Coming out next weekend and I think we are going to stay in Leadville (never been). We are planing on trying two 14ers, one Friday and one Saturday. Heading to kili in Dec. so we want to start getting some back to back days in and for Minnesotans that's hard. I was looking at doing the NE ridge on Elbert on Friday and then one of the South slopes routes on Massive on Saturday. My thinking is the route on Elbert is longer and higher but class one walk-up the whole way and then we would be saving the steep harder stuff on Massive for when we are a little more acclimated. Elbert would be just over 9 miles round trip and Massive I think would be around 7 so milage is not an issue. The problem will be altitude because I don't get in until Thursday night and my GF feet. We did Wheeler by the long route 2 weeks ago which could help just a little.

Any thoughts?

We will be staying in Leadville 3 nights starting Thursday. I think the only altitude issues I will have will be Friday on Elbert because we won't get to our hotel till late Thursday night.

Tonka, I think you'll be alright. Both trails are well worn and you'll have company, and I know you're in good shape, even for a Minnesotan! The trail up Massive is recently built and done very well I might add. It will get you up the mountain quickly and your effort will be utilized efficiently. I climbed the mountain for the 5th and final time last year with some SP folks to help Barry finish the 14ers. The trail will serve you well.

Let me know how it goes!

Tonka,

My friend and I had similar plans a couple weeks ago. We flew into Denver on a Wednesday afternoon and headed immediately to a higher elevation to try to acclimate so we could make the summit the next day. We're from WI so we had to face about the same elevation problem as you. To make this feasible just make sure to start drinking lots of water right when you get into Denver. If you want to not have to get up as early you might want to check out one of the campgrounds nearby (I think Elbert Creek is on the north side of Elbert). We stayed at Lake View which was on the south side. This way you don't have to get up as early as if you're all the way out in Leadville. If you are staying in hotels I hope you have a reservation. We found that Leadville has a serious shortage of rooms in August (we tried to stay there after the climb) and we found that any decent room was already booked. There were some roach motel rooms available and also a couple $200 suites. Nothing imbetween. On the same token, the campgrounds could be full but if you get there and they're full you could always car camp at the TH.

As far as the climb goes, I didn't have any major problems on the ascent although my hiking partner had a pretty bad headache on the way down. Enjoy the views-it's beautiful. Can't speak for Massive but we really enjoyed the hike up Elbert! We even got to enjoy (what I think is) the highest Pizza Hut in the United States. If you check it out make sure you're not in a hurry. When we were there they had only 1 waitress for the entire restaurant. I think we saw her about once every 30 minutes or so.

Thanks all. The plan was successfull and we completed both. Besides bolting right passed the Divide trail on Elbert (Losing an hour) we made both summits before noon. The North Halfmoon trail was a great route, we really liked it. Weather built both days but besides putting on the rain coat for the way down Elbert I was in a t-shirt most of the time. It's funny, well not funny, that the damn thunder/lightning can be so dependable. We're coming back again in two weeks and I'm thinking about staying in Georgetown and doing 4 in 2 days for the same amount of effort. We got winded off Grays this winter so we want to do that with Torreys and then hit Guanella pass. We were doing a little scouting before we came home and reserved a parking spot for are trip.

Hi Tonka-

Glad to see you were successful! I KNEW you would be!

USUALLY the weather calms down in Colorado in September, so your odds at success should be pretty good. It will be much cooler so plan accordingly. T-shirt weather might happen for you late in the day, otherwise you'll be chilled, which should be business as usual for you, given where you are from.

If conditions permit (dry), you'll have a blast on Kelso Ridge, which I highly recommend if your girlfriend is a good scrambler.

The Bierstadt-Evans combination is a really long day, You'll want good weather for certain before attempting it. I'm assuming you'll take the Sawtooth going up to Evans, which is a fun route. On the return, I recommend you drop down the gully route to the north of the Sawtooth. It's a better alternative for getting down the mountain quickly in the event a cold September early snow storm moves in. Folks commit an error in bashing through the willows though to get back to their vehicle on the pass. It may take a bit a longer, but it's worth your time and trouble to CONTOUR around the basin below the Sawtooth and Bierstadt after you have descended the gully, staying ABOVE the willows. You'll make good time and not get clobbered or soaked by the notorious willows, and you'll rendezvous with the Bierstadt trail as well. PM or email me if you want specifics.

Good luck! Let me know how it goes! (I'll be out of town for a week of climbing in the central Sawatch starting Friday, but I'll get back to you).