Hi All,

I've been thinking of hiking up Pike's Peak "soon" but unable to commit to the plan because of some doubts (mostly regarding the wisdom of it for me). I hope to get some answers here in order to proceed, go elsewhere or something.

I am a hiker and not interested in, or knowledgeable about, technical climbing. I've been wanting to do a 14er for many years and have a fair idea of which ones are suitable. My reason for choosing PP, which has a much longer hike and net elevation gain than, say Elbert, is that I am also not interested in hiking down. I don't mind a long way up. If I do PP, I'll do it with an overnight halt at Barr Camp and take the cog rlwy down. So, no rush to reach the summit before the last train leaves and plenty of time to smell the pines en route.

From time-of-the-year perspective, is early Oct too late? It's my favorite time to do things. But I don't fancy hiking in snowy conditions (falling or on the ground). Would I need any traction device on my feet for this hike? Trekking poles are the only "gear" I own. I believe the afternoon thunderstorms would mostly be done by August end. Does that mostly leave Sep to do a 14er hike?

From views/enjoying the hike perspective, are some hikeable 14ers "better" than others? ("better" is subjective, yes).

From safety perspective, anything to worry about from humans, animals, terrain, ... on some 14ers more than others, or on all? If something were to go wrong, would someone find/come across me? I'm generally not the kind to leave trails for "shortcuts" or crawl on to the edge of a precipice for any special view/experience.

Me: Middle-aged female, planning to hike solo (blessed with only wimpy friends), well-informed about altitude sickness (hiked above 15K' elsewhere without AMS issues), can hike long distances and elevation gains.

I'd like to hear your opinions, wisdom, advice, experience, suggestions...

Thank you.

OCD

Find out if the road and the railway are still open in early October. If either is, pick a different mountain. Hiking or climbing up a peak that others can easily drive up results in a terribly anticlimactic finish, imo.

Colorado has many 14ers that are just hikes but which offer far better scenery and overall experience than Pikes does. I suggest chucking your aversion to hiking back down and picking a nicer mountain. I've been up about half the Colorado14ers, and Pikes has easily been the least enjoyable and satisfying of them.

Find out if the road and the railway are still open in early October.

Except for during storms, it is open year round now.

Bob is right. Choosing another mountain is better.

The view from on top of Pikes was great on a clear day but yeah, what Bob and Scott said. It really isn't a fantastic mountain. If hiking down is really something you are trying to avoid the only other option I can think of is Evans and bicycling down the summit road rather than hiking but other than that I am drawing a blank. If the snows come early in October the road might also be a poor choice for a bicycle, depending on how much falls. I have actually seen people do this in late September but they still had to slow in several spots to cross over drifts of snow.

Thank you for the replies.

I've noted that reaching the Peak of Pike is anticlimactic because of the hoi polloi who make it there without enduring any hardships and probably for other reasons of lesser enjoyment (what?).

Here's some more information to help you help me.

I hike for both pleasure and as a physical/mental challenge. I have cartilage damage in my knees from the distant past because of which I don't do certain things if I have a choice. Hiking down is neither a pleasure (I do use trekking poles) nor a challenge that I see worth taking on. It is just abusing my body. Besides, "anyone" can hike down.

Bicycling down (Mt Evans) is not an option as I don't have logistical support with me, where friends/family meet you at the other end (with gear, food, kudos, ...) when you're done doing your thing. This would be a truly solo trip.

Answers to specific questions -

> Why do you doubt the wisdom of YOU doing PP?

Mostly from personal safety and welfare p.o.v. I am not familiar with any of the 14ers (trails or terrain). When I've done other things solo in somewhat remote/crowd-free locations, I actually knew what I was doing, having done it earlier (partly or fully) with others or being familiar enough with the environment to feel that I wasn't doing anything reckless. I've read blogs and TRs of others (of doing a 14er) and haven't quite got a sense of the experience. I would not do many things many people seem to do. From experience, I know that activities done solo feel totally different from when done with companions. The sense of responsibility it much higher.


> Is the requirement to not walk down the mountain an absolute?

Not really. It's a very strong preference. PP is one (rare) place that actually makes it possible for a solo hiker (without logistical support) to just go up and be done with it, unlike any other destination I can think of. I've hiked down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon a few times but only so that I could hike UP. So, going down is possible if there is a reward at the end of it .


> Will you drive your own vehicle or rent one to get to the trail head? (Car Rental companies don't like you going 4-wheeling in their passenger cars.)


I will be driving a rental. I have no interest in driving to any remote trail heads on unpaved roads (I hope that that does not eliminate many worthy options).


> Does the vehicle have good ground clearance and is it 4 wheel drive?

Unless required, it will be a regular small car (I am small). I've driven in small cars in UT and CO on paved roads (e.g., over Rabbit Ear Pass, Wolf Creek Pass).


> Any particular part of the state you are interested in, or are you pretty much open to all of Colorado?

Theoretically open to any place "easily accessible" from a town (not camping). I will be flying in, so hopefully, the said town wouldn't be too far from the airport. DRO, DEN seem the only practical airports at this time within reasonable distance of several 14ers. There are no non-stops to COS for me, and it is close enough to DEN to make driving there faster than make a connection through DEN airport if I were to do PP. I am open to alternatives and ideas that I may not have considered.


> How many nights on the trail are you willing to do?

I'm not interested in solo pitching a tent anywhere. So that limits me to hikes that can be accomplished in a day. The cabin at Barr camp eliminates the need for hauling/pitching a tent, so I can consider an overnight hike there. But other than that, "how many nights" is not a limitation for me.

Thank you.

OrngChocD wrote:When I've done other things solo in somewhat remote/crowd-free locations

With a very few exceptions, the Colorado 14ers aren't remote and none of them are crowd free except for Culebra when they aren't allowing climbers.

Even in Fall, there will be a fair number of people on the popular 14ers unless there is bad weather.

PS, did you take that photo on your profile? If so, you must have done a fair amount of trekking.

It has been mentioned here that there are several nicer 14ers to hike than PP, from the scenery and general enjoyment p.o.v. May I have some names please, regardless of where they are in CO? I will research the specifics relevant to me for those 14er hikes and decide if any of them would be worth including in my plans for the immediate or distant future, given my limitations and preferences.

Scott, good to know that none of the 14ers are truly remote.
Yes, I took the photo in my profile. This may have no connection to my taking this photo, trekking experience or lack thereof but these days, you don't have to be a mountaineer to reach the top of Mt Everest. Just need some spare cash and the ability to take several months off from whatever else that you do (slight hyperbole). We did have a person in our group then who could've taken this photo, who wouldn't be able to climb 50 floors of a bldg. Just saying. I do understand the sentiment (that I read) behind BobS's feeling of anticlimax upon reaching the summit of PP. It is connected to what I'm saying.

SunnyBuns, thanks for the misc chuckles and (imaginary) visuals.
Here I am, a little old lady planning to plod up Pike's Peak with my walking stick(s), and there you are suggesting BASE jumping, helicoptering, sliding down on my butt and all manner of stuff I consider as "extreme sports". I will look into your various suggestions and videos.

Thank you.

I think I came to the wrong forum for my hiking query but since I did and since I did get some answers here, here's an update.

I tried hiking up Pike's Peak but couldn't make it. I made it to the Barr Camp in under 4 hrs. But then took the decision to turn back shortly before 12K' as I did not think I would make it to the summit before the last train left. It would've been unwise to risk reaching the top so late that there would neither be a train, nor perhaps people with cars to hitch a ride down with. It is illegal to walk on the Pike's Peak Hwy, which would be easier, less dangerous and definitely less damaging to my knees if one did have to hike down after dark (with a headlamp). There is no way that I would hike down that height or distance on Barr Trail, given that kind of terrain (I've learned my lessons in the past).

My original plan was to stay overnight at the Barr Camp and do the hike in 2 days but I decided against it as I would have to carry extra load of sleeping bag etc. I thought I could do the whole distance the same day since I only needed to go up one-way. But turns out, I couldn't. I had set the goal to make it to the A-Frame shelter (12K') by a certain time so I would have the necessary confidence and time cushion to continue up but I found the going to be *really* slow after Barr Camp, on what were supposedly a couple of miles of "gradual climb". I found myself having to stop every 100m or so to catch my breath while hiking slowly. The air was going to get thinner and the trail steeper above the tree line. I did the math. Progress was definitely not going to be linear even if I assumed that my current non-stellar pace didn't deteriorate further. I figured that the higher I went and the later I turned back, the more I would have to descend. So even though I could've hiked up a few more miles for sure, I decided to turn back with a lot of mental anguish. I do not run at all even on normal land. How much I suck at descending was evident in the fact that it took me an hour to hike back the ~1.5 miles back to Barr Camp from my turnaround point somewhere above the Bottomless Pit sign. Breathlessness was not an issue now. So I was glad for not having put myself through any more descent than what I did just to prove that I could make it to maybe 13K' that day.

From the Barr Camp, one can do a flattish hike of 1.5 miles to the Mountain View station (~10K') of the Cog railway. I already had the one-way ticket to go down from the summit. The first train down did not have any vacant seats. I asked the conductor of the next train up if I could go up instead of waiting at the station. There was room and she let me in. So I did make it to the summit that day.

I trained really hard for this (at sea level). I also thought I planned my acclimatization quite well and was optimistic about the hike, given how I felt physically while (doing shorter hikes) at altitude. I have a few theories about my "failure" and a belief that I wasn't performing to my current ability. Having seen the trail from the top and hiked on it, I still think that I can do the full hike up in one day before the last train leaves but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, not marketing or faith, so best to shut up.

I came upon this thread by accident and although I rarely post I found your trip report quite thoughtful so I will offer you a few words of encouragement. First, you need to get rid of your aversion to hiking down. If you are already using trekking poles my advise would be to try and build up your upper body strength so that you can more efficiently and effectively use the trekking poles to absorb the downhill impact. As any climber/peak bagger will tell you- getting from the summit back to your car can be every bit as challenging as getting to the summit. So it might be helpful if you thought of the downhill as part of the overall challenge instead of dismissing it. Second, I would pick an easier hike to start with and then work up from there. Perhaps something like Bierstadt (west slope route). Easy to get to from Denver and a relatively easy day hike. Finally, don't worry too much about reaching the summit. Good luck.

Thank you for your encouragement, yolatengo. No sé si lo tengo.

I am intrigued by your upper body strength comment and need to look into what you're talking about. I'm self-taught in all this and the usage of trekking poles and didn't think there was anything to it that could use technique or improvement. I've never come across any information in that regard and would definitely appreciate pointers if you have any.

Yes, descents are challenging and shouldn't be dismissed. But a challenge to me is worth pursuing if it provides joy. I get no high upon descending as I do upon going up. So it's not worth the pain, just a PITA. I've wondered about my sanity while on a tough ascent or two but would do them again in a heartbeat, if the opportunity arose. Haven't felt that way about any down hike. I've never had a silly grin on my face or a desire to hug a random stranger after coming down as I have upon reaching the top. Perhaps it's different for technical climbing. Just to be clear, I don't have a mere aversion to descending. I can try to get over aversions if there is no conflict with my "personal philosophy". Under medical advice, I had to give up activities involving high impact on knees in my pre-teens due to cartilage damage. I've taken good care of my knees and built decent strength in my leg muscles in the 40+ yrs since then to get around the knee limitations. I won't do anything now to jeopardise that when pain and injuries come easier and healing slower.

I don't bag peaks or conquer mountains, philosophically and linguistically. I'm the "hike/climb your own hike/climb" type. Not judging anybody else's goals and methods, but I hope my hike/climb does not involve medical assistance, now or later. No pills, pain-killers or replacement of organs due to lifestyle choices and methodologies. If I need any of these, I am doing something wrong. Obviously, I've never aimed to be an elite athlete (ha!). Avoiding descents has some connection to all that.

I will post something about doing easier hikes later.

SunnyBuns, thanks.

I am not sure the length of the day was the primary issue. More hours would always help, of course. I started at 5:30am and had 11 hrs to reach the top to catch the train, which "should have" been enough by my calculations based on my current levels of cardio-vascular and leg conditioning for doing activities that involve climbing up-down over decent distances/elevations (though around sea level). But I don't know how to reliably modify the estimates for high altitudes. Summers would have longer days but may have the danger of afternoon thunderstorms that would introduce a different kind of deadline.

In all my previous "non-trivial" endeavours, I was either sleeping at that day's destination or had my car waiting for me. I never had a deadline with dire consequences if I didn't make it within a certain timeframe. All I had to do was make it in "good time", in good condition. So far I've met/exceeded my expectations on all ascents and miserably failed on one descent. But on PP, I felt as if the air had suddenly been let out of my tires and I was definitely performing below par after Barr Camp. The deterioration in my pace in the miles before Barr Camp (8K'-10K') and after (10K'-12K') seemed irrational and disproportionate as I've hiked at high altitudes before. I could see no good outcome if I didn't make it to the top by the deadline, continuing at that pace which was definitely going to slow further as I went higher.

Yes, the mountain(s) will be there next year.

BTW, I watched that Black Bear Pass video and wondered why someone would do that drive by choice. Is that the only way down? The driver of the vehicle did not seem to be enjoying her drive if it's a thrill-seeking activity.

Telluride looks nice except for the part around 6:50 which seemed too straight down for my comfort.