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hi,

I have been hiking for about 6 months now and I have done 5 miles, 10 miles and 20 miles Round trip hikes with the max elevation of 4000 feet (not elevation change but reached the summit at 4000 feet). I recently saw this article in wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_fourteeners and I am interested in climbing not all but most of them. So far my plan is to climb the mountains in the following order
Mt.Langley - Heard this is the easiest and most pretty
Mt.Whitney - Highest elevation
Mt.Shasta - Toughest out of the 3 because of snow

I am definitely going to do Mt.Langley first but wondering if I should attempt any other mountain (to gain endurance, confidence and strength) before climbing Mt.Whitney and Mt.Shasta. I am not particularly interested in Scenic view or anything just plain interest to conquer.

Any suggestions ?

Thanks

I'd suggest starting to hike at higher elevations. Hiking at much higher elevations (like Langley and Whitney) is a much different that when you are hiking at 4000 ft. Plus there is always the chance of altitude sickness if you aren't acclimated to it...

Hi Astro,

My thoughts are exactly the same as yours, ie, to hike higher elevations. Unfortunately, I am unable to find altitudes between 4000 feet (the one that I have done) and 14K around 6 to 7 hrs drive from Sunnyvale and hence starting to do Mt.Langley. My question is based on the assumption that I wont have altitude sickness while hiking Mt.Langley. if I don't, what other fourteeners are worth hiking apart from Whitney and Shasta ?

I think White Mountain Peak is the easiest 14er.

You might not get altitude sickness. I never did and Langley was my first time doing a 14er. My boyfriend, who's climbed in the Sierras before, got altitude sickness on our first attempt and was fine on our second (when we actually reached the summit). I'd say just give it a try and see how you feel. Just make sure to drink water!

Give a 13er a little love. Mt Dana from Tioga pass would be a most excellent and wise start for your mountain ambitions.

I recommend giving Mt Dana a try. It is just over 13k and over 3000'
elevation gain in 3 miles. Also only about 4.5 hours or so from the Bay Area.
Boundary Peak, the high point of Nevada might also be a good warm up. It is
over 13100', a day hike and within 5.5 hrs or so from the Bay.
I have summited all of the Sierra 14ers. and loved almost every minute!
Good luck

Dave

Start with White Mountain Peak
Its the easiest 14er, you can drive up to 12k, and its all road hiking.

Also, If you are driving from Sunnyvale- some of the Yosemite 13'ers (Dana, Conness, etc) might be easier to get to.

(And in your planning you might want to start paying attention to the technical difficulty of these peaks rather than just the elevation. Whitney is a trail walkup. Shasta isn't- and some of the 14'ers are "climbs" rather than "hikes")

Start with the Tahoe area peaks like Pyramid ,Freel , Round Top ,Mt.Rose ,etc. that are closer to your home to get used to altitude and scree before heading over to Hwy.395 .

You can then move south to the Sonora Pass area and get a little higher elevation than the Tahoe area peaks, Sonora, Stanislaus, and Leavitt, then to the Tioga area peaks already mentioned. Work your way up. That is basically what I did. All of these are closer to Sunnyvale than any of the 14ers.

I see excellent suggestions above, especially on the peaks that are a 4-5 hour drive from home and a chance to experiment with high, but more moderate elevations. I'll add the suggestion of Madera Peak. Although only about 10,500 elevation and 10 or so miles round trip, it has a small taste of/ample opportunity for the route finding, scrambling, and snow climbing that some of your goals invovlve. It is relatively safe without high need for special equipment and is surrounded by spectacular scenery.

This high snow year, you might want to see if anyone can chime in about snow conditions at any of the peaks mentioned before heading up anytime soon...I can imagine waterproof boots, gaiters and possibly snow shoes being very desirable. Additionally some hikes might not be safe without practice with an ice axe, crampons, and helmet (Shasta and even some others if going soon).