Hike a Fourteener: 4 Tips to Prep

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Quandary Peak or Bust!

I never thought I would hike a fourteener… But, in one week my husband and I will climb his eighth mountain and my second. Eighth and second fourteener that is, respectively. Quandary Peak near Breckenridge, CO is known as one of the easier 14ers to hike. So it’s a good one for beginners, like me.

This is a picture of us at the summit of Mount Bierstadt last August. I was elated that I made it to the top, but hesitant because I knew I would have to start heading down. There was 500 feet of “light scrambling” at the top and it’s not so bad looking up. Harder to head down.

I obviously am a beginner and so I want to be sure I prepare myself mentally, and physically. As we prepare to hike a fourteener, there are a few things I am doing to prep.

Water Intake

First, in order to fight altitude sickness, we are increasing our daily water intake. This will be a varied amount depending on who you are and what you do each day. I am shooting for a cool 64 oz. of water each day. My husband can easily down a gallon, almost without thinking twice. It depends on your weight as well as how much you’re sweating from either working out, or working outside in hot weather. We also will be bringing enough water on our actual hike to be sure to stay hydrated. As you prepare to hike a fourteener you definitely want to increase your water intake.

Higher elevation sports or workouts call for better hydration because at a higher elevation the air is thinner and dryer. Your body naturally reacts to the thinner and dryer air and could result in altitude sickness if you’re not careful and staying hydrated. A full write up of prevention of altitude sickness and the science behind it can be found here.

Stair Climber

Secondly, a regular stop at the gym stair climber is another way we prepare. Not only do we hop on the dreaded stair climber, but we also head out to a well known spot in our town that hikers go to get a good steep “hiking workout” in. We are obviously outdoors at this hill. After 10 rounds up and down I am done for. Especially in the humidity of our summer climate. The only part I don’t particularly like is going down. It does give me a cardio break, but it’s steep so I always worry I’m going to slip. The stair climber is nice. Even though I still drip with sweat, it is in an air conditioned gym. I try to shoot for climbing 100-150 flights each time I step on.

Herbal Supplements

Finally, we take an herbal supplement that has proven quite helpful while hiking a fourteener in the past. We have used Altitude Advantage (#ad) from Wilderness Athlete. Check it out below if you’d like to try it out yourself. #ad

I simply follow the directions on the bottle, taking them in the weeks leading up to my hike, and also while there. I had no problems while hiking my first fourteener last year, and I’m hoping for the same results again this time!

All Trails

As far as mental preparation is concerned, I also check the All Trails app. Those who have hiked these mountains before will leave updates and comments about their hikes. I can check the weather forecast, and see what others are saying about the conditions and if any other supplies were useful or needed. After checking on Quandary Peak, one hiker mentioned there’s still snow at the summit just 18 hours ago. The pictures uploaded to the app show some adorable mountain goats and some leftover snow! Looking forward to a break from our heat and humidity, as well as a marriage building trip with my hubs.