How did you get into Mountaineering?

[Scott P]

not just in terms K2 super summiting but even what is available in CO

Luckily there is a K2 available in Colorado. There's a Devils Thumb too.

There's an Annapurna in California and Kanchung Face/Mt. Everest in Utah.

The secret is to climb those, but not be specific about which K2, etc. it is.

[jrbren_vt]

I also grew up in Michigan. I never travelled outside of state until after college when I moved to Vermont. Previously I had never seen a mountain. The first summer there I "climbed" (hiked) Mt. Mansfield and I was hooked. I would do several out of state "mountaineering" trips through the years. After 30+ years in New England, I moved to Colorado 2 years ago following where my best job opportunities were. I am fine with the dictionary definition of "mountaineering" https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dic ... taineering . That's pretty vague, because I know people also bicker about what a "mountain" is (as in the Green Mountains are not "real mountains"), and what "climbing" is. I have my own thresholds, I consider my self a hiker, not a mountaineer on most days. When the terrain starts to get too hairy for my taste, I think of Dr. McCoy's voice saying "dammit Jim, I am a hiker, not a mountaineer !" . Class 4 is beyond my ambitions, hence so is completing the 14er list. There are plenty of other great hikes in Colorado to last me a lifetime. I have done trips out of state and country that I do consider "mountaineering", albeit a client on a guided trip. How having a guide changes the definition of what I am doing is beyond my scope. I do not consider driving most or all the way up "climbing" a mountain. But how far is "OK" ? Clearly there is a big difference from doing a mostly off trail hike like Colony Baldy vs. a virtual red carpet conga line like the main trail up Torries. After reading this thread I want to go back a rewatch "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain".

[Arndorfer]

In 1996 I was fortunate to move northern Italy for a three-year work assignment. I have always enjoyed the outdoors, especially fishing and hunting. My first summer a friend and I decided to hike to an overnight rifugio at 3500m below the Monte Rosa summit. Neither of us knew anything about hiking in the mountains, but were in great physical condition. I looked in the white pages and found the local section of the Club Alpino Italiano, stopped by their office the next day and got some advice and a couple maps. The two of us started midday, got off trail in some fog and had to retrace a significant portion of our route but eventually made it to the refuge just in time for a few dinner leftovers. The place was full of real climbers planning to summit Monte Rosa, and we heard them getting up way too early the next morning. When I got up the next morning just after sunrise to bluebird skies, I gaped at Monte Rosa to the NE and Cervino (The Matterhorn) to the NW - I was hooked. Signed up for CAI's multiweek mountaineering class that fall which included rock and ice climbing, learning ropes and knots, and culminated in an glacier trek high up on Mont Blanc. Made friends with some really great people during that time. Climbing in the Dolomites followed including the Marmolada.
After returning from Italy and soon after moving to Colorado, surprisingly in hindsight except for few winter ski in hut trips did not continue my interest in the mountains until 2015 when we got a place in Silverthorne and hiked Buffalo Mountain that same month. Have continued hiking peaks in five out of the seven ranges in Colorado the past summers, skiing a bunch and of course fishing and hunting. Planning to get to the Sangres and San Juans with my son the next couple summers.

[greenonion]

not just in terms K2 super summiting but even what is available in CO

Luckily there is a K2 available in Colorado. There's a Devils Thumb too.

There's an Annapurna in California and Kanchung Face/Mt. Everest in Utah.

The secret is to climb those, but not be specific about which K2, etc. it is.

There better not be an Olympus Mons anthill in Kansas that’s also on your Olympus Mons list, Scott!!

[SchralpTheGnar]

For me getting into mountaineering was a natural extension of hiking and climbing and skiing, when I started hiking peaks I’d see lines on peaks like ellingwood arete and wonder what it took to achieve those positions on the mountains, and big couloirs and want to ski them, met some friends in Denver here who knew how to climb, read a bunch of books and started getting off the beaten path and doing some of the more technical objectives in the mountains. Was fairly productive from 2000-2002 then got married and had kids and dialed things back a bit, now I’ve enjoyed getting my kids into the atuff, but none of them have quite the same love/drive/mental shortcomings that I do to pursue mountaineering.

[Jon Frohlich]

As with many others I don't really consider most of my outdoor excursions mountaineering.

I grew up in Nebraska and moved to Colorado in March 2000 when I was 22. I'd already been working in IT since I was 18 and had never done anything in the outdoors. I was an extremely stereotypical computer nerd and an asthmatic. A year or so after moving I realized I'd been basically just holed up in my apartment doing not much of anything and decided to try hiking. I think I went up Green Mountain first. Didn't even come close to making it to the radio tower. Memory is fuzzy but I might have done a mile roundtrip. For some reason decided to try again. Started getting a little better. I remember going up Evergreen Mountain at some point in June 2001 or so and making it all the way up but was sore for 3 days afterward.

Around my birthday in July 2001 two of my coworkers asked if I wanted to try a 14er. Not having any idea what that was or what I was getting myself into I said yes and they decided on Quandary. Aside from sitting down and nearly throwing up at 13,800 or so I eventually made it up. Then hugged a tree on the way down. Then fell asleep in the car on the way home. Somehow or other I persisted and did Grays and Bierstadt that summer as well. I figured out my asthma wasn't bothered by altitude and I enjoyed the outdoors so I kept going. Joined 14erworld at some point. Got to know some hiking partners. Eventually got better gear and learned what I was doing. Also realized that hiking was beneficial to my mental health and made me a happier person.

Fast forward 22 years and I've been hiking on 6 continents, climbed a few things over 15k, finished the 14ers, and my whole family (dogs included) have LoJ profiles. So I guess I offically qualify as some sort of addict to this.

[nyker]

I wish I could have started climbing mountains 20yrs earlier as a younger kid. Nobody in my family did this sort of thing, nor traveled anywhere and we lived a 6-8hr drive from the nearest legitimate mountain. So I have a lot of catching up to do!

[ltlFish99]

i grew up in Denver. started drinking at 17, which in my earky 20ies it started to become a problem as my alcohol consumtion increased dramatically when i could leagally purchase it.
i soon realized that i was an alcoholic, after getting into some trouble on more than 1 occasion.
So i quit drinking at 26 in 1986.
After about 1 year, i had been boored long enough, and had Always wanted to venture into the Mountains, but i wanted to do this safely as none of my friends had any interest and i knew i would be alone in my adventures.
So i joined the CMC, and was VERY excited that they had so many trips in thier Annual schedule of trips.
i started taking some of thier numerous classes, and went on several easier hikes to get certified to go on more difficult trips.
hiked my first 14er summit of Torreys in June, 1987.
Was thrilled to hike my 2nd 14er of Capitol in July, 1987.
Got the opportunity to go to Rainier with other CMC members in August of 1988 for a successfull summit via the DC route.
Met other like minded individuals during other cmc trips.

This led to an adventure to Ecudor, where we summited Tungurahua, at 16,480. i missed out on Cotopaxi as i wss sick.
our adventure was cut short when i got pick pocketed while not paying attention. my passport was among the things stolen.
So, i had to replace that in order to get home.

in 1992, the same group of us 3, plus an additional person ventured to Bolivia, where we attempted Ancohuma at 21,086.
We made it to a high camp of 18,700 where we spent 1 night.
1 team member became ill, and another was hot feeling wwell, so we went back down to the Wonderful village of Sorata, to arrange transportation back to La Paz.
i have SLOWLY hiked the 14ers, and some 13ers since.
i have a good chance of setting the Slowest Known Time for completing the 14ers.
Now, at 63, i have 10 14ers left, and they are my current goal.
When i hopefully complete the 14ers, i will still have 33 centennials left, and some of these will continue to provide adventure opportunities.
i think mt. hood would be a fun place to expierience.
And,
i would also like to attempt Orizaba, and a mountain in Puru.

[PJ88]

I moved to Denver in the fall of 2017 and started hiking because I like to be outdoors and active and it gave me a chance to get out and see the state. Coming from the midwest I had only ever seen the Appalachians so I was of course intrigued by the peaks I would see while in the foothills, but never thought it would be something I would be able to do. A lot of people would ask if I climbed 14ers when I told them I liked to hike and I laughed it off. Then I started to think if it was something so many people actually did, maybe I should look into it. After a good half year of doing local hikes and researching I climbed Quandary at the end of the following summer and was hooked. I love that it's a way to push my limits physically while disconnecting and getting outside into nature. Don't know if I'll ever finish, but I plan to keep plugging away at it as long as I can and if I hit something I'm uncomfortable ever doing, there are plenty of 13ers to keep me busy instead.

[Violet]

I like the forum as I like this beautiful state—CO.
I am a hiker , not a mountaineer. But I would love to share my story on how I got into CO 14ers hiking:
I had never thought I would someday stand on the top of Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in CO. Still I remember in 2019 when I just finished an international trip and came back to US, I went to Mesa Verde NP with my family. On the way back to Denver, when we drove on 285, seeing those high peaks on one side, I knew one of them was the highest peak of CO where only brave mountaineers can reach. I stood on the side of the road staring at the peak direction for some time…..Yes, it was only a dream to me….

Then here came the pandemics in 2020. I work in school. I felt so stressful seeing students and co workers keep falling ill…. Sometimes I even felt a little desperate……My partner had a newspaper by RMNP in which there was a list of all the alpine lakes trails in RMNP. Then, to get rid of the stress, we decided to start the trails on the list. Each time, we finished one we crossed it.That summer, We were crazily exploring in RMNP and almost finished all its alpine lakes trails. I benefited from those hikings. I felt stronger, I learned to be positive, hopeful….Among all the alpine lakes, I like Black Lake trail and the cascade area beyond it most. And Capitol lake was very impressive even if it is not in RMNP area. My partner likes the Odessa Lake trail. And we both like the Skypond too.

After we finished all the trails on the list, what’s the next? We started think about the same question…… Then agreed to challenge the more difficult ones——-CO 14ers. In the summer of 2021, we first stood on the peak of Mt. Gray’s. After hiking all those alpine lakes, summiting 14ers seemed not that difficult to us. Then we finished Bierstadt, Quandary. In the summer of 2022, we first finished Mt. Elbert two weeks after I recovered from the Covid. Then Sherman, Democrat, Bross. Lincoln, Cameron, Whitney in CA, Yale and La Plata all in the summer of 2022. The mountains have changed my life completely.

[nyker]

That's a nice story Violet, congratulations on your achievements in CO! Good luck in getting more done.

[Violet]

Thank u so much! Sure, I will keep going and not give up!
I love life because I yearn for mountains and distances.