I'd Advise People To Stop Recommending Quandary as a Beginner 14er

[two lunches]

hi OP- i had something similar happen.

i recall picking Mt. Elbert as my hiking objective fairly early in my mountain-journey because i interpreted its' listing on this website as "easy". if you go under the 14er Routes by Difficulty page, you will find it at the top, under Class 1. having done Grays twice at that point, i thought "well this must be the same" because they're right next to each other. let me tell you how shocked i was to discover that it was not as "easy" as i expected.

what i took away from that experience was not that the peak was improperly labeled, but that i personally didn't do enough research before my hike. from that point forward, i learned to account for all the variables of hiking: terrain/trail quality (or lack thereof!), exposure, distance, vertical feet gained, route-finding, etc. an "easy" hike and an "easy" 14er are NOT the same and that's a big piece of the puzzle. but making it to this website and using it as a resource is a GREAT step and keeping tabs on the conversations in the forum can really enhance your education and experiences in the mountains. keep up the good work

[cfoster]

Of the peaks I've done so far, i would agree that Quandary is definitely not that easy especially when compared with Sherman or I would say Bierstadt is easier even with the rock pile at the top. It was also my least favorite of the ones I have done, but part of that could have been due to hiking Holy Cross and the halo ridge the day before so I was already tired when I started Quandary.

[dr_j]

No 14er is easy (unless you count driving up Pikes and Evans). It is a relative term around this website, but in the grand scheme of things, they are hard hikes, with additional factors put in there like altitude and weather.

Among the 14ers in Colorado, Quandary does fall in the "easy" category, by the usual metrics. And in the day and age of endless summit selfies and signs and shenanigans, the summits can come across as almost mundane and common, but they really are not that way. Nearly everybody struggles in some way. Even for me, after around 80 14er summits and finishing the 58, I still get caught off guard by days where I just feel exhausted and out of energy hiking up.

The other thing is that you do get an idea of how your body functions, and what to expect, and how to pace yourself throughout the hike.

Good luck on your journey.

[14ercooper]

Yeah, those rough days just never go away - it doesn't matter how many mountains I climb, there's always a chance that something like Sherman will mop the floor with me.

Also, fun fact: for some unknown reason, it actually took me 13 tries to summit Quandary. I'm not even sure why.

[sbshrinivas]

To me the things that are included in “difficulty” include:

-total RT distance of the hike
-route finding
-elevation gain
-trailhead accessibility
-technicality of the terrain/exposure risk

By those metrics Quandary is an easier/beginner 14’er. But based on the strengths/weaknesses of the individual, what is “easy” will vary. I personally found the 26 miles and 7500 feet of vert on the Barr Trail easier than Quandary. Just because it was so gradual.

[jrbren_vt]

I find quite often that routes I find challenging are considered easy for people on the internet. I am also way slower than internet folk.
I would avoid terms like "easy" and stick to (in this order)

1.) total cumulative elevation gain,
2.) terrain, that is class 1-2 (for me), is willow or deadfall swimming required ? Good trail ? Boulder hopping ? 45 degree kitty litter ? Aside : I am not touching class 4, I am way too clumbsy, recovering from a Door Dash injury today, stubbed my toe picking up my food at the front door earlier this week, it's still purple today. I also wiped out on class 2 Antero a couple of weeks back, etc ...
3.) weather and ground conditions (snow & ice).
4.) Route finding (is there a good trail, can follow a ridge, or does the route require navigating various complicated terrain.)
5.) RT mileage
6.) Elevation WRT sea level is not much a factor I find (if you prepare for it, take a couple of acclimatization days if you are coming from New Orleans). There are 9ers and 10ers in CO tougher than the easier 14ers.

Beginner needs to be defined too. Beginning hiker period straight from the couch ? Or a marathon runner or other athlete just not familiar with 14ers ? Or experienced hiker or backpacker in other regions like the northeast just new to CO ? I would define beginner peak accordingly. In the latter 2 groups anything class 1 or 2 would be a fine starter peak. Some hiking friends in Vermont climbed Longs and nothing else, I hear that is fairly common among regular hikers from other regions. I like to avoid crowds and the parking cluster cuss so I would not recommend Quandary for anything. Never done it, it's not high my aspiration list. But it is very well documented on this site and others. It sounds like it has the parking headaches and crowds of the north east. Hundreds of great peaks in CO without that to choose from. Including many surrounding Quandary itself. But I do suspect I will do it at some point, it looks very beautiful and crowded for a reason.

[jrbren_vt]

First time poster! Just finished my fourth 14er today, and the order that I've done them in has been: Democrat, Sherman, Quandary, and now Bierstadt. And all in the last month!

As my name suggests, I'm a heavier gal (5'3, 172lbs) and likely some of you have seen this barrel body traipsing up the hills. I'm just starting my fitness journey with mountaineering, much thanks to the kind informative posters on here. In no small part ya'll have changed the trajectory of my life!

Butttt, what prompted me to finally post, is I'm discouraged by people defaulting to recommending Quandary as a great beginner hike. Not that it's incredibly challenging, but all three of the other mountains I've summited have been CONSIDERABLY less strenuous than Quandary. I had tried and failed Quandary twice before I ever finished a 14er. And I think if I never had the guts to try somewhere else after repeated failures, I'd just have chalked up that I was too hopeless of a case to finish one. So i ask: why do we recommend it over the much gentler and shorter ones that could potentially incite more people into this lifestyle?

Quandary is not easy. No 14er is, especially for overweight people, but I just wish I had heard other recommendations for beginner hikes when I was still a peak virgin. Thoughts?

Congrats on making it up there, your perseverance is impressive ! It has taken me multiple tries to make it up several peaks.

[nunns]

Methodically tackle these Class I and Class II peaks and soon you will have to change your moniker from "flabby".

Depends. I have hiked, climbed or canyoneered on 5000+ days including on 214 day so far this year. I'm still flabby. It's still good to get out though.

Off topic, but flabby and fit is much healthier than skinny and out of shape. And I say that as a 6'3", 160 pound person.
To the OP, my first time up Quandary was more difficult than most "easier" 14ers as well.
The same can be said of Sherman, which IMO frequently is cold and windy, even in July/August.

Sean Nunn
Raytown MO

[Dave B]

The difficulty rating for Quandary Peak is so sandbagged, Layton Kor must have done the FA.

Class 1b+ would be more accurate, IMO.

[Whochster]

“And remember every 300feet of elevation gain is equal to one mile of energy “. According to an education specialist l saw on a YouTube channel.

[HikesInGeologicTime]

Also, fun fact: for some unknown reason, it actually took me 13 tries to summit Quandary. I'm not even sure why.

Thank you for making me feel better about the four attempts it took me to get up Bross for the first time!

***

OP, congrats on what you’ve done so far! There really isn’t any such thing as an easy fourteener, unless you’re from Nepal or Tibet or somewhere in the Andes; merely maintaining basic life functions is a struggle at altitude, never mind fighting with gravity while you’re doing it!

That said, while I personally don’t think Quandary is the easiest (that last push to the summit, with the 1000’ of elevation gain in half a mile, manages to kick my a$$ every. single. time), it is a lot easier than, well, an awful lot of other fourteeners. It’s really quite a decent self-assessment peak in a way: if you don’t like that final ascent along the ridge, you’re not going to like the fourteeners where the steep portions are even longer and sometimes even steeper, which, again, is a whole lot of ‘em.

I would say that there’s no shame in deciding that fourteeners aren’t the physical challenge you’re personally looking for - there are a lot of cool hikes/peaks in Colorado, some of which don’t even go above treeline! But if you’re looking for recommendations from someone who isn’t the world’s biggest of short + steep hikes, maybe you’d enjoy San Luis Peak? I have no doubt that the length gives beginners pause, but the cool thing about a trail that long is that it results in the elevation gain being somewhat gentle compared even to Bierstadt (which, much as I love that particular mountain, I do spend a lot of my time hiking it grumbling about the 1500’ or whatever of Suck leading up to the saddle).

[HarkNeal]

Full disclosure, I'm a 14er Greenhorn. I've done ten 13ers and four 14ers over the years (Evans, Bierstadt, Quandary, and Sherman). Are they easy compared to Little Bear, the Crestones, and Capitol? Absolutely, but the level of effort, even on the "easier" peaks varies wildly. Out of the 4 I've done, Sherman was the "easiest" by level of effort because it's short, only has a couple thousand feet of gain, and it really isn't all that steep. Sherman's elevation profile reminds me of Mount Flora. OTOH, Quandary was the most "difficult" because I was earlier in my hiking journey, and that last thousand feet crushed my soul.

I'm not a gym rat, and I'll be 50 next August. I'll never finish the 14ers because many of them are above my pay grade, but I do enjoy "easier" adventures.