QUANDARY PEAK
14,265 ft.
September 13, 1995
By Tim Briese
This climb is the one that got me hooked on climbing 14ers. I climbed Grays Peak the month before, which sparked a renewed interest in mountain climbing for me, and reassured me that I was still physically capable of hiking to high summits. I wanted to go back now and climb another one in order to further test my physical stamina and to taste more of what this was all about.
I left home at 7:45 a.m. and headed into the mountains on a clear and beautiful September morning. This was a rather late start for climbing a 14er, but the climb was supposed to be a relatively short one and the weather was not threatening. After a pleasant drive up Highway 9 over Hoosier Pass I was greeted by a fine view of Quandary a few miles to the northwest, and I was able to preview the route up its smooth and graceful east ridge. A few minutes later I parked at the Monte Cristo Trailhead and struck off up the trail with my lab Sadie at 10 a.m. The trail initially went upward through a semi-wooded area past some old mines, with remnants of equipment and buildings from a bygone era littered about. Multiple trails made the route a bit indistinct in this area, but once I got above the mines a fine trail took me briskly uphill through the timber. I quickly discovered that this route up Quandary goes relentlessly upward, climbing some 3400 feet of elevation in only 2.8 miles, with precious few stretches of easier grades. I was puffing hard and my legs were getting tired, but I found that short fifteen second breaks every two hundred feet or so amazingly rejuvenated me.
The woods faded out when I neared 12,000 feet as I climbed up onto Quandary’s east ridge. I could see Breckenridge off to the north and Hoosier Pass across the valley to the south. Early in the climb Sadie ran all about but was now noticeably slowing down. The vigorous ascent was starting to get to her, too. I met several other friendly hikers along the way, many of whom had a kind word for Sadie. It was a beautiful day for a climb, with sunny skies and calm, pleasant conditions.
After a steep climb up a grass and rock covered slope the trail mercifully leveled off for a short stretch before the final 1200 foot grind to the summit. Along this flat stretch at about 13,000 feet I paused to gaze at the Blue Lakes in the valley far below and the towering ridge beyond. It was quite a grand sight. The final thousand feet up the mountain was a stiff climb up a rocky ridge with loose footing on the trail in some places. I stopped to take a couple of Rolaids as a precautionary measure to ward off any effects from the altitude. Sadie was puffing hard, and ran off to the side for a few moments to eat some snow on a patch of it that we passed. When we neared the summit we walked across another bank of snow and then strolled the final hundred yards along a gentle stretch to the top, where we arrived at 12:15.
On the summit I was greeted with the finest views from a mountaintop that I had ever seen. I sat down on a rock on the western edge of the summit to eat my lunch and enjoy the magnificent panorama surrounding me. With my binoculars I could see about 30 other 14ers from this vantage point. Far to the southeast beyond the South Park I could see the distant summits of the Sangre de Cristo Range under the sunny September sky. Just a few miles to the south were the 14ers Democrat, Lincoln, and Bross, and I could see people on each one of them. Scanning on around the horizon I picked out numerous other lofty summits in the Sawatch and Elk Ranges. To the northwest lay the Flat Tops and the Gore Range, and on the northeastern horizon lay mighty Longs Peak, with Mt. Evans and Pikes Peak to the east. What a beautiful and inspiring place this was! The view from the summit made the whole climb worthwhile.
It was pleasantly calm on top, with a temperature of about 50 degrees, so I didn’t even need to wear my sweatshirt as I sat in the warm sunshine. Sadie stood on the northern edge of the summit and gazed intently down into the gaping valley of McCullough Gulch some 2000 feet below, having never observed the world from this perspective before. There were about six or eight other climbers lounging about on top while I was there. Two young men described the harrowing route they had followed up the class three west ridge to get there, including a nerve-racking crossing of a steep snow slope with considerable exposure. Another young man enthusiastically showed the exhilaration he felt in standing atop this high peak, as he looked around at the views and said, “This is what makes it all worthwhile!” He said he would like to have a mural of this panoramic scene in his living room, but he noted that pictures simply couldn’t capture the essence of this grandeur.
I found something special on Quandary Peak. I discovered that mountain climbing is a great adventurous challenge that nourishes the mind, body, and soul. I was magnetized by the euphoric experience of being on a mountaintop with a spectacular panorama all around. There is a tremendous feeling of accomplishment that comes from completing a climb, and the experience of sitting atop one of these giants, especially on a clear, calm day, is deeply inspiring. Seeing the magnificence of Nature on such a grand scale helps put things into perspective, too, and makes the problems of work or life shrink back to their proper scope. I found a newfound sense of youth and vitality, too. This sort of adventure adds the zest of youth to the mind, as surely as the accompanying physical exercise does so for the body. The hour that I spent on the summit of Quandary was no less than a milestone in my life, an event that rejuvenated and redirected me.
At about 1:15 I reluctantly left the summit and began the descent. I was pleased that the ascent had taken me only two hours and fifteen minutes, which removed any lingering doubts in my mind about my ability to climb these mountains. The descent was fast and easy, but my legs became rather rubbery and sore, so I had to be cautious to avoid stumbling and falling, especially on the steeper grades. It was especially fun hiking down along the crest of the ridge above timberline, with long slopes dropping away on each side. I could tell that Sadie was getting very tired, for she was following behind me rather than running ahead as she had earlier in the hike. I quickly went back down the trail, pausing only for occasional brief rests, and soon descended back down into the trees. At 2:30 I returned to the trailhead and headed for home.
As I drove home I thought about my accomplishment. I realized that a climb to the summit of a mountain gives one a far richer perspective of the natural world than one gets through the windshield of a car. I had discovered a new sort of adventure that could challenge and inspire me for years to come, and I eagerly looked forward to more climbs that lay ahead.
