Mount Quandry

I had scouted out Quandry the previous afternoon and determined that the recommended trail in my guide was not the current trail. It looks like this is another case (similar to Bierstadt) where significant trail upgrades had been done. The current trailhead was about 1 mile up 851 road from the intersection of 850 road. The start of the trailhead was a two lane 4x4 road which was not labeled very well, but several people coming off the trail, told me where it was. This was probably created by the equipment vehicles used for the trail upgrade, I think. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The start was very similar to Longs; a hike up through the evergreen trees until they got smaller and smaller, and then they were gone. After leaving the evergreens, the trail continues up and around the left side of the mountain. You could tell that this part was new. Also, you could see that an older, steeper trail - under restoration - went straight up the mountain. The new trail followed the southern side of the mountain, and consisted of dirt, rocks and even some impressively created boulder steps. I can't imagine the amount of work required to restore a trail like this. A lot of the climb you can kind of see the top of Quandry. It seems so far away! Before you begin the final summit of Quandry, you level off into a very slight saddle which is several hundred feet long. This is kind a good rest, since most of the Quandry climb is steep and continuous. After leaving this flat area, you start climbing boulders towards the top of Quandry. This final climb to the summit is very much like the summit climb on Bierstadt. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had started Quandry at noon, so I was a bit worried about afternoon weather. All looked fine, but it was a bit cloudy. The wind had calmed down significantly since the morning though. The boulder climb to the top was uneventful. Once you get to the top, the first thing you notice is a pair of skis and an old ammo box. This is the box for the registration sheet. Also, it seems to be a memorial for someone who had an obvious passion for skiing and mountains. The feeling at the top of Quandry was magnificent. I had finished my ninth 14er in 4 days. I could even see the three peaks from the previous day to the south: Democrat, Lincoln and Bross (plus Cameron). That was neat! I decided to savor this, and spent an hour at the top. I made cell phone calls to everybody I could think of. This is something that I avoided on the other peaks, so as not to disturb the ambiance of the peak. Haha! Plus, the only other peaks where I could get reception was Grays, Torreys and Bierstadt. I talked to several people on the top, as I was relaxing. One lady called me "her hero" for being able to climb nine in 4 days. I grinned. Everybody was so nice. Well, finally time to go down the mountain. I was sooo worried that I was going to stumble and break an ankle, so I took a lot of time to get down. I just didn't want to press my luck in view of the finish line. It took me 2 hours to summit and 1 hour 45 minutes to come down. The decent time surprised me. I mean, I was going slow, but I didn't think I was going that slow. It really is a very tedious decent. And, surprise, I didn't fall, or break anything. However, I used my regular running shoes for a second day of climbing, and pretty much destroyed them. An $85, almost new, pair of New Balance running shoes down the drain. I recommend shoes appropriate for the rocky terrain! Overall Quandry was a GREAT basic climb. This is probably the one I was suggest most for a first 14er, or for someone just interested in climbing a 14er, and in the Breckenridge area. It is a very convenient location, the scenery is ever changing throughout the climb, it is a reasonably doable climb, yet still challenging, and the view from the top is beautiful.

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