14,110ft.
Front Range
27/58

I had stood on top of Pikes Peak once before. It was actually the first 14er I stood on top of, back when the cog railway was in commission and my little self had no idea that legs could get someone to that same destination.

I remember feeling like we were headed to the top of the world as that train chugged along. The only other things I remember were the gift shop, a colorful sign and brutal wind that probably solidified the disdain I had developed for hiking and mountaintops in my younger years.

Pikes Peak is one of two 14ers that can be summited by vehicle transportation, Mount Evans is the other. I was slightly grumpy about the crowds when I climbed Evans, but Pikes is straight up a tourist destination. It has the aforementioned gift shop known for its donuts, shuttles, parking lots and a few-hundred people on any given day.

Despite having once stood atop Pikes Peak, my resolution to stand on top of all of Colorado’s 14ers includes getting there with my own two feet. A friend and I had these particular dates set aside for awhile. I wanted to climb a 14er and she didn’t want to drive far, which left Pikes Peak as the best compromise. We reserved a night at the infamous “Barr Camp,” which I’d heard of but didn’t know much about, and plans were set.

When the day rolled around, everything fell into place. We found a perfect little parking spot near Manitou, a dog friendly bus driver to drop us off at the trailhead and we were off. We stumbled into Barr Camp late afternoon and it was a dream.

This particular friend is the one I traveled to Spain with and Barr Camp was reminiscent of the hostels we had stayed in during those travels. We enjoyed the quaint lodge and it’s amenities before retiring to our “lean to,” which was probably a bit more primitive than either of us expected (see second picture below), but it was comfortable enough and everything we needed. (My friend later described the entire event as our “past time of sleeping in questionably warm structures and hiking up big mountains.” Pretty spot on).

We woke up the next morning and enjoyed the provided waffle breakfast before setting off. It was during this stretch of hiking that my summertime leg pain switched from bearable to unbearable. With each step I questioned my ability to keep going. Pain began radiating into places I hadn’t experienced pain previously and I began internally dreading the implications this would have on the remainder of my summer hiking plans, but I pressed forward with the mindset that we were closer to the summit than we were to the bottom.

After approximately one million rest breaks and an immense amount of patience from my friend, we began hearing the voices of the summit crowd and smelling those donuts.

Initially there was something slightly disconcerting about encountering these crowds and facilities after hiking 13mi in severe pain with backpacking gear, but as we sat on the summit I started thinking about those childhood Pikes Peak memories and then about all of the lifetime memories that were presently being made all around us. I’m thankful I don’t have to share most summits with hundreds of people, but I’m also glad Pikes Peak gives people who wouldn’t otherwise get to stand above 14k feet the opportunity to make memories and see the world from a vantage point I’ve fallen in love with. Right around the time I was coming to those resolutions, a couple asked us to snap a few photos of them and suddenly we were documenting a proposal; case in point.

Because of storm clouds and pain and time lost to my snail-pace, we admittedly ended up hitch-hiking down Pikes Peak. I still go back and forth about whether I’m okay with that decision and I land on yes most of the time, mainly because we hiked up 13 miles and there is an alternative route up Pikes Peak that is only 8 miles round trip.

Regardless, maybe I’ll go back someday. If I do, maybe I’ll go the Barr Camp route again or maybe I’ll try a new route or maybe I won’t stand on top of Pikes Peak ever again. It’s hard to say.

Maybe on August 1st, 2018 some elementary-age girl stood on top of Pikes Peak with her family without realizing she could get to that same spot with her own to legs. And maybe someday she will.