Llewellyn Connolly has held leadership positions at such financial institutions as Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, and, most recently, Eumaeus Asset Management, for more than two decades. Llewellyn Connolly enjoys spending his free time outdoors. He is an avid mountaineer and has climbed, or attempted to climb, peaks in Europe, North America, and South America.

The world is full of challenging mountaineering expeditions for people of a wide variety of skill levels, but finding a good beginning mountain that won’t immediately put you off from the activity can be difficult. Following is a brief list of some of the top beginner mountaineering treks.

- Mount Baker, Washington: this expedition offers a good challenge while still being manageable for beginners. With a summit that is only 10,781 feet, Mount Baker only requires one day to climb if you start early enough.

- Mount Etna, Italy: coming in at just under 11,000 feet, Mount Etna is another day-long hike. It does have some risks, though. Since the mountain is an active volcano, there can be volcanic fumes drifting through the lower altitudes.

- Mount Khuiten, Mongolia: as the tallest peak in Mongolia, Mount Khuiten reaches 14,350 feet into the sky. The trek takes about a week to complete and does require some climbing experience or at least completion of a multi-day basic climbing course.

- Longs Peak, Colorado: another mountain that is good for people with a little bit of climbing experience, Longs Peak stands 14,259 feet tall. Featuring narrow ledges and steep faces, it is often appealing to more experienced climbers, but also offers some routes that are a little less dangerous.