What a gorgeous day for a hike. Pretty damn chilly first thing in the morning. I actually had to strip down in the front seat of my car to put on my thermals. Shades of a desperate teenager trying to get lucky. Once all my clothing and gear was set, I met up with my hiking partner, Noel, and made our way up to the trail head. THANK YOU for the use of your husband's microspikes. I would've been lost, hell, buried in snow without them. My buddy Jim assured me that Quandary was a nice, gradual incline all the way to the summit. I suspect we have differing opinions of "gradual". After an easy circuit through the evergreens we were quickly above the timberline where things got interesting. What started out as a pretty chilly hike soon warmed up and I was dripping sweat like a leaky faucet I recently tried to install. Several wardrobe changes later and I finally managed to find the right attire to keep me sufficiently warm yet cool.
One thing about 14ers, and hiking in general, is that there's always something new to learn. Today was no different. Back when I was a flatlander running marathons in California, it was easy to drink and run at the same time. Simple technique of holding your breath while you drink. Funny thing about doing that while you hike above 10,000 feet elevation. You damn near pass out, I come to find. Ok, minor adjustment. Another fun fact... when you see patches of pristine snow, there's an excellent chance it's exceptionally deep and not likely to bear the weight of 6'4" male frame. I became intimately familiar with the term "post holing". Nothing like strolling along, without a care in the world, enjoying God's great canvas only to sink like the Titanic. "I'll never let go, Jack!" Yeah, whatever.
Oh, by the way, I'm going to see if I can change the name for Quandary Peak to "Mount Smidge". When I asked Noel how much farther (keep in mind because the ascent was so step, you couldn't see the summit), she assured me it was "just a smidge". A "smidge", What the hell is that? Another 30 + minutes going straight up into the blue abyss? I guess "smidge" really applied to those mountain goats that walked along with us. Amazing how those animals can just hop around from one rock to another and then scurry up the mountain as effortlessly as a bird soars through the air. I do so admire those animals.
Well, we eventually made it to the top. It was a spectacular view. There were a number of other hikers up there and it was great to powwow with them, sharing stories and snacks. Many photo ops were had. You'll see many of those on Facebook. Met lots of new and interesting people. Hikers really are a special breed. Many that I've met are very down to earth. No pretense, no ego. Just a mutual respect for nature and shared experiences.
After 20 to 30 minutes on the summit it was time to head down the mountain. With warming temps, more "post holing" was in order. One interesting side note, I tried glissading down parts of the mountain. For those of you who don't know, it's basically sliding on your ass, usually with an ice ax to slow yourself. Well, I didn't need an ice ax. Turns out my big, fat ass serves quite well as a break. So get this, as I continued down the mountain, on my feet, I hear someone whistling up behind me. I turn to see a man waving his hand. For some reason I immediately checked my left cargo pocket to discover that I've lost my iPhone, again. Lucky for me it was found, again. Now if I can only translate that luck into the purchase of lottery tickets. Perhaps I have a magical iPhone. :-)
Once we got to the timberline all the hikers scrambled in different directions, like roaches. Everyone seemed to think they had the right route back to the trail head. To wrap this up, suffice to say we did quite a bit of bushwacking until we finally stumbled upon the row of cars and our ride home. It was truly a magnificent day. I wish you all could experience something like a 14er. The physical challenge followed by the incredible reward of such an awe-inspiring view. Not sure my images do justice for what I experienced but I'll keep hiking and I'll keep photographing.
Awesome! Good Job!
ReplyDelete