The Road to Princeton

Cancelled - another COVID-19 casualty

On May 18, 2019 my daughter Katrina and I decided that we will climb Mt. Princeton together in the summer of 2020. Mt. Princeton has an elevation of 14,204 feet (4,329 m) so is a part of the Colorado 14ers and ranks in the top 50 highest peaks in North America. It is a class 2 difficulty climb which is rated as moderate for exposure and rock fall potential. The starting point of the trail is at 8,900 feet (2,713 m) elevation so the total elevation gain for the hike is 5.400 feet (1,646 m) and the round trip trail length from the trail head is 13.25 miles (21.3 km). The total hiking time would be 7 or 8 hours. If we manage to borrow a 4x4 truck and can drive up to the 11,000 foot (3,353 m) starting point, then the vertical ascent is only 3,200 feet (975 m) with a round trip trail length of 6.5 miles (10.5 km).

Of course, getting there means not only driving to Colorado but involves a huge commitment to getting into shape. We don't have any hills around here (unless you count Abe's hill) which means I'm going to need to be creative in my preparation. All my training will be at home elevation of 833 feet (254 m), so climbing at target elevation will be very different! Katrina's home elevation is at 7,320 feet (2,231 m) giving her a huge advantage over me. I'll put some sub-pages linked below that document my efforts.