Any local clubs an out-of-towner can join for beginner-level 14er ascents?

[mjs1979]

Hi,

Is anyone aware of any clubs/groups an out-of-towner could join to go up any 14ers in spring/summer/fall seasons? I live in NY/NJ and would like to climb a first 14er but have no-one to travel to CO with.

Whilst I'm sure I could manage a beginner 14er I would prefer to do it with someone or a group as a basic precaution. I have experience hiking all the way up to Everest Base Camp (18,500 feet) so this would not be my first high(er) altitude hike but would prefer to hike with a group if possible, as really you never know. Hiking with a group is also fun and an opportunity to meet people.

In the NY/NJ reason we have the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) - https://www.outdoors.org/ - which helps get like-minded people together to do activities together for hiking, camping, kayaking, etc. Is there anything like this perhaps? I have seen some professional guiding companies offering a guide for the day, but that seems overkill for a beginner trail. I was more just looking for some company and basic safety of hiking with a small group from a local club, if anything like this exists.

Hopefully this isn't a question already answered in the FAQ or other threads - apologies if so. I tried looking. Just wondering if anyone had any ideas.

Thanks.

[Scott P]

There is the Colorado Mountain Club and most of the time they don't mind visitors.

If you are going in summer though, there will already be lot of people on the standard 14er routes (especially on the weekends), so you don't have to worry about being alone. Fall goes both ways. Usually Spring doesn't have many people except for on a handful of peaks. Spring means snow and snow climbing skills are needed.

[Rick Canter]

I'm from the east too (MD) and when folks here ask if I am going to hike in Colorado ALONE (like I am crazy), I tell them "half of Denver shows up". On summer weekends on the Front/Sawatch/Tenmile/Mosquito 14ers, you would have trouble feeling lonely and you can strike up a conversation with anyone that hikes your speed. It could even be considered liberating, because if your pace is different, you are not tied to a specific person or group, just whoever happens to be hiking along with you at the time. Just ensure you are not the last person coming down the mountain, and it is a relatively safe venture and can be quite social as well.

[Rollie Free]

It can be a funny mix. I am out of state so my days are planned well in advance. Two years ago I climbed Wetterhorn, literally by myself. There was no one else around. I met a few guys who were coming back from going down the wrong fork and I thought they were coming behind me but evidently bailed for some reason. If there were other people on that mountain they were climbing Golam style. LaPlata was much the same. I ran into 2 other parties the whole time the way up,one was bailing and coming back down the other group was in front of me but must have ambled on to somewhere else. Surprised me as that was a paved road to the trailhead affair. Maybe it was the misty weather.

Later that year I climbed the wedge known as Quandary. Now I had heard about conga lines but I always imagined it to be a bit exaggerated. I happened to arrive late Friday night and got in at the trail head, first row. I woke up to a distant slamming sound over and over again. Almost every 10 seconds it seemed. Finally found out these were car doors. When I got high enough I saw an ocean of cars parked back down and along the highway. When I topped out it was like Mardi Gras up there. Believe me, if you don't want to be alone do one of the commuter climbs on a summer weekend. It will be the opposite of alone.

[Scott P]

PS, you can also just post here for partners rather than looking for a club.

[nunns]

PS, you can also just post here for partners rather than looking for a club.

That is probably the easiest thing to do, and people do that all the time on here. Just put a post on here about a week or 2 out from your planned climb. You will probably find someone to climb with.

Sean Nunn

[Buckie06]

Colorado Mountain Club

[Aphelion]

There are also a few Meetup.com groups out of Denver/Boulder that occasionally organize 14er hikes.

[davisrice4]

I would climb with you this summer! But seriously, once the snow is gone I do not worry about dangers of being solo because the reality of the 14ers in Colorado is that you are not solo. Sometimes just going out there and meeting people can be fun, but also hiking the peaks here solo is a blast in the summer! It takes away all the worries of waiting on others & being waited on!

[nyker]

The CMC probably your best bet for a club. I think REI also has some group outings.

When you iron out your dates, good idea to post the dates you are going on this site and rough area you'll be planning to be in and you're likely to find a few folks you can then organize with offline. If I am out there then, I'd be happy to partner with you if our schedules and objectives match.

While these days it seems most of the Class 1-2 14ers are fairly crowded I'd caution against assuming you can find someone to hike with all day. There might be 50-100 or more people on a peak that day, but that may not mean you can just meet up on the trail, start talking and they will be with you all day, helping and providing any needed guidance or assistance should you need it. There is a difference between hiking on a peak with many people 'there' on the same day you are vs. hiking with someone in particular. I won't get into the argument of what solo means, but ask yourself what you want; i.e. to hike on a peak with many people around which then gives you some degree of comfort? Or a dedicated hiking partner or two for the whole day. If the former, then plan for a weekend trip on almost any Front range or Sawatch peak and you'll likely have plenty of people around.

If you feel uncomfortable alone and want a dedicated partner, then post for hiking partners on a specific peak or two on specific days and work that out. Either way, it would help potential partners to have some idea of who you are and your experience, perhaps filling in your profile a bit more with what you've done, goals, etc. Nothing can substitute meeting someone and spending some time with them to assess whether they're good hiking partner material and if you have similar objectives, hiking styles, abilities and risk tolerance, but it helps manage expectations. If one of you is an Ultrarunner wanting to make a speed ascent up a Class 4 route with a 5lb pack and one of you is slower and wanting to stop and take photos along the way on a nice defined trail and is in mediocre fitness/shape, that won't be a good match. There are some fantastic and generously helpful people on this site that can make great partners.

Not knowing your fitness or experience, to help you prepare (if you need it), since you're in NY area, take a couple trips to the Adirondacks and do some of the routes on the 46ers, targeting routes with elevation gains of 4000+ft and 10-15 mile roundtrips. If you can do those and have no issues, then the average 14er should be fine, once you acclimatize/hydrate properly (i.e. don't fly into Denver late one night and go climb the next morning, dehydrated on little sleep. Yes it can be done, but why do that to yourself for your first 14er. If you need suggestions for specific peaks in upstate NY let me know.