  I was having stomach issues from the get go and was fully cramped out for descent.  I made it (barely after close to 9 hours on trail).  If you've seen the movies Bridemaids, there's a scene outside of the bridal shop that could have easily been me several times on the mountain.  I know TMI.

With the pushing yourself and then the views at the top, I can definitely see why so many are hooked on 14ers!

On the Summit of Grays with Torreys in the background.