How I did it: I took 2 days to climb it.  I'm from NYC and we are at sea level, so I didn't have nearly as many red blood cells as someone who's a Denverite (for example), living at 6,000 ft.  The climb from the base to Barr Camp (where I stayed over night) took only 3 hrs and 45 minutes, BUT I will say that I'm a runner in NYC, so I'm pretty athletic and in shape.  During the time spent at Barr Camp, I also hiked up to a nearby lookout point.  They say "Hike high, sleep low." if you want to acclimatize, so that's what I did here and that's what I had done when I climbed Kilimanjaro.  On Day 2, I left Barr Camp right after the Pike's Peak Power Pancakes breakfast (thanks Teresa! mmmm) and summitted JUST before the rain clouds came in as they do daily up there at about 1:00 PM.  It actually ended up snowing a bit rather than raining and this was late July, people.  I then took the Cog Railway down and this might be one of the best ideas I've ever had :) 

Lessons & tips: Walking sticks look silly, but they are actually quite helpful.  Don't climb without them.

Resources: Internet

Aug 02, 10:45AM PDT | 0 comments | 1 cheer