14,270'

I suffer above 11,000 ft. Since the day I arrived in Colorado ... anything I do at elevation KICKS MY ASS. I rode Monarch Crest (nearly 12,000 ft) when I first moved here and I thought I was going to pass out on the trail. FAST FORWARD ... (one year later) I felt like I was going to have a heart attack after walking 50 yards back up a hill (bathroom break :) last weekend at 11,000 ft on a camping trip in Silverton, CO. So, acclimation ... not happening for me!

SOOOOOO, I have been super-scared of trying to climb a 14'er ... because of the altitude.

I was convinced to climb one today.

Grays Peak
Elevation: 14,270 feet (9th highest)

Grays Peak is the highest mountain in the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. State of Colorado. It is one of 54 fourteeners (mountains of over 14,000 feet (4,268 m) in elevation) in Colorado. Its nearest major city is Denver. The first man to ascend Grays Peak, botanist Charles C. Parry, named the peak for his botanist colleague Asa Gray. Gray actually did not see the peak until 1872, 11 years later. It is nearly always mentioned in conjunction with nearby Torreys Peak. Grays Peak is located on the Continental Divide, as well as the boundary between Clear Creek County and Summit County. Its summit is the highest point exactly on the Continental Divide.











Did I suffer? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely YES.

What a sense of accomplishment!

What a beautiful day!

What an awesome post-hike meal!

Beau Jo's, Idaho Springs, Colorado

The Sky Hawk
Beau Jo’s pizza sauce, fire-roasted green chilies, pepperoni,
whole milk mozzarella and feta cheeses.

Big thank you to my trail guide for an amazing day!