For a boy from Florida I have been around and up a lot of high mountains. A trip to Alaska introduced me to Denali, I went to the park but did not attempt to climb the mountain. It is 20,000 ft high. One of my best friends and coworkers lives in Washington State and he has a cabin at Mt Rainier. My wife and I spent a lot time out there. That one is over 14,000 ft. I drove to the top of Pike's Peak in Colorado which is over 14,000 ft. That is an interesting thing to do and I scared my wife half to death. She kept her eyes closed when we got to where they were no guard rails and runaway ramps if your brakes went out.
You can see Pike's Peak from the Academy and one of the mountains in the "Pike Range" is Eagle Peak's Trail. This is an exceptionally difficult trail. The trail climbs steeply (average 25% grade) with 2000 ft of elevation gain though dense forest to an open, rocky summit with views of the Front Range, Air Force Academy campus, Eastern Plains, Pikes Peak, and Tarryall Mountains. On clear days, downtown Denver and Denver International Airport are visible to the north.
Here is a photo taken from Eagle Peak Trail during daylight. You can see how high you are when looking down at the Academy.
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