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Last weekend Kelly and I took a drive up to Pike’s Peak, one of Colorado’s 54 “fourteeners.” A 14er is a mountain with an elevation of over 14,000 feet. Pike’s is #31 on the list, at 14,110 feet (4,300 meters). We were supposed to meet up with some of my co-workers who were hiking up the mountain, but by the time we reached the summit, we didn’t see any of them. Turned out that they had encountered heavy rain earlier in the morning, and decided not to risk the 11 mile round-trip hike due to weather. Even though we didn’t meet up with them, the drive itself was quite an experience – up the 19-mile long toll road that leads from the town of Cascade up to the top of the mountain. This is one of only two 14ers that are easily accessible by car. It’s also the only 14er that has concessions at the summit – the red roof to the right of the picture above is actually a gift shop/restaurant.

From the summit, everything is downhill. It’s quite an interesting experience. Here’s Kelly sitting above the clouds!

For those who don’t wish to hike or drive, there’s a cog railroad that you can ride to the summit. We saw at least 100 people at the summit during the hour we were there. Many had ridden up on the train. It was VERY weird seeing many elderly people, some with canes and such, walking on the summit of a 14er.

Close-up of the train logo.

By contrast, here is a more typical 14er – Missouri Mountain. I hiked this peak with my co-workers in 2003. The valley at the bottom of the picture is at approximately 12,000 feet. We hiked as indicated by the blue arrows to the summit (red arrow). This hike took me more than 6 hours to complete. No roads, trains, or restaurants at the top of this one! Kathlyn also hiked above 14,000 on Missouri Mountain. She was awesome!

For the record, I did make it to the top! Everyone from work who made it are in this picture (from left to right, starting at the back: Newel, Josh, Darin, Sandra, Sondra, Matt, Karissa, and me).

The USGS marker on top of Missouri Mountain. See more information on Missouri Mountain and all of Colorado’s other 14ers at www.14ers.com.