Fourteen Thousand: November 2008

November 1, 2008
Quandary Peak

I won't lie to you; the air around 14,000 feet in November is cold. Still, how could I resist one more high-altitude hike when the weather is so fine? It could and should be snowing up a storm by now, the depth of it at that altitude measuring feet, not inches. But when we're in the midst of an indian summer as beautiful as this one, it's impossible for me to stay on the lowlands.

Quandary Peak, just a few miles from Breckenridge, is the only fourteener in the Tenmile range, and is a relatively easy climb. It's steep and full of talus in places and the wind up there can knock you on your can if you're not careful, but, all in all, it's one of the easiest ones I've climbed. The views, however, are just as amazing as those from the most difficult ones I've climbed.

Due to the time of year, there were very few people on the mountain. This is a rare treat, especially for a peak so near to Denver. The views were magnificent, and I mean that. They really took my breath away; the higher I climbed, the more surrounding peaks I could see, and the smaller I felt.

I summited in a roaring, bitter wind. I hunkered down behind a rock wall for some lunch and then started back down, wrapping my parka around my face and clapping and blowing into my numb hands for warmth. While still high on the ridge, I met up with some other hikers who stopped me and pointed ahead. "There are mountain goats down there," they said. I spotted them. Noticing my camera, they graciously allowed me to head down first.

Since there were so few people, I never met anyone climbing up or climbing down behind me, so I had them all to myself. They let me get close...really close (although they spooked easily and I had to be very quiet and careful).

It was a sublime experience watching those shaggy faces staring back at me. Occasionally they approached me slightly, cautiously, curiously, the loose talus chattering under their hooves. Then they turned into the wind, standing against the backdrop of snowy peaks, their thick fur quivering in the cold wind.

View to the southwest from the flanks of Quandary.

Climbing toward the summit, visible in the center of the photograph. A long way to go!

Another view of the Continental Divide from Quandary's ridge.

The summit, still a way off. It is getting colder and windier now...

Getting closer; it seems deceptively close, but I've got about a mile to go. The wind gusts get strong enough to make walking difficult. I'm teetering around at this point.