Colorado - Day 5: Carbondale to Mount Elbert to Manitou Springs
On Thursday, August 15, 2024, I hiked Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado, via the Northeast Ridge route. It was my first 14er! In hindsight, I probably should have chosen a shorter 14er for my first one, as the trail is 9.75 miles, making it one of the longer ones. But as a Class One hike with a well-defined and well-marked trail, according to 14ers.com, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to summit the highest peak in Colorado!
Mount Elbert is a popular 14er (all the Class Ones tend to be), so the parking lot fills up quickly. I arrived at the Halfmoon Creek trailhead around 3am and was the second to arrive. I started hiking around 3:30am.
I completed the Sky Pond hike at Rocky Mountain within 8 hours, Old Rag at Shenandoah within 7 hours, hiked Wheeler Peak, a 13er, within 6.5 hours, recently hiked the Lares Trek in Peru, so I figured this hike would take me 8, maybe 10 hours. Instead, it took me 8 hours up and 7 hours down. I got back to my car at 7pm. It was slow going up, since my knee was still hurting from hiking down from Crater Lake in Maroon Bells two days earlier. The final stretch from 13,500 to 14,440 feet also felt a lot tougher than I expected.
But, I did it! I summited my first 14er!!! As I write this, my knee is now fully healed, and I regret nothing. I’m grateful I was able to summit. And, I met so many amazing people along the way. As I would hike up, I’d hear people behind me, so I’d pull off to the side to let people pass. Sometimes, I’d mention that I hurt my knee, which is why I was hiking slowly. Everyone was so kind, asking if I was ok or if I needed anything. Luckily, I was fully prepared, with plenty of food and water and snacks and layers and Advil. I just wasn’t prepared for a bum knee. Oh well. I'll be back in Colorado to hike another 14er at some point! I'm thinking Mount Sherman might be a good second 14er :)
When I reached the car, I drove 3 hours to check into The Cliff House at Pikes Peak in Manitou Springs to move onto the next part of my trip. I arrived around 10pm and headed straight to bed.
I chose to stay at The Cliff House at Pikes Peak because it is located in the heart of Manitou Springs and is a short drive away from Broadmoor Seven Falls, Garden of the Gods, and The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway, the activities I had planned for the next leg of my trip. I had also planned on hiking the Manitou Incline, but had to remove that from my list of activities, due to the knee pain. I’ll be back at some point to conquer the incline!
It was a little expensive, at $640.22 for 2 nights in August 2024. But, it’s such a beautiful hotel and so conveniently located, I couldn’t not treat myself. The staff was amazing and the food was delightful. I definitely plan to stay there the next time I go to Manitou Springs.
