At 14,265 ft Quandary Peak is considered to be the easiest of the 14ers, but make no mistake its still a 14er
White River National Forest, beautiful flora and fauna, Quandary Peak stands tall as the only 14er in this Tenmile Range
The tribe came into Denver and stayed overnight, the next day was reserved for some short hikes around in the area so we took to Boulder nearby, this was to make sure the tribe can get some acclimatization in. Roots who was 10 years old at the time, decided he was tired and wanted to sleep in, and instead he decided to get some workout and soccer going to get his body to adjust later in the day.
Weather check, gear check and backpacks ready the tribe called it a day. Next morning was an early start at around 3:00 AM for the two hour drive to trail head located just north of Hoosier Pass. By the time we got there the parking was quite full, so we ended up finding a spot on the road and that added almost a mile to the round trip. The tribe steadily moved approaching through the east ridge. At 11,700 ft the trees started to thin out. From here you follow the ridge with some amazing views around you. The trail is well maintained and its impossible to lose the path. The tribe continued on the switchbacks one step at a time.
In the meanwhile elevation and lack of oxygen was starting to impact Roots, the first signs of which are headache and even after taking frequent breaks, his headache was not going away. Right at the base of this huge heap of scree, we took a longish break for lunch and also to give Roots some time to feel better. The approach to the summit is fairly steep and rocky and at the time was seeming impossible. Though it doesn't involve scrambling - that should be almost 1,100 ft of straight up before it turns flat to the summit! Besides Roots not feeling too well, there was another danger looming around us. The clouds were starting to gather and we could hear some thunder in the distance - which indicated that the tribe only had a short window to make the summit or turn around. Tribe decided to push ahead and take a very short break at the summit. It was our lucky day, we managed to make the summit and return to tree line. On the way down a family of mountain goats greeted us with all their beauty.
Learning's from the tribe - Guideline to keep in mind, plan to be off the summit before noon in order to avoid risk of afternoon thunderstorms, lightning which are frequent in the summer.