Mt. Elbert – Leadville, Colorado
Katie picked me up at Copper at a little after 5am. We made our way towards the Mt. Elbert trailhead, to which we trusted her phone’s GPS to get us there. Despite a few missed turns down roads that were hard to see in the dark, we made it to the Mount Elbert trailhead to find that others had the same idea of starting at around 6am. My favorite snafu on the adventure so far was the “dirt” road that her GPS lead us to one that we U-turned to get back to even though we had actually initially turned down the correct road. It must’ve been the old road because it ran parallel to the road that we had initially turned down. It was covered in grass and followed a fence briefly, before ending abruptly and forcing us to drive up the bank onto the same paved road that we had initially turned down.
We weren’t alone in beginning our trek up Mt. Elbert. The climb was gradual and not too strenuous at the beginning. We even got a break where we seemed to be walking on level ground for a stretch. After the level ground came a much steeper climb that did leave us a bit out of breath and others, who had started ahead of us, taking breaks that allowed us to pass them. It’s interesting how even the slightest change of grade can take it’s toll on your legs and your heart rate, whereas a gradual uphill grade doesn’t make you feel much at all.
There was a point where Katie and I considered turning back. The wind had gotten quite strong above tree line and it started to snow. I remember thinking to myself that this adventure was supposed to be challenging yet enjoyable, and yet at this point I was feeling more miserable than anything. Although it had occurred to me that morning to grab my beanie and gloves and, at the last minute, my puffy jacket, the thought had never occurred to me that a face mask and goggles would have been nice as well. I wondered if Katie would’ve been embarrassed to be seen with me hiking Mt. Elbert with goggles on. The snow stung our faces and the wind was pushing our entire bodies over so that we stumbled clumsily upwards. The thought occurred to me that it might not be the best idea to be at the top of the highest point in Colorado caught in wind and snow. I’m not one to turn back on adventures like these but I do have my respect for nature.
Thankfully, the snow stopped and the sun actually came out. The wind still took its toll on us but I had decided that I could deal with the wind or the snow, but not both. Now that the snow was out of the equation, I was ready to continue on. So was Katie. We made it to the top after the two fake summits and the final real one. Katie warned me about the fake summits but they weren’t as psychologically discouraging as I had thought they would be. This was possibly because they weren’t that far from the actual summit, especially the second one.
I was happy to tack another fourteener onto my list. I haven’t done many…probably about five. But it’s still a meaningful accomplishment that has made me contemplate the human drive to accomplish particular goals. I’ve been learning recently about setting my mind to things and knowing that you will reach your goals. It has made me think about why some goals seem so much more attainable just because we made the decision to go after them, while others seem so much more out of reach because we choose not to already know the outcome. Sure, some goals are probably easier to set and reach than others. Some are less intimidating. Some we are more sure of our capabilities to reach them. But is it possible that most, if not all, goals are attainable if we would approach them with the same mindset that we do those that we are more confident of reaching.
It has made me think about why some goals seem much more attainable just because we made the decision to go after them, while others seem so much more out of reach because we choose not to already know the outcome.
Thank you for visiting my travel blog! Time to do some visiting of your own and remember to be a respectful guest!