Running/Hiking
Are you looking to tackle your first 13er or 14er this upcoming season? First of all, congrats on wanting to take the leap into high altitude hiking and climbing! As someone who is an expert in training for outdoor adventures and has completed 12+ fourteeners (8 of which I summited solo), here is everything you need to know from a training, preparation, and safety standpoint.
Want to be summit ready this season? Join Kathletics Trail, our hybrid training program that keeps you adventure ready all year long, and pair with our included beginner 13er/14er cardio plan.
Back in September of 2016, I came out to Colorado to visit my family and celebrate my birthday. Although I was fit, I was still fairly new to hiking since I lived in Nebraska at the time. The day before my first 14er, my boyfriend and I hiked at St Mary’s Glacier. Lovely hike at high altitude (11,000’), but a short hike nonetheless. The next day we set out to hike one of the “easier” 14,000’ peaks, Mt Bierstadt, with my brother in law and a few of his friends. Calling Mt Bierstadt easy is extremely relative as it is still a strenuous and challenging hike.
As I mentioned, I was a new hiker at the time. Prior to 2016, I had hiked maybe a handful of times, and certainly not at high elevation. So, with limited experience nor any research done, I woke up bright and early only to realize: I did not have proper attire for a hike, and especially not for one that is at the caliber of a 14er. I wore regular tennis shoes. I borrowed my sister's North Face zip up jacket (the soft, not wind-proof kind), a stocking cap, and gloves (again, the soft, not waterproof or wind-proof kind). If this didn’t scream unprepared for the elements, I don’t know what did. But nonetheless, off we went!
By the time we got to 12,000-13,000’, I was absolutely freezing. The gloves and hiding my hands in my zip up were not doing me any favors as I couldn’t feel my hands. Although it was pleasant weather at the trailhead, it became cloudy, windy, and started hailing and snowing the higher we hiked. We got a few hundred feet from the top, but ultimately did not end up summiting. I was absolutely miserable! We turned around and descended into the sunshine and warmth found at the lower half of the trail.
Many lessons were learned that day. A few including:
- Bring 4 seasons worth of attire
- Check the weather
- Understand that hiking at 14,000’ is vastly different than hiking at 4,000’
- Obtain a satellite communication device
- Bring extra food and water
Fortunately, we redeemed ourselves once we moved to Colorado in 2019 and summited Mt Bierstadt in much better conditions. Now that I’ve had several years of training and experience under my belt, let’s get into the necessary training and preparation.
When it comes to training for your first high altitude hike, you want to consider things like your fitness experience, your training environment, and how much time you have available to train before your trek. These aspects will have a significant impact on your 14er experience.
Hiking at high altitude is tough regardless if you have a lot of fitness or a little fitness. With that said, building an aerobic base and training in a variety of heart rate zones will help you increase your endurance and capacity, and provide you with the necessary tools to summit your first 14er with more ease. As I mentioned earlier, no 14er or 13er is easy. The Class 1 and 2 trails are “relatively easy” compared to the Class 3s, 4s, and 5s, but none of them are easy. The more fitness you have going into the hike, the better.
If you do not live in Colorado or have access to training in a high altitude area, developing your fitness is going to be one of the best options for you as you likely won’t have time to acclimate to 10,000’+. Even if you live in Denver or Colorado Springs, you still won’t be acclimated enough to have an easier time above 10,000’. Contrary to popular belief, it actually isn’t “better” to try to get to higher altitude 2-3 days before your hike. The most optimal time is either to arrive day of or acclimate at that altitude for 10-14 days. Research shows that your performance decreases after the first day before coming back up. Does this mean you shouldn’t do your trek if you plan to visit or camp for a couple days before? Definitely not. But it is something to take into consideration if you have flexibility in your schedule and/or you’re interested in optimizing your experience.
Of course, any type of cardiovascular exercise will help your overall cardio system, but I do recommend hiking when possible. If you can hike 1x/week, do weighted step ups with a hiking backpack or similar another day, and get an additional type of cardio (running, biking, swimming, etc.) weekly, that would be beneficial.
When planning your weekly hikes, meet yourself where you’re at with mileage, duration, and elevation gain, and slowly build week after week. This is exactly the model we use in our beginner 13er/14er program, which is included as a selected cardio plan in Kathletics Trail. Most of the recommended first time 14ers range from 5-9 miles and 2,100’-3,500’ of gain, so building up to that through progressive overload will help set you up for success.
Here is a list of my recommended first 14ers:
- Mt Bierstadt, 2,850’ gain, 7.25 miles
- Mt Blue Sky, 2,000’ gain, 5.5 miles
- Grays Peak, 3,000’ gain, 7.5 miles
- Handies Peak, 2,500’ gain, 5.75 miles
- Quandary Peak, 3,450’ gain, 6.75 miles
- Mt Sherman, 2,100’ gain, 5.25 miles
- Torreys Peak, 3,000’ gain, 7.75 miles
As you tinker around within the 14ers.com website, you will notice you can pair some 14ers together if you want to knock out more than one at a time. For example, Grays and Torreys are often paired together. Democrat, Lincoln, Cameron, and Bross* are often paired together.
*Please abide by the signs and do not trespass.
Strength training is often overlooked when it comes to 13er and 14er training, as well as hiking in general. I get it, if you want to get better and more efficient at hiking, you will want to hike, BUT strength training will benefit you, too! Not only do I stand by the statement (and science) that strength training and cardiovascular training are part of a healthy lifestyle, it is also an important piece of training for your big hikes.
Consider strength training 1-3x/week and include full body workouts that address the basics: squat/hinge/push/pull. Variations of these exercises will help improve your experience on the trails, especially if you are someone who is prone to knee, hip, back, or ankle troubles. Tend to hate the descents on your knees? Practice step downs and loading the quads and glutes. Tend to roll an ankle every so often? Improve your ankle stability with single leg exercises. Tend to feel your low back after carrying a heavy back? Increase your strength and endurance in your hips and core. If you’ve been ignoring these issues and just “dealing with it” during your past hikes, see what happens when you start strength training and participate in a program that follows progressive overload.
To take the guesswork out of your training, join Kathletics Trail, our hybrid training program that keeps you adventure ready all year long, and pair with our included beginner 13er/14er cardio plan.
Staying fueled and hydrated in the backcountry is extremely important. Not only from an energy standpoint, but also a decision making standpoint. If you were to accidentally get yourself in a sticky situation, do you think you would make more informed decisions while hungry and dehydrated or fed and hydrated? Right: Fed and hydrated. Bringing and consuming enough food, carbs, water, and electrolytes throughout your hike, and having extra in case of an emergency is essential.
Most of the 13ers and 14ers will take you 3+ hours as a first timer. As a general recommendation, aim for 200-300 calories and 45-65g of carbs per hour, and electrolytes in 600ml of water per hour. Again, this is a general recommendation. It’s a lot easier to get dehydrated in the high country due to the climate, plus with the extra wind and perspiration, it’s important to stay on top of your needs.
Preparation for a high altitude hike or climb goes beyond physical training. Backcountry skills, awareness, and general preparation are also necessary to baggin’ peaks. Although you can obviously hike a 13er or 14er without robust knowledge of the backcountry, I do recommend taking a wilderness first aid or survival course. It might sound extreme, but exploring the backcountry is not a joke. Even on the busier peaks, you can take a wrong turn and step into your worst case scenario. It’s best to be as prepared as possible, especially if you have interest in summiting high altitude mountains solo or doing more than one. Check out NOLS or your local governments recreation website to see if they offer any courses.
Download my free Training Guide for Your First Fourteener to take a deeper dive.
Obviously I didn’t have the proper gear or equipment for my first 14er and survived, but now that I’ve lived to tell the tale and have gained more knowledge and experience, I do recommend the following to ensure you’re prepared for potentially all four seasons in one trek.
Here is my hiking checklist:
- Food + extra
- Water + extra
- Electrolytes
- Hiking pants
- Base layer
- Mid-layer
- Outer layer
- Rain jacket
- Socks + extra pair
- Hiking shoes/boots
- Hat
- Gloves
- Buff
- Trekking poles (optional)
- First aid kit
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Headlamp
- Map
- Satellite communication device
- The rest of the 10 essentials (see below)
- ID
- Cash/credit card
- Cell phone
- Portable charger
Aside from being prepared from a training, knowledge, and awareness standpoint, there are additional measures you can take to ensure you are safe before, during, and after your hike.
1. Aim to do your 13er or 14er in the summer months (late June-early September). It can snow above the treeline all year long, so it’s important to know the weather and conditions before you go. I do not recommend doing your first 14er in the winter. Extra knowledge, risk assessment, and/or preparation will be needed during avalanche season.
2. Check the recent peak conditions and reports. You can view these directly on the 14ers.com website and look for mentions or notes on 14ers Facebook groups.
3. Plan your route. Check the 14ers.com website to get mapping that you can download to your Garmin inReach or satellite communication device of choice.
4. Check the weather. Do this more than once as you approach your trek. The weather can change quickly and drastically within a short amount of time. You will also want to beware of afternoon thunderstorms that roll in. Start your hike early to avoid the thunderstorms. I recommend looking at Mountain Forecast, NOAA, and OpenSummit. The combination of these will help guide you in the proper direction.
5. Don’t be afraid to turn around. Whether you’re not feeling physically, mentally, or emotionally fit to summit, just turn around. The mountains aren’t going anywhere.
6. Know your body and your limits. You need to be able to get back down safely and efficiently.
7. Be aware of road or peak closures. Many of the 13ers and 14ers are on private land, so make sure you can legally and appropriately access the trailhead. Additionally, some roads are only open seasonally. Depending on how much snow we had during the winter will impact when roads open and/or close for the season. You can access the latest information on 14ers.com.
8. Bring the 10 essentials. Whether it’s your first 14er or 30th, the 10 essentials are essential for a reason. Always include: navigation, light, sun protection, first aid, knife, fire, shelter, extra food, extra water, and extra clothes. Hopefully you won’t need them, but having them could be life saving.
9. Purchase and know how to use a satellite communication device to assist in navigation, communication, and worst case scenario, SOS. I understand that phones like the iPhone now have SOS capabilities, but I still recommend a satellite communication device due to the extended battery life and preciseness of coordinates. I personally use a Garmin inReach and it has not let me down.
10. Always leave your hike details with 1-2 people. It could look something like this:
I am hiking with [first and last name].
Their contact information is [contact info/phone number].
We are hiking [mountain/peak] via [trail/route]. *Send a trail link or screenshot of the full description.
I will be parking at [lot/trailhead].
Here is my car information [make, model, color, year, license plate number].
We are starting at [time] AM/PM with plans to return to the car by [time] AM/PM.
If you do not hear from me by [time] AM/PM, call the local authorities/SAR at [phone number].
I will be wearing [color] clothes and have my [color] backpack.
Again, this might seem extreme, but it truly can save your life!
Summiting your first 13er or 14er is no easy feat AND it’s extremely rewarding! Do what you can to build up your fitness, gain knowledge about the backcountry, and learn how to keep yourself safe before baggin’ your first peak. And, as always, don’t forget to look up and enjoy the views. Have fun!
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