“Ah, look at the dogs,” a couple of climbers said in unison as our two Labradors crested the 14,048 foot summit of Handies Peak.
“Do they like climbing 14ers?”
“They sure do.” Taz, our seven-year-old yellow, had just climbed her first 14,000 foot mountain (14er) and her eleven-year-old mother Brew, her fourth. Although Handies is ranked as one of the easiest 14ers of Colorado’s 58, climbing any 14er by human or canine represents an accomplishment. The dogs accepted pats from fellow climbers as my husband and I savored the views of many other San Juan mountains in southwestern Colorado. We’d hiked up from American Basin known for its meadows of wildflowers. Halfway up the well-maintained trail, we’d detoured to a small lake. Brew and Taz enjoyed a swim before they rolled in nearby snow.
A hiker in his twenties from the Carolinas took to Taz. He’d also climbed his first 14er that day. Would we take his picture with Taz?
Taz posed with her new friend as Brew greeted hikers reaching the summit. They smiled at our tail-wagging Lab and their accomplishment.
Dave and I have climbed Handies three times, twice with dogs. Ranger at nearly twenty-two months of age and his nearly eight-year-old auntie Layla accompanied us the last time. They too found comraderie with humans on the summit. Ranger looked for pats while Layla snooped for food. She settled for extra attention from a young woman who apparently had a great smelling pack.
The flat summit of Handies provides ample room for all to relax and take in the views of the surrounding mountains. But your dog needs to be leashed or under strict voice control because the summit’s north side drops off precipitously.
We’ve seen dogs with bleeding pads and exhausted puppies on summits. But with a bit of thought and preparation, your climb with Fido will be enjoyable and safe. Here are some considerations:
- First decide whether you and your canine are in decent physical shape. Hiking at high altitude can tax your and your canine’s lungs, legs and feet even for those in good shape. Don’t take dogs that infrequently exercise. Puppies should stay at home. They can quickly overexert themselves and tire easily. Their growth plates aren’t closed making them even more susceptible to injury.
- Pick a 14er that is a good one for dogs. Our Labs only go on Class 1(easiest) or some Class 2 climbs but never Class 3, 4 or 5 (hardest). I also won’t climb anything more difficult than a Class 2! So select a 14er in line with your faithful companion’s abilities and conditioning. Some of the Class 1s and 2s are definitely shorter and easier than others. Research the terrain ahead of time to avoid routes that require climbing over huge boulders or through lots of talus (large rock fragments) to prevent cut pads. Some 14er trails are mostly packed dirt but others are very rocky with plenty of boulders and talus.
- Know whether your dog must on a lead at all times or if they may be off leash under strict voice control. Trails to peaks go through National Forest and Wilderness areas. All Wilderness areas in Colorado require canines to be leashed. For more information, check: www.coloradowilderness.com/cowildareas.html Most Forest Service lands in Colorado don’t require leashes but some do. It’s best to contact the specific forest service office for particular information.
- Remember to be considerate of fellow hikers: some people simply don’t like or are afraid of dogs. So either leash your canines when you see other hikers or have them under strict voice control.
- Don’t let your dog chase wildlife. You may see mountain goats and sheep, picas and marmots high up, and birds nesting in tundra. Two good reasons for keeping your dog under control are the federal regulations that prohibit dogs from chasing wildlife and the possibility of your canine falling off a cliff while chasing critters. Leash your companion in good moose habitat to avoid a bad encounter.
- Keep your dog hydrated. Bring plenty of water for yourself and your dog. Your pooch gets just as thirsty as you do on a hot summer day in the full sun. Before you go, check for water sources, such as creeks, streams or springs, to figure out how much water you need to carry for Fido. Don’t forget a bowl (a small collapsible one is great) and of course snacks (dog biscuits) unless you want to share most of your lunch with your pal. We usually leave towels in the car so we can dry or wipe off our Labradors. If we are lucky, they find a good swimming hole instead of mud.
We apply some goo called Mushers Secret to our dogs’ paws before setting out on rocky or rugged trails. It’s helped prevent most paw cuts, so we carry it with us in case a reapplication is needed. We also pack a set of dog booties for serious cuts but fortunately they haven’t been needed. Remember that you wear hiking boots for a reason and your dog’s pads need to be tough enough to withstand a rocky trail.
A good resource to help you decide which 14er to climb with your dog is www.14ers.com. Search the forum as well as trip reports for individual peaks.
Our favorite 14ers for dogs include Handies, Huron and San Luis Peaks, and Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive. Greys Peak and Mt. Bierstadt also are good. To date, Ranger and Auntie Layla have summited six different peaks and a couple of repeats. They’ve always enjoyed the climbs and come home tired but happy.
Enjoy and be safe!
RELATED POSTS:
https://www.caryunkelbach.com/favorite-colorado-14er-climbs-dogs/
https://www.caryunkelbach.com/hiking-dogs-colorado-mountains/
This is good information. Especially about bringing enough water. Expecting the dog to get enough water by eating snow is not a good idea.
Excellent point Mark! You never know if there will be snow, or if a creek is dried up or full of algae. Better to bring lots of water to avoid dehydration of Fido.
What about dogs w/ short legs?
We don’t recall seeing dogs with very short legs on summits but ones in excellent physical condition probably would be fine on those the 14ers with excellent trails and no huge boulders. Of course, a Jack Russell Rerrier might just leap from boulder to boulder!
Well done, Cary! While I own only cats (or vice versa), I always learn many interesting things from your writings about life with your labs!
Thanks, Maria. Glad you found the post interesting. Funny how we both seem to be human servants to our furry friends!
Great advice, Cary, especially about ensuring your dogs are up for the challenge. My husband (a Search and Rescue leader) was called near the top of a 14er because a couple took their older dog–with known hip dysplasia–to the top and the dog couldn’t go any further. Cruel.
Thanks Laurel. Yes, a dog’s physical condition is so important. Your husband must be kept busy with rescuing humans and dogs from 14ers! Humans should carefully evaluate whether to take Fido on one of these climbs. Good health and conditioning are a must for both Fido and his human.
Having hiked with your dogs before, I can vouch that they’re in better shape than most people! (er, or at least, than me. 😀 )
We certainly try to have them in good shape! And, you did just fine on our hikes Monica!
Count me in on that one too. They’re gorgeous dogs in really good shape. If I was only in half as good of shape…
Thanks for the complements! I bet Simon keeps you active and would love to hike with you!
Cary, this is great!!! How fun that you, hubby and the dogs are climbing the 14er’s!!! I look forward to following your climbs!!!
Dave only has Pikes Peak left to climb to complete Colorado’s 58 named 14er’s! Ranger and Layla have climbed about six, with several repeats. Ranger will accompany us on our Pikes Peak climb but unfortunately Layla needs to remain home as we don’t think she is in condition for the 12.8 mile, 4,000 elevation gain even though she’s easily enjoyed an 8 mile rt hike to a mountain lake. She will be ten in another month.
I like the website, excellent information and the pics are great! You have yourself a great hobby!
Glad you like the website’s information and photos! It seemed like a real job getting the whole package up and running!
This was a very good article. Good information not only for climbing the 14ers but for hiking in in general. Thanks!
So glad that you liked the article! I applied Mushers Secret to the pads of Ranger’s paws before we climbed Pikes Peak yesterday and think it really helped prevent cuts and/or sore paws. The top part of the climb had some pretty rough, large talus, so I was glad that we took the precaution of applying Mushers Secret.
Good advice, Cary! We hike with our dogs a lot and are amazed at how wonderfully most other hikers respond to them. On the Mushers Secret: Does that work for snowballs in winter? We’ve tried something that sounds similar but it wears off far too quickly.
We recently chatted with a hiker who said she used Mushers Secret on her dog’s pads in winter and didn’t know it would work on summer 14er climbs! I haven’t used it in the winter but it sounds like it’s worth trying. Good luck and happy hiking with your dogs!
Nice, Cary! I’m amazed at all the 14ers you guys have done. Special congrats to Dave on finishing them all this week!!!
Thanks Jani. I’m very proud of Dave and very glad that he doesn’t have to climb the really dangerous ones again! His second and third to last, the Maroon Bells, made me nervous! He saved Pikes Peak for last: 14 miles roundtrip and 4,000 elevation gain so that Ranger and I could go with him. The trail was a good one for dogs (and me) with only large talus near the top.
I am so impressed! by it all- your determination to get your book published- so much hard work and long hours and conscientious editing. Always a dog, or two, by your side returning the devotion to you that you give to them. Congrats to Dave who also has persisted in his goal to climb all 14ers. Ranger is in tiptop physical condition but I think his Alpha female sister Triscuit (another Snowberry beauty!) would still exert her authority. Love the photos!! and good luck on all fronts! Linda
Thanks so much for your kind comments and encouragement! So glad that you enjoyed the photos too. I’m very proud of Dave for climbing all of Colorado’s 14ers and think that Triscuit probably would have fun accompanying her brother on a few easy ones! She certainly has enough energy and athleticism to do so!
Thanks for the helpful tips about which climbs are good for dogs.
Your years of experience with both dogs and the Rockies distilled into “nuggets of wisdom”–this blog is a great idea!
So glad that you enjoyed the blog post. You and your family might want to climb a Colorado 14er in September! We usually have cooler but dry weather and the aspens may be spectacular this year!
I have a 2 year old retriever girl. We are planning to do an easy grade trek, but it’s at 14000 ft. It will be a first for her, the high altitude. Any precautions one needs to take?
How high has she been? Which 14er are you cut. Probably a leash is a good idea too so she doesn’t run herself silly. Goldens and Labs tend to do that!
Just browsing some of your articles and read this one. Your mention of the Mushers stuff led me to say booties…and in the next breath booties were mentioned!! I started to laugh when I thought of our Cocker, Velvet.
The first dove hunting season in Denver sand burrs were an unknown and Velvet’s paws were torn up from them. The next weekend Dad went out he put booties on Velvet. She looked like a bucking bronco trying to get them off. She quickly learned that booties meant hunting and would roll over on her back with her feet in the air for Dad to put them on.
Sorry, I know this story isn’t about climbing 14teeners and there are some who cringe at hunting but your mention of booties led me to reminisce.
Thanks for sharing Val. We always bring a set of booties with us when we hike and climb as well as the Mushers Secret. Fortunately, we’ve only had to use the Mushers Secret. I’m sure our dogs wouldn’t appreciate the booties the first they needed to use them but we taken the booties to be prepared for emergencies!