Ascending 14er Quandary Peak via its rugged class 3 west ridge, with descent of the standard east ridge route, on July 22, 2022. The mountain is located in the southern end of Colorado’s Tenmile Range, just north of the neighboring Mosquito Range. Seen by explorers in the mid 1800’s, and given the range’s forward position relative to the plains, the peak became an early site of frenzied mining activity beginning in the early 1860’s along with the other mountains of both neighboring ranges, including nearby 14ers Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Democrat, and Mt. Sherman. Its name, “Quandary,” is supposed to have come from the perplexing of early miners by the identity of a type of ore found on the mountain. This was my 2nd time climbing this mountain, the first time being 10 years ago when I went up and down via the standard route. The standard east ridge route is class 1 walk-up the entire way, and has become exceedingly popular in recent years. As of this video, during peak months a parking reservation fee system has been implemented for the main Quandary trailhead. Information can be found here: ParkQuandary.com.
On this occasion I ascended using the west ridge route, which, although exciting and engaging, involves a lot of route-finding, off-trail stretches, class 3 rock, and can be tedious and complicated. But it is surely a much-less-crowded and contrasting alternative to the regular route, provided you come prepared and educated on the route. In this video I talk a bit about the history of the mountain, show the west ridge ascent as well as the east ridge descent, provide maps and route description for both sides, and of course, the scenery. Here is the table of contents for this video:
0:00 Different views of the mtn., and its history
2:05 Route overview and statistics
4:24 Driving/walking up the Blue Lakes road, to the dam at ~11,700
5:18 Stretch #1: lake to basin, ~11,700’ to ~12,300’
9:16 Stretch #2: basin, ~12,300’ to ~13,400’
26:06 Stretch #3: the crux west ridge, ~13,400’ to the top, 14,272’
58:05 Views at the top
1:00:30 Descent of east ridge route
1:04:57 From the Quandary TH back to the car, ~10,900’ to ~11,400’
1:05:53 Final thoughts and images
For all the complete high mtn. climbs on this channel, including CO. 14ers:
• Mountain Hikes and Climbs
Music selections:
1) “Cats Searching for the Truth” - Nat Keefe and Hot Buttered Rum (YouTube audio library)
2) “The Twister” - Dan Lebowitz (YouTube audio library)
3) “Hoedown” - Audionautix (YouTube audio library)
Hoedown by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Artist: http://audionautix.com/
4) “Lord of the Land” - Kevin MacLeod (YouTube audio library)
Lord of the Land by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
5) “Drums of the Deep” - Kevin MacLeod (YouTube audio library)
Drums of the Deep by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: http://incompetech.com
6) “Fun in a Bottle” - Kevin MacLeod (YouTube audio library)
Fun in a Bottle by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Additional sources:
1) For maps: U.S. Geological Survey - USGS
2) "A Climbing Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners" by Walter R. Borneman and Lyndon J. Lampert. Pruett Publishing, 2nd edition, 1988.
3) "Colorado's Fourteeners - From Hikes to Climbs" by Gerry Roach. Fulcrum Publishing, 3rd edition, 2011.
4) 14ers.com: Quandary Peak/routes
5) For signs: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture - USDA
6) "Colorado's Highest - The History of Naming the 14,000-Foot Peaks" by Jeri L. Norgren. John Fielder Publishing, 2020.
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