Quandary Peak 7/22/20 14265ft
Our adventure to climb Quandary Peak started the day before 7/22/20 as we made our way up to the Heaton Bay Campground right on Dillon Reservoir. My brother Jake, friend Suzanne and I packed up the Forster and left for the campground at 5 pm. Knowing that we wanted to hit the trail-head as early as possible we decided to spend the night camped out in Dillon. The drive from the campground was a much easier 30-minute drive through Dillon and Breckenridge rather than the 1.5-hour drive if we decided to not stay the night and hit the road the day after. We were able to squeeze into the last tent spot in the campground - thankfully we booked ahead, set up camp, and treated ourselves to Cheeba Hut and cold beer to fill up for the hike 9 hours ahead of us.
Below is the gear list with a matching picture that I used on the Quandary Peak trail. The only thing different from the picture to what I used is I swapped my Arcteryx jackets - I swapped my red Arcteryx Atom Hoody for my Arcteryx Cerium LT Hoody. This was a good call as it was pretty windy and cold at the peak.
1 - Mishmi Takin Garamba - 2.5 Layer eVent® Lightweight, Waterproof, Hard Shell, Rain Jacket - Men
5 - SHARKMOUTH Ice Cleats Crampons
6 - Case Logic DCB-302 Compact Case for Camera
7 - VANQUEST EDCM-Husky 2.0 Maximizer
8 - Mountainsmith ANDESITE TREKKING POLES
9 - Prana Stretch Zion Straight
10 - ATOM LT HOODY MEN'S
12 - Osprey Hydraulics LT Reservoir
13 - Renegade GTX Mid
15 - HIKING SOCK - MEDIUM CUSHION
Quandary Peak is the highest summit of the Tenmile Range in the Rocky Mountains of North America and is the most commonly climbed fourteener in Colorado. The standard route up Quandary Peak is a trail hike (class 1), starting from a trailhead about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Hoosier Pass on the east side of the peak. Although it is one of the most commonly climbed 14ers in Colorado it is not the easiest as we came to figure out.
We decided to hit the trail-head at 530am which was made much easier due to camping out in Dillon for the night. We took the 30-minute drive through Breckenridge at 430am with a steady, worry, anxious, pace. The upper parking lot by the trail-head that we research the night before was almost full even when we pulled in at 5 am. Thankfully we found a spot and geared up for the day, shedding extra weight that was packed in the night before thanks to overthinking. The timing could not have worked out more perfectly as the sun was starting the shed light through the trees.
A surreal feeling set in as we hit the first part of the trail leading up to Quandary, knowing the first few steps you are taking are just the first of probably over 20,000. Getting outside and enjoying nature, seeing great views and meeting new people are all what you typically think of when you decide to hike a 14er and are great, however, one thing I’ve learned is and think I have gotten addicted to would be the multiple phases of mind games you play with yourself throughout the hike. Starting the hike is so fun and exciting but there is a small voice in your head questioning why you aren’t in bed sleeping.
The beginning of the trail is much like other “day hikes” that I typically do around Littleton or Morrison and was heavily forested with a great dirt path winding up the side of the mountain. Most 14er’s start with a trek along the same lines as this, which is a great warmup to get the legs going. The start of the day was beautiful and a perfectly cloudless, 60 degrees mountain morning. We played tag with multiple other groups of hikers and were passed by a few hardcore Quandry goers on the way up to the ridgeline.
The trail quickly turned from soft dirt and trees to medium-sized rocks and stairs into the side of the mountain when we peaked above treeline and got to the ridge we would follow to the peak. This was where it was apparent the difference in difficulty between Colorado 14ers and typical Colorado day hikes. Thankfully proper footwear and a few hiking poles were used but our pace was slowed immensely at this point.
Dipping into a few energy goos and protein bars and starting to layer up on our first stop of the hike we settled on a pace that was do-able for the trek along the ridgeline. Covid was definitely not interfering with the weekday 14er crowd here in Colorado as the trail was still packed. Most people were trying to adhere to the “6ft” social distancing when applicable.
The ridgeline we followed all the way to the peak has amazing views both on the left and right sides. On the left (West) you could see another ridgeline and in between a large lake with waterfalls leading down to the parking lot we parked in. This is great as you have awesome views on your way up but also makes for little change throughout the hike and can make your haul up the ridgeline feel endless.
Around 4 hours after the start of the hike we summit-ed the peak of Quandary. This was definitely not the fastest pace I have hiked at but we decided to take our time and enjoy the hike with its great views. There were many other people at the peak enjoying their achievement and hard work. It is always a great feeling of companionship and accomplishment at the peak of a Colorado 14er, a bunch of like-minded individuals enjoying the outdoors and testing themselves is a great thing, Pictures were taken and hugs were given, before we sat down and enjoyed our trail lunch - Beef jerky, Trail mix, and Dried clementines.
Mystery Ranch Coulee 25
The pack I used for this 14er, and my favorite hiking pack I have used to date.
After a great lunch, some much-needed leg rest, and a few Advils, we decided to get going back down the trail along the ridgeline. Knowing eventually when we would get down a nice brewery second lunch with a cold beer and whatever food we wanted we had a little more pep in each step. The way down was easier on the legs but had its own set of challenges. Knee pain and loose rocks were not a good combination but we made it down 2 hours after leaving the peak.
When we got back to the car we decided to change out of our hiking clothes and get into post 14er flops and shorts and made our way to the Dillon Dam Brewery just in time for happy hour.