Climbing Pikes Peak

[HoneyBadger]

Do you do much hiking? Random once in a while thing?

I'm just asking cause this sounds like the first time I went hiking.. ever.. only it doesn't sound like bleeding profusely was involved.

I do the incline about twice a month, and other mountain hikes (usually involves climbing around 2,000 - 3,000 ft of vertical over about 5 miles) about once a month. I have climbed Mt Harvard a decent list of "13ers", but this was my wife's first attempt at a 14er, and she was so enthusiastic about climbing Pike's Peak (because we look at it every day), that I just went right along. We're planning to do an easier 14er together next month, just to give her a confidence boost, and I'm going to do a little more research next time I embark on a 20+ mile hike!

[Monky]

I do the incline about twice a month, and other mountain hikes (usually involves climbing around 2,000 - 3,000 ft of vertical over about 5 miles) about once a month. I have climbed Mt Harvard a decent list of "13ers", but this was my wife's first attempt at a 14er, and she was so enthusiastic about climbing Pike's Peak (because we look at it every day), that I just went right along. We're planning to do an easier 14er together next month, just to give her a confidence boost, and I'm going to do a little more research next time I embark on a 20+ mile hike!

Make her lug some water..

Honestly, I think it took me the better part of a year to get everything I needed to take with me down.. spare this and that.. headlamps for when it takes longer than expected.. and I think by that time my boots were broken in..

[mtik00]

My wife did the back side today. We've done both the front and back quite a few times. However, we've never hiked down the front side. If you ask me, it's just too damn far! We always hitch a ride back to Manitou with a tourist when we hike the front side.

I much prefer the back side. The round trip is only a bit over 10 miles, and I think it's a lot prettier.

Kudos to you! It takes a lot to turn around before the summit. Too many people don't do that. We did Mt. Princeton a couple of weeks ago. We were headed back down when the clouds rolled in. We passed quite a few people who were still heading up. We were just below the highest saddle (still pretty far from treeline) when the thunder started. Scared the crap out of me! I hope that the people we passed that were still heading up decided to turn around before then.

[O2HeN2]

My wife did the back side today.

Did you start from the Crags?

O2

[mtik00]

Did you start from the Crags?

O2

She did, yes.