| Have you caught the bug yet? The desire to | | | | up peaks lower than 14,000 feet): |
| climb a mountain with a summit rising at least | | | | 1. Bring along extra layers of clothing. No matter |
| 14,000 feet above sea level has reached | | | | how beautiful and warm the weather is when you |
| near-epidemic proportions in Colorado, with | | | | start out, temperatures can plummet and you |
| estimates of roughly 500,000 hikers and climbers | | | | can get soaked if a thunderstorm moves in. |
| making their way up a Fourteener each year. | | | | 2. Thunderstorms are extremely common in |
| The good news is that a number of Colorado's 54 | | | | Colorado's mountains during summer afternoons. |
| Fourteeners can be climbed by anyone with good | | | | Plan your day so you can be leaving the summit |
| stamina and overall fitness. That's also the bad | | | | and heading back down the trail no later than |
| news. People who know little about the special | | | | noon. Watch the sky for cloud build-up, and turn |
| risks of hiking in the mountains often set out | | | | around earlier if a storm seems to be forming |
| along a well-marked and well-traveled trail up a | | | | early. |
| Fourteener ill-equipped for the venture. | | | | 3. Carry plenty of water, and drink frequently. |
| Hypothermia and dehydration are two of the | | | | Even in cool weather, you'll probably need to drink |
| dangerous and all-too-common problems that | | | | a minimum of 2 quarts of water during your hike |
| might await hikers who aren't prepared. | | | | to and from the summit of one of the "easier" |
| It was the Fourth of July weekend, and we | | | | Fourteeners. That amount of water is on the low |
| headed to the mountains, escaping Denver's 95 | | | | side for many people. |
| degree heat. As we approached the summit | | | | 4. Some of the other "essentials" to bring along: |
| above tree-line (trees can't grow above a certain | | | | food (snack frequently - don't let yourself run out |
| elevation; in Colorado that elevation is around | | | | of "fuel"), map & compass (and know how |
| 11,000 to 12,000 feet), it began to snow. Hard. | | | | to use them), fire starter, flashlight or headlamp, |
| And blow. Harder. We donned our wind pants and | | | | 1st Aid kit, sunglasses, and sunscreen. |
| warm coats, hats and gloves, and continued to | | | | 5. Hike with a buddy. That cold, wet guy was |
| the top. | | | | lucky that other people came along to help him. |
| There we found a hiker who had passed us on | | | | Imagine what would have happened if he had |
| the trail earlier in the day. He was dressed in | | | | been alone for another 30 minutes! |
| running shorts and a light shirt, wearing tennis | | | | These tips are just a start to help you hike more |
| shoes (which were quite wet by now), and | | | | safely in the mountains. Consider joining a hiking |
| carrying a small, empty water bottle. He was | | | | club before tackling higher peaks in Colorado. You'll |
| shivering violently. People began bundling him up in | | | | find some new hiking partners, learn more |
| their extra warm clothing, giving him food and | | | | outdoor skills, and probably have a great time to |
| water, and then helped him back down the trail. | | | | boot. |
| Here are a few basic "rules" to remember before | | | | Let's head for the hills! |
| heading up that mountain trail (even when hiking | | | | |