Living the high life: Summiting Colorado’s tallest peaks
“I once read an interview with an ultramarathoner who was asked why he would conceivably want to run all that distance. His response: because it feels so good when you stop,” remarked outdoor enthusiast Brent Daniel in reminiscing about the rewarding pay-off condoning the hours of physical discomfort he endured climbing five Colorado fourteeners.
With 58 peaks exceeding 14,000 feet, summiting the state’s tallest mountains has become a staple activity in Colorado for avid hikers seeking unmatched beauty and a taste of adventure. Granted, summiting a fourteener is significantly different from your average hike; known for breathtaking views and extreme difficulty, attempting one usually requires months of physical training, altitude acclimation and prior experience traversing the outdoors.
Last summer, Colorado resident Brent Daniel tackled Mount Bierstadt, a seven mile hike with a near 3,000-foot elevation gain. As a seasoned outdoorsman, he is set apart from the crowds of tourists that flock to Colorado every year. However, this does not make each climb any less difficult; there are no easy fourteeners.
“The climb is always amazing, the views incredible, the opportunity to share something with your friends, totally uplifting and inspiring. But man, does it feel good to get back to the trailhead,” joked Daniel.
Working as a Senior Research Scientist in Lyons, Daniel uses his off-time to embark upon thrilling outdoor adventures across the globe and captures these moments through his photography. He has been frequenting the Rocky Mountains his entire life, and at only 19 years old, he successfully summited his first fourteener.
“I wanted to figure out who I was. Mountains are great for stripping away all the different guises we drape ourselves in to keep from seeing who we really are, the bad and the good,” said Daniel.
For many climbers, bagging peaks becomes addictive.
“I still love climbing them to see how my friends will respond to the challenge and what they’ll learn about themselves. And, without a doubt, I still always learn something new about myself with each climb,” said Daniel.
Now in his forties, Daniel has climbed Bierstadt, Elbert, Sherman, Handies and Sunlight, but he intends to expand this list with even more fourteeners in the future. From the perspective of raw beauty, he deemed Mount Sunlight as being the most spectacular of the bunch.
“They’ve all been challenging, horizon-expanding, gratifying and humbling, but Sunlight Peak was some of the most beautiful, amazing scrambling I’ve ever done with some of the most fantastic scenery I’ve seen anywhere — like climbing in a fairy tale,” he recounted.
The prospective magnificent beauty from atop the rugged peaks are not the primary motivator for every adventurer. For college freshman Benjamin Brodt, it was the personal challenge that inspired him to plan and train for his summit attempt.
“I like pushing myself past what I think I can do, and this was probably the hardest thing that I have ever done,” he remarked.
Brodt had placed third in his division in an Olympic triathlon earlier that summer, but despite being in exemplary shape, still experienced troubled breathing and a severe headache from the altitude, testament to just how tough the strenuous trek to the top can be.
Dallas native and Mount Elbert summiteer Abby Garrett detailed that her most challenging factor was timing. During a post-graduation road trip, she had decided on a whim to take on the mountain with her friend without fully understanding just how demanding it could be.
“You have to start very early, around 6:00 a.m., to make it to the summit and back before sunset. We got a late start that morning, so we were hiking down the mountain with little sunlight. It was unnerving and made the trek down take longer than usual,” related Garrett.
On the whole, the most important element to note is that safety and good decision making must remain each climber’s top priority on the mountain.
Never be afraid to turn back if the weather looks questionable; it is not worth risking potential injury on something your body can’t handle. After all, the climb isn’t always about making it to the top.
“When the end is in sight but still out of reach, you’ve got to just put one foot in front of the other and remind yourself to appreciate the sound of a stream gurgling or birds chirping. Knees may be a bit sore, and you may have a few hot spots on your heels. But it’s better than sitting in front of a computer any day,” said Brent Daniel.
