Here in Colorado we have over 50 14ers…mountain peaks 14k+ feet above sea level (4267.2m for you soccer fans (football for you meter maids (futbol for you conquistadors))).
Climbing them is a popular casual activity because many don’t require special skills or gear. But even the easiest ones are a six hour slog involving scrambles over loose rock and steep stepping. I’ve done a few but not a big fan because the hikes can be tedious.
For some, 14ers is a way of life and for every day I was out skiing or mountain biking they’d be out climbing. For the uninitiated they sound like a walk in the park, maybe a physical step up from pickleball as a social excursion.
If you’re among the latter, then no matter how good a shape you’re in otherwise…skier, runner, biker, lifter…you will feel every step of that climb the next day in every joint, crack, and crevice of your body. You’ll make an audible grunt when you get out of bed. And you’ll creak and groan your way to the bathroom and then out to the couch and again when you get up to eat. You’ll need the whole day to recover, maybe two. Just walking will be a chore; any exercise or recreation you had planned will be cancelled.
And that friends is what I wake up to every fucking day despite having done NOTHING. This is how it ends. Don’t restart.
