Mt. Quandary

A week and half ago my friend Mike and I climbed to the summit of Mt. Quandary. Mike is a very experienced climber and had previously done the route several times. It’s considered one of easiest “14ers” (14,265 feet), but it was a much tougher and longer workout than I expected. We got on our way a little after 7am. It was a balmy six degrees below zero at the outset. Despite the frigid temperature, it was an absolutely beautiful day. Mike skinned up and skied down the mountain on alpine touring skis, while I split time between YakTrax and snowshoes. Unfortunately, both of our camera’s batteries died before a single shot was snapped, and my cell phone managed but a single photo before it called it quits (I guess rechargeable batteries aren’t too fond of sub-zero temperatures). Hopefully we’ll get out for more adventures this winter.

Here’s the only bit of evidence of our climb: Mike posing for a shot on the way up…