Hiking up to Pikes Peak, CO

Hello all,
I've been hitting my workouts pretty hard over the last year and I'm looking to be more active with my photography. I'd like to start doing more hiking and nature-type stuff. My buddy and I are currently thinking out the logistics of hiking up to Pikes Peak down in Colorado. I've never done anything like this before and I'm trying to get a list of possible equipment that I'm going to need.

I'm set on getting an F-Stop Tilopa BC with a medium sized ICU for my pack (been looking to get a new bag anyways). We've discussed starting from the bottom and hiking up to the Barr Camp the first day. Second day will be the climb to the summit and then back to camp. Third day will be back down to the bottom.

Has anyone here done this? If so, do we need three days or can it be done in two? We're both in good shape but a little worried about the altitude factor. I've seen a couple of posts from people who drove partway up and then started the climb but we're both really wanting to start from the bottom and work our way up.

I'll be taking my gripped 40D, 24-105, 70-200, 430EX, and accessories. I'm also thinking about renting something extra wide to take with. I'm dreading the idea of lugging my 055XPROB for that long but I'm stuck in deciding which carbon fiber tripod to possibly get. I'm about 6'4" tall so the height is kind of important.

Anyways, I'd really appreciate any help you can offer. I'd even like some recommendations for a nice light-weight tent and sleeping bag. Thanks in advance.

We have a vacation cabin near the base of the Peak and I've pondered doing this myself. One thing to keep in mind is that the Peak Region is essentially a desert climate. So you are going to want to make sure you keep hydrated, so leave room to tote extra water. Ironically though, at least in late summer it rains for a short period nearly every day so you need to be waterproofed to some degree. A lot of hikers consider the march from bottom to top enough and ride the inclined rail car back down from the top. That would leave you an extra day to shoot pictures of the mountain as its better viewed from a distance than actually on it.

I don't know how technical of a climb it is, but 14,000' is no joke. If you haven't done anything close to that I suggest doing a few shorter mountains to get a good idea of the difficulty factor. For a multi day hike, I'm not sure I'd want to carry that much gear. Between a tent, sleeping bag/pad, food & water, plus whatever else you'd want to bring (extra clothes, gloves, hat, etc)it might be a little heavy. I usually start feeling the affects of altitude at about 9000', but if you acclimatize you should be ok. It affects people differently.

As for the F Stop, do you know if the internal size includes the area where the ICU would go? As in, it's a 50L pack...but an ICU is say 10L, leaving for 40L of pack space for everything else. Or is it completely separate? My day pack is 40L, and stuffing it for an overnight trip gets tricky. I've got a 65L pack as well and that's much better for 2-3 days.

As for gear recommendations, I've got a few Mountain Hardwear tents. They are excellent and there is usually something that fits into exactly what you need. They aren't exactly cheap though. I've got an EV2 for winter, a Trango 3 for more people in the winter, and a Lightpath 3 for me and my wife during any other season. Start with REI and read up the reviews on anything that fits into the size you need and the weight you want to carry. There are plenty of great tents out there, the REI stuff is terrific. For budget minded hikers, that's what I usually recommend.

For sleeping bags, you'll need to figure out what temp it's going to be. Down is the lightest and most compressible, but it's useless when wet and expensive. If you're going to be near snow or water keep that in mind. Synthetics are cheaper and still provide warmth when wet, but they are heavier and don't pack down as small. You can find a nice compromise though. I've got a North Face Orion 20 Long. It's light for a synthetic, it's small, and it was priced right. The North Face Cat's Meow is one of the best bags made for the price, if you need something in the 20 degree range.

You're going to want a sleeping pad too. Bag ratings assume you're using one. Not only is it much more comfortable, but it insulates you from the ground. Trust me, I slept on Mt Washington in 10 degree weather during a blizzard without a pad. I was freezing and barely slept that night. Thermarest Pro series are great if you want an inflatable...and their Z lite series is great if you want closed cell foam. Closed cell is super light, but it's bigger than inflatables...you usually need to strap them to the outside of your pack.

Do yourself a favor and pick up the book Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills. It will go over everything you need to know. It's an indispensable book.

It depends on where you are starting from (home) elevation. I live in Colorado Springs, and I would say if you are in good shape, it is accomplishable in 1 day. A long day, but doable. I have done it before, starting at around 0530 and finishing around 7pm.

If you are coming from a low altitude location to do this, I might suggest trying to stay in the springs for a day or two at least, sightseeing and more importantly getting slightly acclimated to base elevation.

If you don't want to push that hard, one day to the Barr Camp should take less than 3-4 hours, and you can stay inside/outside there depending on preferences and if you are willing to pay. The people that run and live at the camp are pretty cool, even if you don't stay there, stop and get some garlic bread and a cup of coffee.

The next day you can summit and head down on foot, or you can also buy one way tickets on the cog if you are not a purist on the 14'ers and not insistant on walking back down so it "counts"

The trail itself is very easy to follow, and not climbing anywhere. There are a few semi'steep chunks near the top that will be taxing because you are out of air, but nothing that would be physically difficult if you were at a normal altitude.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask or PM.

I've climbed Pikes Peak several times when I was a teenager. Granted, I didn't have a load of camera gear, but I did the climb in one day. I remember once walking up and then taking the cog down.

I climbed it with my car, in one afternoon! Yeah, me!

Seriously.. I'd try to figure out the acclimation, because it can be brutal if you're not used to the altitude. I was chugging beers at the summit.. and wow.. that kicks butt. Cheap date here!

I can't give you any pointers on the climb; but I will recommend the CXPRO4 as a replacement for the XPROB. That weight for packing is the exact reason I made that switch; as long as the 055 works for you, height wise, the PRO4 should too.

Thanks for all the input guys. It looks like this trip is getting postponed for a while but I will definitely reference back here for later. Thanks again.