Questions on a new 14er hiking solo

[Gandalf69]

I also suggest not doing Pikes Peak first, or if at all, at least on your first trip. I've heard people say "After Pikes Peak, I thought I'd never do a 14er again", or "I didn't know climbing a 14er could be fun". The mountain is impressive, but climbing it sucks, it just goes on and on and on. Also the view from the top is not nearly as impressive as you would think, plus many people drive to the top. It's a huge flat parking lot of a summit. If you have an extra day that would otherwise be spent on Pikes Peak, I would suggest something else. Save the Pain of Pikes Peak for later.

[Veory]

Thank you sir! What's your opinion on hiking these peaks solo? Is it foolish?

Hiking the peaks solo isn't foolish, but perhaps the best way to experience them. I'm at 44/58 right now 36 of those were solo, including some of my winter climbs / attempts, but you of course have to be careful. Even though it's fairly expensive, an InReach really is invaluable for solo adventuring. Just be prepared, have a topo map, expect to move slowly, bring lots of water, all the normal advice etc...

Best way to deal with the altitude is pacing, and don't be afraid to turn around if you have to. I wouldn't think diamox is neccessary for 14k unless you know your body is prone to altitude troubles.

[mtree]

I wouldn't go the extra mile for Diamox. Its overkill. Just remember altitude sickness can happen. Its actually fairly rare. Folks I know who had it said the first symptoms were headaches and NOT feeling thirsty. Eventually sluggishness and feeling kinda foggy. One was crying during the descent. Lots of water helped. None had any serious issues. Of all the folks I've hiked with or guided up for the first time (most from the east coast!) none have had any problems. The only 3 who had symptoms lived out here and had hiked fairly high in the past. Isolated incidents. They've gone up since with no issues. Go figure.

I hike solo 99% of the time. On these mountains I wouldn't worry at all.

I'll agree Pike's Peak is a huge letdown, but its not my hike.

[Scott P]

What's your opinion on hiking these peaks solo? Is it foolish?

No. Those who don't hike solo don't do much hiking at all as it's pretty much impossible to find partners all of the time.

[Hiker Mike]

I also suggest not doing Pikes Peak first, or if at all, at least on your first trip. I've heard people say "After Pikes Peak, I thought I'd never do a 14er again", or "I didn't know climbing a 14er could be fun". The mountain is impressive, but climbing it sucks, it just goes on and on and on. Also the view from the top is not nearly as impressive as you would think, plus many people drive to the top. It's a huge flat parking lot of a summit. If you have an extra day that would otherwise be spent on Pikes Peak, I would suggest something else. Save the Pain of Pikes Peak for later.

I certainly agree with everything you said about Pikes Peak. A real slog up and unimpressive views.

[derekpetrie]

What's your opinion on hiking these peaks solo? Is it foolish?

No. Those who don't hike solo don't do much hiking at all as it's pretty much impossible to find partners all of the time.

+1 to Scott’s response. I’ll add on that solo hiking can also be super valuable for introspection, confidence building and/or decompressing a busy mind.

[ltlFish99]

I agree with Scott P. and others about solo hiking. The majority of my hikes are solo, weather it is a 14er or other favorite hikes i like.
i Always start as early as possible, especially in the thunderstorm season. personally, i yhink hiking up a trail in the dark with a headlamp is a wonderfully peaceful experience.
in September, there is a higher chance of snow than thunderstorms and if you are actually alone on a 14er, it is a rare treat. Of the 14er hikes i have been on the last 3 years, only one was i completely alone and it was nice.
For altitude sickness prevention, the number one thing that many have stated is to consume as much water as possible, especially in the day or 2 ahead of the hike. pre hydrating is always beneficial. i do not consume coffee, especially when hiking and have heard several people recommend a couple of aspirin the day before and day of hike. i know people who have done done this and they did not have any problems.
Altitude sickness is not common and i have only been on 2 hikes where someone felt ill.
The other big benefits of starting early is that then i can proceed at a pace that is comfortable for me, and most of the time that is a very moderate pace and sometimes a slow pace.
The older i get, the slower I get and i like to enjoy my time in nature and on hiking adventures.
i am never running a race when i am outside.

i hope you have a great time and a lot of fun.

[Jim Davies]

The FS campground by the Elbert/Massive trailhead (Halfmoon Creek) closes September 4th, but there's a lot of good dispersed camping along the road. There are no campgrounds anywhere near Barr Trail, except for some private ones in Manitou Springs. The Crags CG (for the shorter route on the west side of Pikes Peak) may be open (their web page doesn't say), but there's NO dispersed camping anywhere along the road there - zero, zip, nada. Camping around Colorado Springs is always a challenge. You could try getting a reservation in Cheyenne Mountain State Park (about a 15 mile drive from Barr trailhead) - it stays open year-round, but is also very popular and reserving far in advance is advised. Mueller State Park is relatively close to the Crags trailhead, and is likewise busy but takes reservations. I'll second what everybody is saying about Pikes Peak - bad choice for a first 14er, although it was my first.

[Violet]

I still remember how beautiful and amazing view I saw standing on the Gray’s peak which was my first 14er finished on my birthday. I bet many people living in this state for years may not know how beautiful state it really is until standing on a 14er peak like me!!
For safety issue, me and my partner usually take knife, headlamps, first aid kits, satellite connection device, bear spray ( summer) , medicine, more than one offline maps.
I just finished the book “ CO 14er disasters”, which says the best number for hiking 14er team is 3-4. Although I hv never done solo hiking, my suggestion would be taking more cautions and preparation doing solo because many 14ers are in remote area. If there is an emergency, even rescue will be very slow.

[peter303]

The Crags CG (for the shorter route on the west side of Pikes Peak) may be open (their web page doesn't say), but there's NO dispersed camping anywhere along the road there - zero, zip, nada.

Mueller State Park campground is close to Crags trailhead and part of it are open year round. I think the trailhead road closes when there is too much snow. But that doesnt happen in September. The above treeline parts of Pikes Peak may have snow and ice in late September.

[andrew85]

No partner is better than a bad partner and as pointed out by other posters, if you're always waiting around for people you won't do much hiking. Pikes via the Barr Trail was my first 14er and when I wanted to hike it originally, I kept putting off good opportunities trying to coordinate with partners who kept flaking on me because everyone kept saying I should have a partner. I finally got one to go with me who ended up abandoning me on the Barr Trail when I got altitude sickness and I had to pay $100 for a ride down from the summit seeing that I missed the Cog. This was the straw that broke the camel's back and at that point I decided I would make this a solo hobby and went on to do all the 14ers and traverses entirely solo just to show that it can be done safely and successfully and to prove the anti solo naysayers wrong. That said, be honest with your abilities but I had zero mountaineering experience when I started so you having hiking experience in the Appalachians and New York is already ahead of where I was when I started. And it's also worth noting that the Barr Trail is extremely popular in September so you'll never be truly isolated, lol I may even run into you training for the PPM

[jrbren_vt]

I disagree with some of the comments about Pike's, I think it is a beautiful mountain with terrific views. I have only done the NW slopes route though, although I have done many of the surrounding "foothills" numerous times. I will agree the summit itself is one of the least aesthetically pleasing summits I have ever been on, but you know that it is a small city going in. Have a donut ! The rest of the route is beautiful. Whether it is a good first Colorado 14er depends on which route and previous experience elsewhere. Some people drive up to devil's playground and hike from there, making it a relatively easy hike but a good chance to spend several hours above 13K' with out too much strenuous hiking (then of course the debate begins about whether that "counts" as a 14er summit, it wouldn't for me, I like the 3K' "rule" where practical, that doesn't stop it from being a good acclimatization hike.). I would also strongly recommend that you spend a couple of days acclimatizing. Yes to fully acclimatize takes weeks or months, but it is a process that starts as soon as you get off the plane if landing in Denver or COS. You don't need to be fully acclimatized to climb the peaks we are talking about. 20-50% or whatever the number is after a couple days makes a big difference on how you feel (how I feel anyway). It's better than 0%. I recall about 15 years ago when I lived in Vermont doing a trip on the John Muir Trail from Onion Valley to Mt Whitney. On the 3rd day we climbed Forrester pass (~13K') and I was sucking wind something awful. By the end of the week when we summitted Whitney from Guitar Lake and I was well enough acclimatized that it wasn't really any harder then climbing Marcy or Algonquin. Much easier than Forrester pass. This a good chance to do some non 14er hikes. On one trip when I lived out east I did Hallett and Flat Top in RMNP. Hike other 12ers or 13ers. Go on a rafting trip near Buena Vista (not sure how good that is in September though).

WRT I've done some Appalachian Trail hikes and Some NY High Peaks , out of curiosity, which ones ? I lived in the Champlain Valley for ~25 years and hiked regularly in the Adirondacks.