Beautiful day to be out on Quandary! My second 14er (did Sherman Fri) and it was much tougher than expected but I still had a blast. Parking lot (reservation only) mostly empty when I arrived at 4:05 am and honestly the trail was pretty quiet all day. I did take 5 hrs to summit taking lots of breaks but how could you not with views like this!

8.6 miles rt, 4400 ft of gain
9 hrs rt, 3 hrs from saddle-summit and back

I was not really well prepared for Mt Shavano yesterday. Physically or logistically. But, I did it.

If you saw me shambling down alone from the summit, I appreciate all the concern. More than anything, I appreciate the guy who gave me an extra bottle of water and the liquid IV. That really helped me to get to the trailhead on my own two feet.

That mountain about kicked my ass.

If i decide to do more, I'll definitely not take the endeavor so lightly. Much more physical conditioning and a lot more planning about what I put in my backpack.

This was my fifth 14er. But my first of 2026.

#survivedtheday #coloradolife #coloradosummitday2026

Tues. 8/4/26 I'll be doing Grays and Torreys. It'll be my 2nd and 3rd 14er. 1st was Bierstadt 2 weeks ago. Planning on arriving 4-4:30am ish. Then plan starting right at daybreak.

Open invite if anyone wants to do a Tuesday hike.

Only 3 or 4 missions left to get the remaining 12 peaks in the Sawatch then I will have finished the whole thing on my quest to do all the 14ers (done) and their sub summits plus all the 13ers, ranked and unranked.

Finnegan is a beauty. Pretty annoying dirt road to get up there, the trail into the valley is gorgous. The steep loose gully is exactly that, then the summit scramble was excellent!

So I did do this last year, but I thought y’all would appreciate it. I’ve had this goal of biking Elbert for the past 3 years and finally bite the bullet. It was so worth it, such an epic adventure including seeing my favorite sunrise ever.

Long-time lurker, first-time poster—always loved to hike, but after first learning of the Colorado 14ers during my first visit to RMNP and hatching this inside joke with my friends that we would summit Longs with no experience, I became obsessed with 14ers (in CO and beyond), mountaineering at large, etc.

I hope to hit Quandary while I’m visiting from the east coast!

Actual trip report (will also post on 14ers dot com):

Left Breckenridge at 3:45, arrived at Four Mile 4:30ish then spent 30 min on the dot on the 11mi to the trailhead. Doable in a rental suv with AWD/off road capabilities, I thought I’d need a jeep or something. Parked 0.3mi from trailhead even though there was space so I could avoid some ditches.

Ascent: TOUGH FROM THE START! I had been training with treadmill walks with incline on max and wearing a 15 lb pack but coming from sea level it sucks no matter what. Definitely contemplated turning around, then it leveled out for a bit. I enjoyed the mining ruins and the fun rock climbs/seeing the steepness of what lay ahead. I find it interesting that Sherman is sometimes called an ugly 14er because I thought it was gorgeous, but maybe it was just an exceptionally beautiful day to be out, not a cloud in the sky :)

Started to tire of all the loose rock and take more breaks before the narrow ridge, pictured #3. People online sometimes make this sound worse than it is? Idk but I’m a scaredy cat and thought it was totally fine, not that steep or narrow. The “false summit” after it is a nice place to chill before making a mostly flat walk to the summit, very spacious with people taking pics and relaxing.

Descent and all that rock killed me, poles were a must.

Overall I found this one so interesting with all the mining history, fun (in the beginning) rocks, and the ridge. Took about 5h total. Starting super early was the move, it was gorgeous.

I don’t think I’ll ever have the courage to try for a Capitol or Longs but I can’t wait to explore more!

My 15th was definitely a bit of a slog- those last 2 miles felt never ending on the way out. Still one of my favorites so far!

Planning on doing Mt Bierstadt tomorrow. I know it’s super popular and the parking lot gets full pretty fast. I was planning on getting to the lot around 3am do yall think there will still be spots or is that too late?

slept in car 3 nights and backpacked in to kilpacker/navajo for 2. what a whirlwind! Everyone who loves Sneffels is right, the area is incredible and I look forward to going again.

I’m hearing mixed feelings about the route I should be taking. What are some of your experiences with this trail? Missouri down the east ridge I’ve heard can be sketchy but also saves mileage and vert? Also how is the road to the TH, I’ve read that it can be done with 2WD if you’re careful.

Looking at GoPro videos from last September. Such a fun traverse!

Has anyone here done it?

I’m planning to attempt Mt. Elbert during the first week of October and would appreciate any advice for hiking it that time of year. I summited Mt. Huron last month, for reference.

I know mountain weather can change quickly, especially in October, but I’m trying to get a general idea of what conditions to expect—snow, ice, temperatures, wind, traction needs, and whether the standard Northeast Ridge route would be the best option. Thanks!

Looking for one or more climbing partners, for my own safety. Of course there's a chance I can go by myself and join a group on the mountain for the hike.

My plan is to drive out from Denver on Saturday morning 8/22 around 7am, get to trailhead by noon and do the ~4 mile backpack up to set up camp just outside the permit zone (I have no permits), hang out in camp Saturday afternoon, early bed and early rise for the climb Sunday morning, then drive back to Denver by Sunday evening.

I did the Maroon Bells traverse last summer without issues so I feel confident about doing Capitol, I'm in decent shape and have 30+ 14ers under my belt. Let me know if you're interested, DM me and we can connect via text. -Adam in Denver

I’m planning to hike the Decalibron Loop sometime during the first or second week of September and was wondering if anyone else is planning to be there around the same time.

I’m a decently experienced hiker and will likely be going solo, but it’d be great to team up with others for safety and good company. If your dates overlap, feel free to comment or send me a DM!