This is tricky and a bit disorienting, and many unsuspecting hikers have spent an unplanned night out in the cold as a result. Once you leave the trees, any soft, well-maintained path tends to give way to boulder fields where you have to rely on rock cairns to navigate. Though treeline (the elevation at which trees stop growing) varies from one region to another, any 14er is bound to take you up above it. Mountain tops experience colder temperatures than land at sea level and their mass can actually influence weather patterns, forcing air to move over the barrier it creates and causing meteorological instability.įinally, it’s often easier to get lost on a 14er than on a trail through the woods. Rain and snow storms, high winds and lightning all make for even more treacherous conditions on a 14er. Next there’s the question of weather, which is more unpredictable up high, and more extreme. There are a few factors that add to the risk level of hiking 14ers and the first one is the most obvious: altitude (Image credit: Westend61)
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