The triple 14ers

14ers day 3 of 3: (Read Day 1, Day 2)
We saved the "combo" for Wednesday. Originally scheduled for Tuesday, we thought Quandary would be an easier (though longer) recovery hike after our hard first day, because of its Class 1 difficulty rating on 14ers.com. Ha, were we (or 14ers.com) wrong, wrong, wrong! Quandary was much harder than we thought it would be. We met hikers who thought we were pretty insane for doing back-to-back 14ers... then we told them we were doing three days in a row... and then we told them we came from 400' elevation in NC and NJ!

The view north, from the saddle between Mt. Democrat and Mt. Cameron, after a climb of about 1,450' from
the trail head. We took the trail to the right to ascend Mt. Cameron, another 750' up.

When we arrived at Kite Lake, we judged the hike to Mt. Democrat to be too hard for us to do and still summit multiple peaks (I know, wimps, right?). Instead, we decided to climb Mt. Cameron (14,239') and Mt. Lincoln (14,286'). Unlike the 750' descent/climb between Mt. Democrat and Mt. Cameron, the saddle between Mt. Cameron and Mt. Lincoln is only about 200'. This climb had a much gentler profile than the first two days, although it certainly had some steep parts. Wednesday also brought us the best weather of the three, although all three days gave us great hiking weather and no rain.

Your humble author at the peak of Mt. Cameron, with Mt. Lincoln in the background.

Like Mt. Sherman, the peak of Cameron was constantly hidden from is as we went up the ridge, turning and climbing. However, from Mt. Cameron, the view of Mt. Lincoln is great - although the short peak to the 11th highest peak in the continental US was the steepest climb of our entire three days, really a scramble up on hands and feet. Tomas and Tiffany then took the trail past Mt. Bross (the Bross summit was closed) and I returned across Mt. Cameron (my third 14er of the day!) and hiked down with Matt. I'm glad I did, because the descent from Mt. Bross was very steep and I did not want to risk knee or foot problems. (Tomas said the Bross descent was so hard—he had to back down at some points, holding onto rocks because the fine gravel was so slick—that it made one woman cry.

Tomas and Tiffany head for the final ascent to the peak of Mt. Lincoln, 14,286'. The snow visible in the previous picture (which showed Mt Lincoln in the background) is just to the right of this section of the trail.
You can also make out three other hikers on the summit.

Most of the mountains we hiked were on private land, but the owners allow hikers on the trails (although Mt. Bross was closed this week.) The trails are maintained by Colorado Fourteeners Initiative volunteers.

The 14ers.com site was a great asset in planning our hikes and ensuring our safety.

Day 3 synopsis: Hike distance: 5.9 miles; elapsed time: 5:36; elevation gain: 2,600'; average grade: 16.4%; GPS track. Lessons learned: Regular breaks helps a lot; Teamwork gets the job done on the mountain.

Tomas' bling from Breckenridge

14ers synopsis:

Mountain	Hiking distance	Total time	Elevation gain	Average grade
Sherman	4.70 mi	5:30	2,100'	17.2%
Quandary Peak	7.25 mi	6:50	3,500'	18.6%
Cameron/Lincoln	5.90 mi	5:36	2,600'	16.9%
Totals	17.85 mi	17:56	8,200'	17.7%

Lessons learned: Training pays off; at altitude it is forgivable to ask "Pass me my halogen" when you really mean "Pass me my Nalgene"; it really helps to go with friends who can encourage and inspire you.
I am so fortunate to have had this opportunity to go out to Colorado and really push myself, build my strength, endurance, and confidence. Nepal/Everest Base Camp - I'm coming for you next! We leave in three months.

“Thousands of tired, nerve shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity; and that mountain parks are fountains of life.”
—John Muir