Best Route for Handicapped

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hroyston75
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Best Route for Handicapped

Post by hroyston75 »

My 65 year old father would like to hike Pikes Peak next year. He lives on the east coast and will "train" for a year. The obstacle is: My father contracted polio when he was 3 years old causing one leg to be smaller/shorter than the other. He walks with crutches when traveling any kind of distance. Last year he was up to walking 6-9 miles a day on his crutches. He would like to walk up Pikes Peak if it is possible so he can ride the Cog down. I heard there are different routes up Pikes. Is there one that doesn't have a boulder field? I believe he can do it as long as there is placement for crutches on the ground. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks! Holly
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kaiman
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Re: Best Route for Handicapped

Post by kaiman »

hroyston75 wrote:My 65 year old father would like to hike Pikes Peak next year. He lives on the east coast and will "train" for a year. The obstacle is: My father contracted polio when he was 3 years old causing one leg to be smaller/shorter than the other. He walks with crutches when traveling any kind of distance. Last year he was up to walking 6-9 miles a day on his crutches. He would like to walk up Pikes Peak if it is possible so he can ride the Cog down. I heard there are different routes up Pikes. Is there one that doesn't have a boulder field? I believe he can do it as long as there is placement for crutches on the ground. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks! Holly
Hi Holly,

Thanks for the good question. Pikes Peak offers several routes both of which are technically easy but long (14-26 miles round trip). However, the upper portion of the trails parallels the road to the summit which can shorten the distance considerably.

I would suggest you take a look at the Pikes Peak route page: http://www.14ers.com/routelist.php?peak=Pikes+Peak" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and particularly the Northwest Slopes route. There is a spot above the Devils Playground where the trail crosses the road that would probably make a good starting point for your dad as it is 2.25 miles from the summit (making it a 5 mile +/- day round-trip).

Other than the distance on crutches, the other thing he will want to consider is the elevation. Coming from around sea level on the East Coast to 14,000 feet too quickly can have bad affects on even the most fit, able bodied people. So I would recommend that he spend a few days beforehand in the Colorado Springs area walking/hiking the trails getting used to the altitude.

Wish your dad good luck for me, and I hope he is successful! ;)

Kai
"I want to keep the mountains clean of racism, religion and politics. In the mountains this should play no role."

- Joe Stettner

"I haven't climbed Everest, skied to the poles, or sailed single-handed around the world. The goals I set out to accomplish aren't easily measured or quantified by world records or "firsts." The reasons I climb, and the climbs I do, are about more than distance or altitude, they are about breaking barriers within myself."

- Andy Kirkpatrick
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Daniel Joder
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Re: Best Route for Handicapped

Post by Daniel Joder »

Hmmm, some thoughts... First, good on him for wanting to take on a challenge! As to Pikes Peak, the Barr Trail up the east side is some 13 miles and has over 7500' vertical gain, one way. Many folks break it up into two days and stay at Barr Camp. I haven't done this one (others can chime in) but it could be the smoothest, least "bouldery" option, although very, very long. On crutches, it would be one helluva accomplishment. (When he covers those miles you mentioned, is it flat, or uphill/downhill? Makes a big difference.) The trail I have done and which is popular for those wanting a one-day ascent, is the Crags Trail (or "Northwest Slopes"). With this option he'll cover about seven miles and some 4300' vertical to get to the top, which would include going through a boulderfield near the summit. This route sort of parallels the roadway for the last half or so, but hikers are not allowed to walk on the road (unfortunately, as it would be much easier with crutches than the boulders). Some other options to consider...1) Mt. Sherman from Fourmile Creek Trailhead. If you start at the gate at 12,000', the vertical gain will be just over 2000' and the round trip is about 5 1/2 miles. Yes, he would have to hike both up and down. And that is less than 3,000' vertical to officially count as an "ascent", if you even care about that. 2) Maybe consider walking the road up Mt. Evans. He could pick his starting point based on how much elevation he wants to gain. The last hundred vertical feet from summit parking lot to the summit are sort of bouldery but not too bad. I would choose a weekday and very early in the morning to avoid as much vehicle traffic as possible. Just some ideas. Good luck!
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dpage
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Re: Best Route for Handicapped

Post by dpage »

Start at Devil's Playground and enjoy the hike.
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Trotter
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Re: Best Route for Handicapped

Post by Trotter »

he can start at devils playground to make the milage and elevation gain much shorter BUT just below the summit is a class 2 section that required walking over large jumbled rocks. Its not a long section, but I'm not sure this is possible on crutches. have him check out pictures from previous trip reports and maybe see if he can do it. The good news is that the road parallels the trail near here, and so someone could pick him up if he can't do it
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. -Nelson Mandela
Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called Ego. -Nietzsche
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bdloftin77
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Re: Best Route for Handicapped

Post by bdloftin77 »

Unfortunately, I don't think they let people walk along the Pikes Peak Highway. Maybe they'd make an exception, but when I did it with my dad some years ago, they were kicking people off it who were trying to avoid the boulderfield.

Evans might be really good though. Choose a spot along the road, and go from there. Maybe even starting at Summit Lake, and going up the highway? I'm not 100% positive, but I don't think they're as picky about the Evans road as the Pikes Peak road. Like Daniel Joder said, the 150 or so ft from the parking lot at the top to the true summit do have some rocks, but the trail on the rocks is about as smooth as 14er trails get, groomed for all the car people walking to the top. (lots of switchbacks too, so it isn't horribly steep either)
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