Our 14ners!

So, a 14ner is any mountain that (surprise) measures over 14,000 feet above sea level. Washington, California, Canada, and Mexico have a few, but Colorado, with 54, has the most by far. All of Colorado's 14ners are somewhere between 14,003 (Huron Peak) and around 14,400 feet (Mt. Elbert). Many people consider it a great accomplishment to climb one of these 14,000 mountains. Here are the ones that Tate and I have climbed:

This is Mt. Quandry, near Breckenridge. This was our second time being on this mountian. I'm to the left looking up at the summit pyramid. Beleive it or not, this is Mother's Day. May in Colorado! Nothing like it. According to Tate, myself, and some friends of ours, Quandry is an evil mountain. Always awful weather. Unfortunately we got only 600 feet from the top and had to turn around due to weather--snow/sleet and 20-30 mph wind gusts. On this trip I got the worst sunburn of my life! My face peeled and peeled. I burned the inside of my nose for heaven's sake! Snow is a brutal reflector. I'm not sure if I'm going back....

This is Mt. Beirstadt, off Guenella Pass near Georgetown. Mt. Beirstadt is one of the easier climbs in the summer months, but of course we had to do it in winter conditions...this however is March. This was our first summit of a 14,000 foot peak. Unfortunately, Tate left his water at home and we were a little dehydrated by the time we got back, but we both survived. Climbing that first one is one of the most amazing feelings of accomplishment I've ever had.

The next 14ners we climbed were Gray's and Torrey's Peak. Unfortunately I lost my camera and have no pictures, but our friends and hiking partners, David and Christie, are going to send me thier pictures and then I will update this. It was great but long hike--between 9 and 10 miles. You get to hike through a lovely high alpine meadow and we were lucky enough to be there when the Indian paintbrush was in full bloom. We also got to see pika, marmot, and an overly friendly mountain goat. This was our first summer conditions hike and it was very different from the winter. Not only is the weather different, but there were hundreds of people hiking--in the winter we see an average of 3-4.

Here is the Sunrise Couloir and Summit Lake just below Mt. Evans. Coulior is French for avalanche chute. To the right I've highlighted our route up the couloir. This was our first snow route up a mountain using our crampons! We definetly needed our ice axes too!

The picture on the right shows us on top of Mt. Evans with the Sunrise Couloir in the background.

This is Huron Peak between Buena Vista and Leadville. We camped the night before on the side fo a 4 x4 road since it's a bit further away that the mountains we usually climb. Unlike Grays and Torreys, there were only a few hikers out. The wildflowers were in perfect bloom. Above is a picture wild columbine, the Colorado state flower.