I made it to the top!

[Cat]

http://www.birdandhi..._Turtlehead.htm

Ok, it's not Mount McKinley, but it was certainly at the far end of my fitness spectrum. A short hike (2+ miles), but the last half mile was a killer. Any steeper and we would have needed ropes once or twice Coming down was in some ways even worse than going up. Some parts of it were a semi-controlled slide. I was really glad I finally got around to buying a walking pole. Two hours up and a little over an hour to get down.

We had great weather, so I was an idiot and just wore a tank top and shorts. My legs were all scratched up, but at least I got a late season suntan out of it.

Now on to figuring out what the next challenge is going to be!

Cat

[PaulG.]

...Now on to figuring out what the next challenge is going to be ...

Mount Elbert. When I lived in CO years ago a friend/coworker climbed Mt Elbert with her brother and got trapped in a thunderstorm near the summit. They were both nearly killed. They literally ran for their lives down the mountain trying to get away from the energized air around them. She said their hair was standing on end. Challenging enough for ya'?

[Mark Smith]

...Or any of the Colorado fourteeners. The last one I (almost) climbed is Sunshine Peak - got almost to the top but the last couple of hundred feet was just too technical for me, since I am a hiker and not a rock climber. This took a couple of days since the hike to the base of the mountain is about ten miles from however you come in. If you just want to climb steep hills (and see gorgeous views) Yosemite Falls will do the trick. The trail is essentially a 3,000 foot tall stairway!

Mark

[crelf]

I hiked the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guniea in honour of my grandfather who fought there in WW2. Damn near killed me - I can't imagine what it would have been like being shot at

For those scoring at home: I did it in 5 days - I was a little fitter back then and had done a few months of training

[Cat]

Mount Elbert. When I lived in CO years ago a friend/coworker climbed Mt Elbert with her brother and got trapped in a thunderstorm near the summit. They were both nearly killed. They literally ran for their lives down the mountain trying to get away from the energized air around them. She said their hair was standing on end. Challenging enough for ya'?

Everything I've read about that peak says that violent thunderstorms are a daily occurence in the summer.

Mount Elbert is definitely an option. My SO is a Highpointer and he hasn't climbed that one, yet. 4000 feet up over 4.5 miles would definitely be a challenge for me. And I'd be sure to get off the mountain by early afternoon in order to avoid any hair-raising experiences.

[PaulG.]

Everything I've read about that peak says that violent thunderstorms are a daily occurence in the summer.

Mount Elbert is definitely an option. My SO is a Highpointer and he hasn't climbed that one, yet. 4000 feet up over 4.5 miles would definitely be a challenge for me. And I'd be sure to get off the mountain by early afternoon in order to avoid any hair-raising experiences.

Most mountain climbers in CO know the drill - leave early enough so you can start heading back before noon. But once in a while a storm pops up before noon.

Edited November 13, 2009 by PaulG.

[Cat]

If you just want to climb steep hills (and see gorgeous views) Yosemite Falls will do the trick. The trail is essentially a 3,000 foot tall stairway!

I love Yosemite!

I wracked one of my knees up coming down off of Half Dome with a 35lb pack (this was back in the days when you could still camp up on top) and then had to climb down all those "stairs" of Yosemite Falls. Luckily it was the last day of a 5 day backpacking trip, so I only had to be miserable for a few hours.

[crelf]

Most mountain climbers in CO know the drill - leave early enough so you can start heading back before noon.

That is so true - I was hiking in the Rocky Mountains National Park a few months ago: it was a beautiful clear day, left at 6am, got back at 2pm, the clouds came out of nowhere at about 2:30pm

[Black Pearl]

Seems like you were almost running up that hill. When hiking in the mountains, you should not go for the distance but for the elevation.

With the data from the link you did 600m. Normal speed is 200m per hour. In my best time I did 200 m in about 45 min.

Also hope you have good boots, as most accidents in the alps happen due to normal streetware.

One day I was hiking in the swiss alps doing Arosa -> Davos and back on the same day (this is 1.200m up, 800m down and back, total distance about 50 km). It was already late afternoon so I had no time left to take another route, when I faced a very dangerous section. Everything was sliding down 200m and the trail was maybe 20 cm wide. I went crazy and could not walk that path. I ended up crawling on all 4 with closed eyes. Since then I suffer heavily from acrophobia.

The best I ever did was the Tiger Leaping Gorge in China.

Felix

[jzoller]

That is so true - I was hiking in the Rocky Mountains National Park a few months ago: it was a beautiful clear day, left at 6am, got back at 2pm, the clouds came out of nowhere at about 2:30pm

Yep, 2pm is the witching hour in the summer.

Joe Z.

[Yair]

I wracked one of my knees up coming down off of Half Dome.

As someone who grew up playing games by Sierra, I would say that's a price worth paying. Wouldn't you?