14 miles in snowshoes the first time out is great, especially with the elevation gain! So is turning back when necessary! Any hike that ends with all hikers safe and uninjured is a successful hike. Any interest in a post to geek about gear? I know I'd enjoy discussing stuff.
Only four of the fourteen were with the snowshoes on! But it was great any way you dice it. A gear geek thread would be awesome! Gear, clothing, and training!
Training is a good one! I follow an Adirondack hiker forum, and the conventional wisdom there is that running isn't hiking. But some of my strongest hikes were during my marathon training or a month after the race. Maybe road running on comparatively flat areas isn't ideal for mountain hiking training, but it seemed pretty effective. I'm considering signing up for another marathon in part to motivate myself to be in good shape for hiking.