Hiking your first is a special moment. For those of us who love hiking, these towering peaks can take up a lot of space in our imagination. You might have been thinking about hiking a 14er for a couple of years and now you’re finally ready – but there’s a lot to do before you go.
Hiking a 14er means a lot of physical exertion, at , in remote areas, so you need to be extra vigilant about planning and preparation. During my years living in Colorado, I hiked many of the state’s 14ers and absolutely loved every adventure, but that’s because I went into every hike well-prepared so each one was seamless and fun, if not exactly easy. Before you head off on your first 14er, make sure you’ve completed all the items on our checklist to ensure you have a memorable experience, for all the right reasons.
It’s amazing how many times this needs to be said, but you don’t hike a 14er to get in shape, you get in shape to hike a 14er. You’ll want to be reasonably fit for climbing a 14er. Even the so-called provide a worthy opponent for the fittest hikers and climbing mountains is a different kettle of fish to working out at the gym or even jogging.
Make sure you’ve spent a few months building up your aerobic fitness, working on and increasing your distances over land, whether that means hiking more or building in longer runs and lots of if you’re a Flatlander. If you’re hiking a 14er, you’re officially heading into high altitude zone, and if you don’t already know, ..
