El Diente Peak - south slopes route

[@CentennialTreks]

My journey climbing in the San Juans is always a work in progress, but thus far, I would say this mountain is the most challenging I have climbed. For all the mountain climbs on this channel: studio.kzbin.infoPL_-D3-4b6xbqY9qs5cN_QFTiqs4gNUstL/videos. Happy trails! -CT

[@MountainHobbler]

That looked exhausting even from my desk chair.

[@CentennialTreks]

These peaks are usually pretty exhausting in real time, so I imagine it's a good thing if something of that is conveyed vicariously through the footage, whether to your chair or to my couch!

[@arturocubos4077]

Dont you ever stop posting EVER ! 🎉 History Lesson and Hiking absolutely the best and a long time chat HELL YES

[@CentennialTreks]

Thanks, I'm glad you like these videos - that keeps me enthusiastic about making them. And even though I'm not the youngest anymore, I still plan on continuing with them for quite a while forward.

[@patricksauer1726]

Great video my friend. Them rocks look like they would do some damage if you slipped and fell... WOW 🏔️🏔️

[@CentennialTreks]

Danke mein gutes Herr!....Yeah, they would do a number on ya.

[@aksamoyed907]

I love that you talk about the history of the mountain being climbed as well as documenting the challenges as you face them. After watching several of your videos I can’t help but notice that you wisely begin very early in the morning and more than a few of these climbs have you trekking through the forest to get to the mountain. My question is do you sometimes run into wildlife like a bear or mountain lion and what do you carry for that situation? Also, all of these 14ers look pretty treacherous but would almost intuitively be much worse if you were caught at altitude on one in bad weather. Has that ever happened to you before and if so how did you deal with it? Thanks again for the video.

[@CentennialTreks]

Well, I'm a bit of a history geek, and have been roaming these lands longer than I want to acknowledge, so it adds up I guess. Most 14er climbs begin well below timberline, and so involve a lengthy forest trek. It is good to get an early start, because in high summer there tend to be thunderstorms in the high mtns in the early afternoon. As you say, you don't want to get caught in bad weather up high. About 8 years ago I was at 13,000 feet on Mt. Princeton when there was lightning up higher. We started back down, and got drenched in the ensuing rain. This summer I got caught in cold rain on top of Mt. Democrat, and experienced some temperature loss. Mostly I rely on monitoring the forecast and only climbing on days projected to have good weather. Also, one must be willing to turn back at key junctures if conditions look uncertain. Plus, wet rocks are much more slippery. I have actually never encountered a bear or cougar in the course of mtn climbing, but I do carry spray. I have seen plenty of pika, marmots, deer, foxes, mtn goats, and others. Thanks for the questions and for watching again!