Climbed two Colorado fourteeners yesterday, Redcloud Peak (14,034') and Sunshine Peak (14,001'). Sunshine is the lowest fourteener in the state! :)

Some major storms set in on nearby mountains while I was climbing, though the sky directly overhead stayed clear until after I had summited Redcloud. On the way to Sunshine, a storm that formed over the Eolus group moved in on me and I had to run to the summit of Sunshine to beat the storm. Unfortunately, there is no easy escape in the direction I wanted to go from Sunshine because of a band of cliffs, so I had to run quite a ways back along the ridge to a safe glissade couloir. Running at altitude is a real pain.

Anyway, once I got down to safety and rested off my unplanned run, the storm passed and left Sunshine back in the sun. All I saw when I was on Sunshine was snow. Luckily, the storm wasn't electrical and there was never any real danger other than lack of visibility. The temperature dropped about 20 degrees, but I was well-equipped for that.

Overall, a fun trip. I was able to pace myself really well, I stayed hydrated and ate frequently, so I felt really good at the summit of Redcloud. My legs weren't even feeling worked, which allowed me to do the run to Sunshine. The only real problem during the whole climb was that I was in such a hurry to get off the ridge on the glissade that I didn't take the time to switch into my waterproof shell and gloves, so the long glissade left me with frozen hands and a really cold elbow. No permanent damage. :)