Strava link: https://www.strava.com/activities/10932918389
The first two months of 2024 started off rough for me personally, so a March trip gave me something to look forward to. Despite the temptation to pick a warmer destination or at least a place I’ve never been before, I chose to go to Colorado so I could visit friends and attempt my first winter 14er if weather cooperated. In the weeks leading up to the trip, I reached out to friends to build a pretty epic itinerary for a short trip that was essentially just a long weekend. I’m categorizing this as a summit blog, but I’m sharing some of those other adventures here to capture the highlights of this short trip in one post.
I flew out of Detroit on a Thursday afternoon and, thanks to the two-hour time zone change, landed in Denver in the early afternoon. I’d made plans with my friends Kelly and Christine for a short evening run at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, but they weren’t available until after work so I had plenty of time before I met up with them. So, I attempted to go for the “local legend” on the somewhat viral “Gate Change Gnar” Strava segment in Concourse B of Denver International Airport. It turns out the hardest part of completing that 0.1 segment is getting your watch to lock onto the GPS. Mine failed to do so within a reasonable amount of time so I scrapped that idea and proceeded to pick up my rental car. I wasn’t doing any off-roading and would be mostly driving around by myself and a fuel-efficient vehicle would have been preferable, but I was given a Dodge Ram.
I met Kelly and Christine at Garden of the Gods at about 5pm, which was enough time to run a 5K loop in the daylight. We ran through mixed precipitation and it the sky was pretty drab and dreary, but it was fun catching up with these amazing people! Kelly would have ankle surgery the following morning so I’m glad our schedules aligned so we could squeeze in that little adventure. Wishing you a swift recovery, Kelly!
After our run I drove back up to Denver and checked into my hotel room. I set an early alarm because I had plans for a sunrise hike to the summit of Mt Morrison with my buddy Drew on Friday morning.
It was a chilly morning to start in the dark, by headlamp, but I warmed up quickly with the work of climbing. Visibility was low due to the low clouds/fog and snow, but we could make out city lights as we climbed higher. The fresh fallen snow made it pretty, but there wasn’t much of a sunrise through the thick clouds.
On our descent a herd of deer cross the trail below us and we could see Red Rocks Amphitheater through the snow and fog. When we reached the trailhead Drew had to take off to get to work, and I tagged on a few extra miles of running through the Red Rocks area, including up and down the amphitheater steps. I’d been there before, for a Nine Inch Nails concert with Kelly, Adam, and Nate in 2022, but seeing it empty and dusted in snow was a new experience.
After exploring Red Rocks I found a cafe for a breakfast burrito and a cappuccino. Thanks Drew for the tip to check the Castle Rock Outlets instead of buying brand new gear at REI… I got a great deal on some insulated The North Face hiking boots, which I would need for our planned Quandary Peak summit.
I then drove to Paint Mines Interpretive Park, a unique geological area nested in the plains about a half hour east of Colorado Springs. It exceeded my expectations, and I logged another four-mile run while exploring the site.
Thanks to my friend Ryan for lending me a couch to crash on for a couple nights in the Springs, and for the stir fry dinner on Friday night! It was fun hanging out playing Mario Kart and Super Mario Party.
On Saturday morning I met up with ultrarunner friends Joanna and Chris, and their dog Denali, for an 8-mile run at Red Rock Canyon Open Space in the Springs. I’d met them in Heritage Square at Cocodona 250 in 2023 and it was fun to share some scenic trail miles together on a beautiful sunny morning!
I met Aly for lunch at Burrowing Owl for lunch. It was nice to catch up, after these few years. Then I swung by Gearonimo Sports and got a pair of used snowshoes, thinking I’d probably need them for Quandary. It turns out I did not, so it was kind of a waste. I ended up leaving them with Drew, so at least I have a pair in Colorado for future winter adventures if I ever need them…
Ryan and I went up to Spruce Mountain, just north of the Springs, for an evening 5-mile loop hike. It meant another bit of climbing on tired legs, but YOLO and I wasn’t going to let the challenge of the following morning’s 14er dissuade me from doing more trail exploration!
After the hike I went with Ryan, and our friend Adam, to their friends’ place for “bad movie night”. The selected film was Battlefield Earth, which, if you enjoy strange dystopian sci-fi stories and extreme over-use of the Dutch angle, oversaturated color filters, and cheesy dialogue and acting performances, might be just your movie!
QUANDARY PEAK – 14,271′ – My 13th Colorado 14er(out of 58) and First Winter Summit
Things really fell into place for Sunday’s planned attempt to hike to the summit of Mt Quandary. The weather was super mild for calendar winter at that elevation, and the mountain slopes were snowy but as it turned out we were able to leave the snowshoes behind and complete the whole trip in out hiking boots (with micro spikes). A weekend early, and we would have canceled due to 70 mile-an-hour wind gusts and dangerous wind-chills. A weekend later, and there would be a lot more snow to contend with. Sunday worked for Drew, and I invited an Instagram mountaineering and runner friend Cindy along and she was a great companion on our adventure! We were treated to a mild breeze and sunny blue skies.
I left Ryan’s early (losing an hour of sleep due to daylight savings time didn’t feel super welcome) and grabbed coffee and breakfast at a Colorado Springs gas station before driving out to the Quandary Peak trailhead, situated at about 11,000′. We met there at 8am and snapped a trailhead pic before starting our climb.
Fortunately for us, many backcountry skiers had already packed down a trench on Saturday and before we started Sunday morning, so we were able to leave the snowshoes in our vehicles and just use spikes (thanks Drew for lending me your extra pair!). The first part of the 7-mile round-trip route wound upwards through the a conifer forest and passed quickly. Before long we emerged above tree line and caught the sunrise over the mountain ridges to the southeast.
I picked Quandary Peak because of all the Colorado 14ers, it’s one of the safer ones in terms of avalanche danger. But that doesn’t mean the risk is zero. We followed the winter deviation of the standard route, which avoids a section that runs along the side of a slope and instead stays on top of the ridge, keeping the avalanche prone sections below us. Once we climbed high enough, the ridge was so wind-swept that the snow was shallow and in many areas rocks were partially exposed.
We passed a couple of guys descending, who warned us they turned from the summit due to extreme wind. By starting later in the morning, though, we avoided the intense wind and enjoyed relatively mild conditions.
The wind did increase as we climbed higher, and prompted us to add layers. I put on my ski goggles, buff, and puffy jacket. These layers were more than sufficient and I often felt overdressed and too warm. But it blocked exposed skin from the cold wind and provided some protection for my eyes. We continued the climb slow and steady, with breaks to snack and take photos and video clips of the beautiful scenery. It was a luxury to not have to be chased off the summit by noon due to darkening thunderclouds!
The last half mile was the toughest part of the ascent, as the air gets progressively thinner as we approached 14,000′ and the slope increased. But we kept moving and eventually reached the summit, where we were rewarded with awesome 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains!
After enjoying some time at the summit dancing, taking photos, and gawking at the views we started our descent. The summit is the halfway point of climbing a fourteener! However, the descent was a lot faster and easier, and it became increasingly warm later in the morning/afternoon. By the end of it most of our layers were stuffed away in our packs.
The snow was softening as it warmed, so we shuffled through some shin deep snow on the way down. I’m thankful we didn’t have to go up in those conditions, but it wasn’t a problem on the descent.
We were back at our vehicles by 2pm and hung around chatting for a while before parting ways. I drove north through Breckinridge, which I had never been to before, to get to I-70. The highway traffic was the worst part of the day. Eventually, I got to Denver and then Longmont, where I checked into a hotel room.
I had a bit of a headache from the elevation and so I had a chill evening decompressing at the hotel. The next morning, the start of my last full day in Colorado, I fueled up at the Waffle House across the street and then drove into Boulder to meet up with a friend, Leslie, that I’d met through Instagram. We enjoyed a 5K hike up Sanitas and got lunch at Lolita’s Market (thank you for the burrito, Leslie!), and strolled Pearl Street.
After our little adventure I did a little shopping at REI (always dangerous) and the capped off my Colorado trip with one last adventure, this time a solo hike on the Flatirons loop trial and an out-and-back to Royal Arch. The higher, shaded portions of the trail were somewhat sketchy without microspikes due to ice and steepness, but I managed to get up and down without falling and seeing Royal Arch up close was worth the work to get there!
After my hike to Royal Arch I returned to the hotel, repacked my bags, and went to sleep early. I had 6am flight back to Michigan. I left feeling like I made the most of a whirlwind four-day trip to Colorado! Thank you to all my friends that made this trip so much fun! It was nice to see many of you again, and to meet new friends in real life! Until next time!!