Travel Tips

On September 8, 2003, my mom and I climbed Mt. Elbert, which, at 14,433 ft., is the highest mountain in Colorado as well as in the entire Rocky Mountain chain. We began our hike in darkness at 6:30 a.m., from a trailhead at 10,400 ft. elevation. The ascent to the summit, much of which was through snow that had fallen the day before, took us four and a half hours. From the top, we had incredible views of Mts. Massive and La Plata, two more of the 54 peaks in Colorado higher than 14,000 ft.