Saturday August 27 found us in Leadville for a late summer mountain adventure. My dear friend Jim from college invited me to join him for a hike to the top of Mount Elbert, Colorado's tallest peak. This was to be my second "14er" (14,000+ foot peak) after successfully climbing up and back down Long's Peak with my friend John back in ca. 2002.
Dana and the kids came along to support me, and also to ride the train that runs from Leadville. Jim's Dad Dan and brother Matt joined us, as did our friends and neighbors Eric and Cody.
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| At 6am at the trailhead parking lot, we spent some time to ourselves, questioning the necessity of climbing this mountain |
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| The first couple of miles offered shady forested hillsides and pleasant conversation as we adjusted our packs, drank water, and enjoyed ourselves |
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| Views thru the trees back to Leadville |
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Eventually we broke thru treeline, still with the toughest part of the climb ahead of us. The views only got better as we climbed!
So up we hiked ..
and up...
and up
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| Dan (Jim's Dad) pushes on |
and up
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| Our fearless, tireless leader Jim urged us on the whole way, never uttering a single doubt! |
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| Let it never be said that the Rocky Mountains were not aptly named |
At long last, as our wits were failing us, we reached the summit. No injuries, no thunderstorms, no problem!
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| Jim, at the summit, with sign |
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| I made it! |
As you might expect at a couple of miles up, the views were absolutely stunning.The photos do not do it justice, however allow me to recommend that you enjoy the photos and consider very carefully whether you want to actually make the hike!
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| The guys - Me, Cody, Matt, Dan, Jim, and Eric |
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| As is typical, a thunderstorm began to assemble as we were eating lunch. High time to get low again! |
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| I would like to point out that my coverage with a certain mobile phone carrier was incredible from the summit. 3G and all bars. Much better than our coverage from our home in Ft. Collins. |
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It should be noted here that Dan, though almost twice my age, easily lapped me, especially on the way down!
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| Matt making his way down, no doubt wondering as we all did whether the trip up justified the trip down |
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| Celebrating with pizza back at the hotel after a shower and a rest |
Dana has some photos from their train ride, which I will add as soon as I can find them.
