Sunday, August 23, 2009

Pikes Peak (14 of 14)!!!

Due to Pike Peaks trail length we drove up halfway then hiked the rest. I personally didn't enjoy the crowded peak, but the ride down was great. The first two miles down had only a few ridable sections. The next three miles were on and off ridable. Then the last eight miles were 99% ridable, making it a tiring descent. As the last 14teener the end was extremely gratifying. Over all I would recommend Pikes Peak for beginner unicyclist but be aware there is a good three out of thirteen un-ridable miles coming down.

Also, check out the "14 Fourteeners Final Overview" video in left panel.

Mt. Elbert (13 of 14)

Mt. Elbert was not a fun hike up. The mountain has false peaks making Elbert extremely annoying to climb. The top was beautiful with jagged cliffs on one side. Coming down the top sections were either too steep or too rocky to ride, but about a mile from the summit the trail turns into a fun unicycling trail. About two miles from the summit we hit the woods which were a lot of fun to ride weaving around switch-backs.

In the end I would recommend this mountain for intermediate mountain unicyclist.

Mt. Antero (12 of 14)

Mt. Antero was one of our shortest ascents.  It had a incredibly cool ridge then a short but straight up hike to the summit.  The rocks were extremely loose resulting in a few big falls coming down.  Once down the top pitch the trail started to get better along the ridge.  Finally I ended going down a jeep trail.  Overall the mountain has sections for beginners and sections that are almost impossible.  The trail isn't good for unicycling but any unicyclist can unicycle the doable parts of this mountain.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Redcloud Peak (11 of 14)

This peak is aggravating, before we were able to ascend the peak we were forced to traverse half way around the mountain.  Once we started ascending the mountain the terrain was extremely difficult to unicycle and the trail goes along a cliff at some places making it intense unicycling.  As we reached the top, a storm came in and we had a short white out blizzard.  At this point we decided we didn't have enough time to climb Mt. Sunshine which is next to Redcloud.  Descending red-cloud the last 3 miles was perfect unicycling.  In the end, I would recommend this mountain for very determined intermediates and experts.

Handies Peak (10 of 14)

Handies was an incredibly easy peak. The trail was a slowly sloping 7 mile trail.  There was very few technical spots but only lasting 100 yards at the most. On the way up we were surrounded by jagged peaks and encountered a beautiful pond at the mid point.  The top of the peak was gorgeous with views in all direction of the San Juan ranges.  This 14teener I would recommend for all unicyclists.  Beginner or Expert unicyclist can enjoy Handies.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Mt. Sherman (9 of 14)

This past saturday we summited the 14er, Mt. Sherman.  We started early at six A.M with blue skies.  This mountain was by far the best 14er so far.  The top was extremely difficult but the ground was stable making unicycling possible.  Then towards mid point it turned into amazing single track right down until the bottom of the mountain.  Towards the bottom the trail turns into a old mining road, with a bunch of abandoned mines on the side of the trail that were fun to jump around on.  All said and done about 80 percent of the descent was ridable (although some areas were a bit sketchy).  To any unicyclist out there that are thinking of attempting a fourteener, I would recommend to try Sherman first. 

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Mount Bross (8 of 14)

Mt. Bross had a nice jeep trail leading half way up to the peak that we powered up.  The last stretch to the top was mostly small rocks making it unicyclable.  Coming down we got excellent weather making it an awesome ride. 

Mount Lincoln (7 of 14)

Mt. Lincoln had a incredibly beautiful peak with half of the mountain with huge cliffs.   The top of Lincoln was hard to ride on due to the cliffs but there was a few spots to ride with buffer zones that protected us from falling off.   In the end one of the best 4teeners so far!!

Mount Cameron (6 of 14)

The path up to Mt. Cameron was a ridge the whole way, meaning it was extremely windy as we approached the summit.  The top was flat and we were able to get in a lot of unicycling.  Since some people don't consider it a true fourteener because of its proximity to Lincoln, we went off a snow cornice at the top and slid down then climbed back up to the summit 3 times in order to count it towards our goal of 14 fourteeners!

Mount Democrat (5 of 14)

Mt. Democrat had a steep ascent, but stretches of unicyling on the way down.  We started at the base at 5:45 AM and powered up.  The wind at the saddle was around 70-90 miles per hour making unicycling ten times harder.  Over all it was a pretty and fun peak.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Mt. Princeton (4 of 14) (7/12/09)

Mt. Princeton was the most challenging fourteener we have summitted so far. We did 3,400 vertical feet and seven miles on the trail. the trail was incredible rocky making unicycling and hiking more challenging, but towards the end of the hike the rocks disappeared and we ended up with a few good miles of riding!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Quandry (3of14) (7/4/09)

Three of Fourteen Done!

Perfect Fourth of July day, on the trail at 6:20, at the peak at 8:40. Very limited MUni'ing at the top, but the bottom third was excellent, with good log challenges, tree maneuvering, and steep descents. Did this with my whole family making it even more enjoyable.

Come join us on our next adventure next week.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Grays & Torreys (1,2of14) (6/28/09)

2 DOWN 12 TO GO
Grays & Torreys were great first summits. 6 hours total hiking, perfect weather, and an excellent sun rise. The trail was almost dry with only a few spots covered in snow. Really appreciated the high fives, and words of encouragement from hiking, skiing, and glassading colleagues. Very aggressive downhill with sharp switchbacks, sharp rocks, and sharp goat horns!

Perfect first day, join us on future 14ers. Next one on July 4th: Quandry

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Welcome

We are a group of avid mountain unicyclists in Colorado. We have set a goal to summit 14 of the 52 Colorado fourteeners this summer. Come along and join us in this lung busting adventure and have a blast with us in this unique challenge.