The Decalibron Loop | 4 Colorado 14ers in One Day

The Decalibron Loop includes four summits — four fourteeners: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross.

My younger sister, Lyd, is trying to complete as many of the Colorado 14ers as she can before graduating college, so in support, we decided to tackle this loop together so she could add a few more to her list.

Watch the full adventure or continue reading below!

Hiking 4 Colorado 14ers in One Day | The Decalibron Loop

We hiked the Decalibron Loop in Colorado – a route that links four 14,000-foot summits in a single day: Mt. Democrat, Mt. Cameron, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Bross. This happened in October 2025 and we were the only people out there for the entire day!

The Hike

We drove out to the start of the trail, which is currently an extra mile away from the trailhead due to construction. Deciding it was a little too creepy being that far out with no one around, we drove back down the road and headed into town. Parking behind a gas station, we settled in for the first night.

Alarms going off at 4:00 am is not something I think I’ll ever get used to, no matter how much hiking I do. Groaning, I climbed into the front of the car and started it up, blasting the heat to defrost the windows that had frozen overnight, before climbing back into my sleeping bag. Once the car was nice and toasty, I finally climbed over the middle console into the driver’s seat, Lyd joined me up front, and we headed toward the mountains.

We arrived near the construction area and found a parking spot well away from the work, just in case anything started that morning. We quickly layered up, double-checked our bags, and began walking up the construction road. Unfortunately, this added an extra mile to the hike and about 1,000 ft of elevation gain.

By the time we reached Kite Lake Campground, it was snowing, I was extremely out of breath — still adjusting to the altitude — and we had to pee so bad. Sadly, the bathrooms were locked, so we had to find another spot well away from the lake and river area.

Right away, I knew I was in trouble. I was huffing, my calves were on fire, my toes and fingers were numb, and the wind was so loud we couldn’t even talk to each other – just yell if we needed anything.

Before we even reached Bross, the first summit, my motivation was completely gone. I was questioning why the heck I ever thought flying all the way from Germany for this was a good idea, and honestly, why I even hike at all. The sun was rising slowly, but my spirits were not. We finally reached what we called the Bross summit, and as per the note above, I didn’t feel very accomplished, just tired, and we were already over it.

I set my hopes on a patch of sun between the summits of Lincoln and Bross, assuming if I could  just get there, then I would warm up. We skirted the ridge and trudged through the snow to finally reach it.

And it did absolutely nothing.

The wind was even stronger here, and the sun wasn’t warming me up at all. I was just cold. We kept going, but I’m pretty sure if there had been an option to quit right there and then, we would’ve taken it.

Looking toward the summit of Lincoln, it actually did look a little sketchy. From a distance, the ridge appeared tight and snow-covered, and Lyd looked at me and said, “let’s just get close to it and call it good.”

I think from the look on my face, she knew that wasn’t going to happen. But as we got closer, we realized the ridge was actually fine — even kind of fun to cross — though the wind made it a bit unsteady.

Reaching Lincoln’s summit was a huge morale shift for both of us. We finally felt accomplished, and the slight challenge of the ridge distracted us from how miserable the wind and cold had been. Leaving that summit, we felt energized enough for the boring push to Cameron.

At that point, with three summits completed, we turned our attention to Democrat. The one worst part of the entire loop is that Democrat sits off on its own a bit. You have to lose a good amount of elevation before climbing back up again. As we made our way down, in silence, the winding descent to the col, we had a decision to make: turn left and head back to Kite Lake, or go straight up Democrat.

I was ready. I didn’t come this far to stop at three, and I wasn’t coming back to finish the loop later. I wondered what Lyd was thinking — what I would say if she was done and wanted to head back. I would never, ever split from a hiking partner, so I knew that would be the end of the day.

When we reached the col, I turned and looked at her. She stared back, waiting for me to say it.

“I think we should go up Democrat if you’re up for it,” I stated.

She gave me her classic deadpan look, meaning, obviously we were going up Democrat. She wasn’t turning back either. I should have known. While we have very different personalities, we share one major thing: neither of us planned to leave without capturing that final summit.

Partway up Democrat, we hit some early ice and snow, and since I didn’t feel like falling on my butt, we threw on microspikes. About halfway up, the wind died down and we could finally talk — at least she could. I was contributing a few words between gasps of air.

We first reached the false summit, but by then morale was high. We were close, the sun was finally warm, and the wind had completely died off. I felt like I was living the high life! This was why I was out here. This made it worth it. We sat on the summit for about 30 minutes, enjoying a snack and soaking in the sunshine, though I drove Lydia crazy with my nonstop talking.

We both agreed the pre-sunrise start was unnecessary this late in the season. I was so used to hiking in June or July, when afternoon storms are the main concern, that I didn’t fully think through our start time.

After about 30 to 40 minutes, we began our descent. Once we reached the false summit again, we strapped our microspikes back on. The sun may melt some snow, but it doesn’t do much for the ice between the rocks. Chatting away — mostly me, probably to Lyd’s annoyance — I carefully picked my way down the terrain heading back down the col. An issue with microspikes is that they aren’t great on large rocks; the metal spikes have no traction on the rock, making it really easy to slip. So I focused on placing each foot only on snow and ice, between the rocks,  where the spikes could actually grip.

Reaching the col again was a huge relief. From there, it was easy walking. I think we were both ready to get off the mountain and get ourselves something warm to eat, and some toasty hot chocolate. We took off our microspikes, clipped them to the outside of my bag to dry, and started the final descent.

I’ve personally always felt that the downhill is so much worse than the uphill. My knees hurt and my feet ache. I wonder if being short makes it worse as the steps are usually big and therefore a lot of impact jarring my joints with each step, or jump, down.

Eventually, we made it back to Kite Lake Campground. After a short stop at a picnic table to take in the view, we started the stroll walk back to the car. That road felt much longer than expected, and I think the hike would’ve been far more enjoyable without the extra mile and elevation gain.

At the end of the day, we drove to Estes Park and found a place to camp for the night. We made ramen for dinner and curled in our separate sleeping bags for some sleep. The warmth of the sleeping bag and the softness of Lyd’s comforter and fluffy blankets felt unbelievable after such a long day.

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