THIRTEEN FEET

Summit-hungry hikers and climbers who crave the unbeaten path have good reason to consider thirteeners. They provide the same physical challenge, virtually the same vistas and the same high alpine environment – without the crowds. And, consider these numbers: There are 704 thirteeners in Colorado and only a paltry 54 fourteeners. Climbing all of those thirteeners should keep you busy for, say, a lifetime. 

"There is a good chance that if you climb a thirteener, you are going to be the only person on it,” said Mike Garratt, co-author of “Colorado’s High Thirteeners: A Climbing and Hiking Guide.” Until recently, Garratt’s book – originally published in 1984 and now in its third edition – was the only guide to climbing 13,000-foot peaks. “Generally, you are never alone on a fourteener peak and that is just not true for the thirteeners.”

To say that climbing fourteeners is trendy is a wild understatement. Each year, 200,000 people climb or attempt to climb Colorado’s fourteeners, a 300 percent increase over the last decade, according to the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, a group that seeks to protect and preserve Colorado’s highest peaks. On any given weekend during the summer, the trail to the top of Front Range fourteeners, such as Longs Peak and Greys and Torreys peaks, can look like a Conga line from trailhead to summit.

All the traffic on the fourteeners is taking a toll environmentally. Throngs of hikers leave trash on the high mountains, trample sensitive alpine tundra and create erosion problems when they veer off trail (purposely or accidentally). It has spurred a debate within the mountain community about how best to care for the fourteeners. Some even argue that there should be limits on the number of people allowed to climb them. But that is another topic for another day. Those who choose to climb thirteeners instead can take the ethical high ground – they obviously can’t take the actual high ground – with they knowledge they aren’t contributing to the problems caused by people on fourteeners.

But there are a couple of things you should know before you set out to ascend your first thirteener. Because they are not as well-traveled, climbing thirteeners often requires more advanced mountaineering and route-finding skills than do fourteeners Bring the right topographical map, a compass and know how to use them. Somebody with a guide book is not likely to be resting at the saddle to point you in the direction of the summit route and signed trails are few and far between if there are any. You have to figure it out on your own. Garratt’s book is slightly vague – he says intentionally so – about directions, assuming that someone who is climbing a thirteener has enough wilderness experience to find the route.

But those looking for more direction can buy the new book by Gerry and Jennifer Roach, “Colorado Thirteeners: 13,800 to 13,999.” Gerry is the same guy who penned the widely used fourteeners guide, and the new book on thirteeners follows basically the same format. It lays out routes by difficulty and gives clear directions on reaching the trailhead and getting to the summit of 59 of the state’s highest thirteeners. The new book includes full-color topographical maps.

So which thirteener is good to start with? I recommend 13,794-foot Square Top Mountain. It is perched just west of Guanella Pass outside Georgetown, less than an hour from Denver. A relatively easy trail, though completely unmarked, leaves from the westside of the 11,669-foot pass and leads you to two beautiful alpine lakes just below the peak. You have to figure out the best route to the top from there, but it is not hard. Overall, you gain almost 2,400 feet in elevation over 3.5 miles (the hike is 7 miles roundtrip). From the top, you can see the teaming mass on the trail to Mount Bierstadt and Mount Evans, two popular fourteeners on the eastside of Guanella Pass.

If you are looking for a challenge, head into Rocky Mountain National Park and tackle 13,560-foot Hagues Peak, the highest peak in the Mummy Range and fourth highest peak in the park. The trail starts at the Lawn Lake Trailhead, at roughly 8,500 feet, and climbs 5,000 vertical feet over nine miles. The 18-mile trek can be done in one day, but it is a bruiser. More reasonable people than I (last year I did it in a day) break this ascent into two days. The trail is well marked for the first 6.2 miles to Lawn Lake. The 11,000-foot lake is nestled in a spectacular alpine valley that is bounded by thirteeners. From the lake, the trail climbs steeply to a saddle where it disappears completely. The route is basically a steep scramble from the saddle to the top of Hagues. If you really want to punish yourself and get the extra credit, you can bag nearby Fairchild Mountain (13,502) and Mummy Mountain (13,425) at the same time. I can damn near promise you that you’ll sit on the summit by yourself.

So, are you convinced? If I haven’t sold you on climbing a thirteener, the growing urge you have to beat the snot out of that guy – and there is always one – using his wireless phone on the summit of a fourteener should be a sign that it is time for you to ditch the crowds and get high on a thirteener.