| September in Fourteener Country |
| Articles - BV Outdoors |
 by: Keith Baker
Did you know Chaffee County has the highest mean elevation of any county in the Lower Forty Eight? It’s true. We enjoy that distinction because the bulk of the Sawatch Range, and twelve of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks, lies within Chaffee County. From north to south, the Chaffee County “fourteeners” are La Plata, Huron, the Belford-Oxford-Missouri Group, Harvard & Columbia, Yale, Princeton, Antero, and Shavano & Tabeguache. (These groupings are from the authoritative reference for hiking and climbing these majestic peaks, Gerry Roach’s “Colorado’s Fourteeners.”)September is a wonderful time to experience a fourteener at its most beautiful. Oddly enough, hiking or  climbing a fourteener is one of the toughest logistical challenges in hiking and mountaineering. 14,000 feet just happens to be in the heart of thunderstorm elevation, so you need to start early. This implies and levies other requirements that won’t be addressed here, but just know you have to plan in some detail and every summit has it’s unique set of challenges. There are plenty of resources available to make hiking a fourteener a pleasant experience.Always remember – in this as in all things – Safety First! Whether you plan to summit or just enjoy the  wooded trails alongside the slopes of one of these beauties, plan ahead. Consult your maps, check the guidebooks, discuss the route with someone who has been there if possible, try to picture the route in your mind (this is a map translation skill that takes some practice), and tell someone of your plans. I urge you to never travel completely alone. For me, even the solitude of the mountains is something wonderful to be shared.Lightning is the number one objective hazard in Colorado’s mountains. It is not a trivial danger. Direct hits are usually fatal, and you never see the one that gets you – or at least that’s what I’ve been told! So let me stress here, as elsewhere – start early! Be off the summit by noon and under treeline by early afternoon. Whenever you venture outdoors, strive to Leave No Trace. These are fragile alpine areas and the thousands of trail users can cause extensive damage. For more information, visit the Leave No Trace website at www.lnt.org. Briefly, the six basic tenets of the LNT movement are: 1. Plan Ahead and Prepare 2. Camp and Travel on Durable Surfaces 3. Pack It In, Pack It Out 4. Properly Dispose of What You Can’t Pack Out 5. Leave What You Find 6. Minimize Use and Impact of Fires Dressing for a typical fourteener hike is a challenge your first few times, but after just a few you’ll be an old pro. Like dressing for anything in Colorado, the trick is layering and wearing materials that keep you dry from inside and out. Zip-off pants are great, too, and wear a good hat or cap that protects you from the sun. Don’t forget the sunscreen and a good bug spray! Carry a headlamp, light first aid kit, signaling mirror and whistle, map and compass, plenty of water, good nutritious snacks and a nice lunch for the summit (weather permitting), camera and binoculars, and any special items for the particular mountain and conditions in a light pack and you should be all set. I’m also a big advocate of trekking poles. They save energy, improve your hiking posture, and come in handy for a variety of uses. Finally, you don’t have to climb to the summit to enjoy our fourteeners – especially in autumn when the aspen are turning. These are incredible mountains and their majesty is wonderful to behold even from down here at the modest elevation of 8,000 feet, as I am doing now out my office window. Keith Baker and his wife Evelyn own The Trailhead and Trailhead Cycle & Ski in Buena Vista. For more information visit the store’s website at www.TheTrailheadCO.com or stop by the shop at 707 Highway 24 North. |