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| Mt Sniktau |
When I was in the REI super store in Denver, I picked up a trail map. Worried about the altitude in hiking up a 14er, I asked the guy there if he had any recommendation of something short but reached a high altitude. Mount Sniktau was a perfect suggestion.
At 13,234 feet Sniktau had altitude. It can be reached in 1.8 miles, so it is short. The trailhead is located at Loveland Pass which is 4 miles from I-70, so it's easily accessible.
I reached the trailhead at 6pm, which is not ideal. Still, if the altitude didn't completely get me, I figured it would be only 2 hours. I walked my usual pace for the first few minutes. My heart rate and breathing rate spiked. I stopped until I could breathe normal. I did this for about a half hour until I finally figured out a comfortable pace.
The altitude I definitely felt, but it was the wind that was the real culprit. There had to be 20-30 mph winds. Of course, I did not wear gloves, so my hands got quite cold, especially as the sun set.
Once up on the ridge, there were views in all directions. A lot of peaks to the west had snow, My guess is that is the region of Mt Elbert, Colorado's highest peak. There was another snow capped peak nearby which was Torrey. With any luck I will summit that tomorrow.
Crazy that they have roads going up that high. How did your car run at that elevation? My Ford had some problems when I went to Rocky Mountain Park for the day. It lacked the power to tackle the climb and started to overheat. It also ran a little rough.
ReplyDeleteMust be pretty cool to reach a peak in such a short walk. You really got a late start. I think you are the king of late starts. But somehow, you almost always finish. Did you see any alpenglow?
The car did well climbing up the passes. It's a beast. It even ascended a dirt road over 1,000 feet that was similar to the road when we did SW Hunter. I cannot recall the name of that notch.
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