Our trip began with everyone meeting up to load all of our gear into my friend Tanner's vehicle. We then set off on the road trip to Kevin's home in Evergreen Colorado where we would spend the night before the hike. Along the way we made a stop at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Then we proceeded onto to Kevin's house where we set to deciding what was for dinner by creating Leist. The meal was of epic proportions and by far one of the best meals I have had while away at College. What followed were just some college guys goofing around: games of pool, listening to music, and playing some GTA to unwind before the next day's main event. An early wake up call 5:40 AM and another college meal consisting of "Sugar" milk with bacon and eggs was a great way to start the day. Final gear preparations were made and then we began the drive to Quandary. Once we arrived most everyone stripped down to just pants and t-shirts and we began. The hike was fairly easy through the trees, but it was another beautiful hike so far. Then the real work began as we left the shelter of the trees behind. The wind picked up as we ascended the mountains. It switched up as the 3/5's part of the title began as Luke and Tanner pulled away from the "crippled crew"; that included: Tom, Kevin, and myself. The hike began to become complicated with: myself having trouble catching my breath possible altitude sickness, Tom still recovering from a knee injury having his left leg tire out, and Kevin almost getting frostbite on his hands; All of the preceding occurring at some elevation above 13,000 feet. After one of our breaks Luke and Tanner who had reached the Summit descended and meet back up with us. We then made the difficult decision to take some photos and descend to live another day. My first ever lose to the outdoors. We then began our descent which provided better views due to the fact we were no longer just looking at the mountain. Go in a few more photos and finally after another 2 hours made it back to the vehicle and drove back to Kevin's house. His awesome parents brought us some pizza for dinner. All in all it was a great trip and experience and has taught me to pack lighter and train harder for any future 14er attempts. 3/8-3/9/2014
Likability 9.5/10 Only slighted for how much the trail winds through the trees. Otherwise the views are amazing and trail is relatively safe from avalanches.
Likability 9.5/10 Only slighted for how much the trail winds through the trees. Otherwise the views are amazing and trail is relatively safe from avalanches.