Summiting Grizzly Peak

Colorado is known for its 14ers, the peaks in the Rocky Mountains that exceed 14,000ft. Grizzly Peak is not one of those peaks. While Grizzly doesn’t quite meet the benchmark, it does sit rather pretty at 13,428ft — my personal highest. With the steep grades and drastic elevation changes that go along with them, this was one of my most challenging hikes, but also one of the most rewarding. Here’s how summiting Grizzly Peak went.

We woke up slowly on our first morning in Colorado and groggily wandered about the apartment packing our backpacks and filling our waters. We got on the road well after the sun was up in the sky, and our dawdling resulted in a full parking lot at the trailhead when we arrived at Loveland Pass. Just a little further down the bend in the road, we found another designated parking area that was ours for the taking. From here, we began our ascent to the start of the trailhead. The crisp mountain air rushed in and out of my lungs, but it didn’t have the same satisfying heaviness as the air I was used to. Back home in Wisconsin, I live at a comfortable 873ft elevation where the air is dense and almost tangible. Here, I struggled to catch my breath simply on our walk to the trailhead.

We jumped straight into the trail and started a steep ascent. Ethan and Evan were lightyears ahead of Jake and me, but I was just grateful to have someone to hike next to for once. This first taste of elevation was somewhat demoralizing as I stopped every few steps or so to catch my breath. I didn’t expect the elevation to impact me so much, but I felt like a fish out of water trying to breathe. For the first peak of the hike, a half mile or so, I was under the impression that the whole hike was going to be like this, and I was genuinely fighting the urge to turn around. Ethan, who had done this hike before, assured us that the rest of the hike would be easier, or at least a nice mix of ups and downs. So, somewhat reluctantly, I marched on.

Much to my surprise, the trail did get easier, but there were still plenty of challenging spots. I spent most of the hike at the back of the pack. Occasionally, the group stopped here and there, possibly just as a way of subtle encouragement to me knowing I wasn’t the only one struggling. But, nonetheless, during one of these stops, we stumbled upon our first snow on the mountain and Ethan insisted on a Spotted Cow photo shoot. 

We made our way over multiple peaks, continuously expecting to finally summit Grizzly Peak, but each incline was met with the following decline. However, the mountain entertained us. Over the course of the hike, we could hear tiny chirps from all around us. When we were lucky, we’d catch a glimpse of the little marmots scurrying between rock piles. Some even stopped to pose for the camera.

On our last descent before the final peak, we passed by a group of three men that had just made their way down from the summit — possibly the only other people we had seen on the trail. They pointed out a family of mountain goats laying just 25ft off the trail. Despite the pure exhaustion that raked my body at this point, we hustled down the path determined not to miss our chance at seeing the mountain goats. Slowly, we began ascending the final summit — a feat that would have been far more deterring had the excitement of the goats not distracted me. And there they were, peaking their heads above the rocks. As we got closer and higher, we were able to make out their bodies laying on the rocks. The pure joy at seeing a young kid pop up from behind the adult was indescribable. It was at this point that I regretted packing my wide prime lens instead of a zoom with me. At some point, we overstayed our welcome, and the goats made their way back down the mountain — in the opposite direction as us.

With the goats well on their merry way, we began the steep, rocky and not well-marked climb to the finish line. The rocks weren’t very stable, the small pea gravel gave way under our feet and cascaded down to those below. But we climbed onward and upward. As I finally breached the top, I was met with panoramic views of the mountainscape as far as the eye could see. Off the right side of the cliff was a small reservoir, and to the left was a snow-patched valley. Up ahead of us was Torrey’s Peak, towering magnificently as a true 14er should. Maybe with the proper preparation, I would have felt up to making the trek to the top of Torrey’s, but this wasn’t that day. For now, I would just appreciate its beauty from a few hundred feet below.

As we took in the views and appreciated our extended break at the summit, we whipped out the Spotted Cow we had been saving a cracked it open on top of the mountain. I can definitely say, this was by far the most scenic beer tasting I’d ever experienced. There was a small cove built from stacked rocks at the summit that we all nestled into and rested. By the time we made it to the top, even Ethan and Evan were wiped By the time we made it to the top, even Ethan and Evan were wiped — and I will admit, that made me feel better.

Finally, the time came when we had to say goodbye to the peak and make our way back down to the car. The struggle to climb up now became the struggle not to fall down. The loose sediment gave way under our hiking boots sending us slipping down the mountainside in brief frightening escapades. After a few close calls and some frustrated grumblings, we all made it safely to the base of Grizzly Peak where we saw the goats. But the hike wasn’t over yet.

We climbed our way back over various peaks recalling the paths we climbed on the way up. The trail wasn’t well marked, so we often wandered around looking for the trail before falling in line at the smallest hint of a path. At the base of the last big peak, I thought I was done for. I could barely pick my feet up enough to miss kicking the ground with my toe. I was grumbling and taking a break every 10-15 seconds or so, and that was only about every 2 to 3 steps in full honesty. I was ready to sit down and set up camp for the night. It was at this point that Ethan was also absolutely cashed and ready to be done.

This was by far the most challenging hike I’ve ever done, harder than the Grand Canyon by a long shot. The altitude is what was really getting to me. While my legs were tired, they weren’t the issue. It was the fact that I couldn’t catch my breath. It was like trying to hike a mountain while breathing through a straw. I never thought altitude would be so difficult to deal with. Not to mention the headache you have to power through while holding yourself up on a mountain.

After barely making it over the last major peak, I looked forward to the last and final peak and felt defeated. Luckily, we were all on the same page and decided to take the bailout trail that circles down and around the peak and connects with the trail near the trailhead. We scampered down the steep decline and held our footing on a path that was cut out of the hill with about a foot or less of walking space. Surrounded by wildflowers with the car in sight, it was just what I needed to end the challenging hike. We made our way down the steep trailhead, the same trailhead that nearly sent me crawling for the hills just a few hours earlier. The feeling of accomplishment after completing that hike was one of the proudest moments I’ve had.

We made our way back to the car and admired all the way we came by pointing out the peak. Truthfully, the worst part of the hike was the first ascent at the trailhead which is rather symbolic of most major feats. Oftentimes, getting started is the hardest part of accomplishing any goal. While the trailhead looked intimidating at the start, seeing it on the way back down was a welcome reminder of how far we had come.