Tag: wildwanderer

Summiting Pikes Peak 9-10-2016

This time when we made it to the parking lot at the base of the trail it was halfway full.  Apparently there were a lot of hikers this weekend!

Even though I’d asked them to go before we left the house, one of the girls needed to use the restroom before we started.  I’m not a fan of trail restrooms, and encouraged her to wait a bit because it was probably dirty, but she insisted.  So while I paid for parking she used the restroom.  When she got back she said it was pretty clean, but there was a homeless person sleeping outside.  Facepalm. 

We started the trail at 3:06am.  There was no moon to guide us, so we got a great view of Manitou and Colorado Springs as we hiked. 

The girls made pretty good time. We made it to MM2 at 3:59am, which meant they were hiking a little over 2mph. 

Around MM4 it got really, really cold.  I’m not sure why (I’m guessing it’s due to a shift in topography) but MM4-6.5 of Barr Trail are always really, really cold.  It felt like the temperature dropped at least 20 degrees. I’m guessing it was in the high 20s.  It got so cold my hands started to swell and I lost feeling in my fingers.  Luckily there was no wind, but I honestly felt colder than I had a few weeks ago when it was snowing. I put on my gloves, but that didn’t really help.  I kept encouraging the sun to rise over and over again, knowing that’s what I needed to warm up.

We made it to Barr Camp at 6:05 (still hiking about 2mph), and about 15 minutes later the sun began to rise and we began to thaw out.  The colors on the mountain in the morning are absolutely amazing!  There is so much light it’s really hard to get a clear picture, but that didn’t stop me from trying:

I was really surprised at how much red was in the light this morning

Added to the red was the changing yellow of the aspens.

We made it to A-frame at 7:35am.  The A-frame was occupied by an older man and his adult children.  They’d hiked Pikes Peak 18 years ago and were back to hike it again.  It looked like they were set up to camp all weekend. 

We also learned there was a special hike today:  The Pikes Peak Challenge. 

The Pikes Peak Challenge is the Brain Injury
Alliance of Colorado’s flagship fundraising event. 
Participants have the opportunity to raise funds by climbing Pikes Peak.  We were told there were about 400 participants, but not to worry because we were hours ahead of them.  Also, this wasn’t a race, they’d just be hiking. 

After A-frame we saw challenge volunteers at each of the three remaining mile markers.  They were all really nice and supportive, even though we weren’t participating in the event. 

I tried to take a selfie with 3 marmots…

The girls were getting pretty tired when we had about 1.5 miles left to go.  They were doing great, but lacking a bit in motivation.  We made it to the cirque and some volunteers gave them dum-dum lollipops and they were excited once again!

We took a bit of a break at the 16 Golden Stairs.  Volunteers from El Paso County Search and Rescue were there, preparing to assess Challenge hikers.  We talked for a bit, and they encouraged me to sign up to join EPCSAR.  It’s honestly something I’ve been thinking about, but not something I’ll have time for until Emily graduates High School. 

On we trekked.  This is where my “motivating” the girls kicks in the hardest.  Lots of life lessons are learned at this point in the hike.  It’s a fine line between encouraging them and  making them hate me for making them continue.  They told me later I did a great job…lol!

We made it to the summit at 9:59am!  That’s just under 7 hours, and a great time for the girls! 

They were exhausted, and opted to sit for a while before taking pictures.  I asked them if they’d ever done anything harder in their lives, to which Julianna replied (and Lakin agreed):  “The only thing harder I can think of is cookie sales”.  Spoken like a true Girl Scout!  They would know, they take cookie sales seriously!  They’ve each sold thousands for years in a row, and know what hard work it can be. 

I was proud of them, and told them they could take an extended break.  A summit spider joined us for donuts…

It’s really hard to breathe at 14,000+ feet:  Your body is working overtime just to breathe, and time can get distorted.  When I told the girls we needed to get going because it’d already been 45 minutes they didn’t believe me.  They swore it had only been 5-10 minutes. I had to show them the time to convince them! 

We took a few summit pictures and began our descent. 

Here is where the hike got really fun!  The girls were super proud of their accomplishment, and wanted to encourage the Challenge hikers on their way up the mountain.  We high-fived ever hiker we saw on the way down, and the girls would shout out words of encouragement: “You got this!"  "Trust me, I’ve been in your shoes, just think positively!"  "With a positive attitude there’s nothing you can’t do!”

Those girls are amazing!  The other hikers thanked them for their enthusiasm, which was much needed at this point in their hike. 

When we made it back to the 16 Golden Stairs we were offered more candy. This time I took a Werther’s (an indulgence I haven’t had since I was 12).  Instant memories came flooding back.  It totally made my day!

About a mile above treeline we had a hiker point and tell us:  “See that man in the red jacket?  That’s Robert Downey Jr."  I was intrigued, but didn’t much believe him.  That didn’t stop me from catching up to the man in the red jacket to find out for myself.  Unfortunately, it didn’t look much like him:  His hair was the right color, but he was a bit overweight and sported full facial hair so I couldn’t much tell if it was him or not. 

We said "hello” as we passed him and kept hiking down, enthusiastically high-fiving everyone along the way. 

Back at A-frame the man and his kids were still there.  It didn’t look like they planned on hiking at all today.  Quite a shame for other hikers hoping to snag the A-frame for themselves tonight.  There were a lot of hikers around the A-frame, filtering water and milling about before tackling the hardest part of the hike. 

We only rested there for about 15 minutes, then once again started hiking down.  The girls were practically running at this point (it is MUCH easier to hike down than up).  We saw many more hikers there to complete the challenge, all hiking up the mountain.  We never saw anyone else hiking down. 

We stopped at Barr Camp for another 15 minutes to use the restroom and for a snack.  The girls were still all smiles!

For the rest of the hike down the girls kept up a fast pace.  They still high-fived everyone they passed, but we didn’t see many more challenge hikers.  In fact, the only ones we saw were those returning down the mountain because they weren’t able to summit.

When asked we told hikers we’d hiked all the way to the summit and were on our way down.  Everyone was impressed, and one (very fit) woman remarked:  “Wow!  You all made it?  Those girls are more hardcore than I’ll ever be!"  The girls took that as quite the compliment!

We made it back down to the parking lot at 3:40pm, and once again the restroom was needed.  This time however it was flooded. 

Grouse Mountain Trailhead Loop

Today I decided to hike the Western part of Mueller State Park from the Grouse Mountain Trailhead down to Geer Pond and back in sort of a loop.  Total trail was 5.52 miles and took exactly 2 hours to hike.  I started the hike at 11:15am without a jacket.  I was a bit cold, but it looked like it would eventually warm up.  It did, but it took about half an hour.  It never got “hot”.

The beginning of the hike brought me to a very small (one room?) cabin.  It was most obviously dilapidated and overgrown with pine trees sprouting from the floor.  I questioned its odd placement and what it was used for, as it wasn’t near any obvious necessities (a road, water, etc.) and was located in the middle of a hill. 

Just as I rounded the corner from the structure I came upon some burn piles.  I thought how cool it was Mueller was doing some thinning, then realized the piles were over the boundary of Mueller.  That got me to wondering who owned the land…

At this point in the hike I started noticing a lot of markings on the trees.  Specifically the Aspen trees.  Most look like they’re from deer or elk, but a few showed similarities to Black Bear markings. 

By now it was finally starting to warm up a bit.  I was able to see the backside of Pikes Peak in the distance with a little bit of snow on the peak:

At this point I came upon some bike riders.  I heard them before I saw them, and was a bit upset as I was sure they were scaring all the wildlife away.  Why can’t people hike in silence and enjoy the sounds of nature? 

As I rounded the corner I heard what sounded like a weed-wacker.  I was pondering why someone would think such a device was necessary in the backcountry when I realized it was an insect.  A very loud insect.  I’ve heard clappers before, but this was ridiculous!  I could see it flying about 10 yards away.  It looked yellow in color, but I wasn’t able to get a better look at it to see what kind of an insect it actually was.  It wasn’t a moth or butterfly.

The halfway point of my hike brought me to Geer Pond.  This is by far my favorite pond at Mueller.  I’ve spent countless hours fishing here, and love the solitude.  No one was here today but I didn’t have time to stop and enjoy the pond (my kids were waiting for me back at the campsite).  I took a quick picture and started my (uphill) trek back. 

Mueller is a great place to hike, but unfortunately it sits at the top of a hill, so you inevitably start hiking downhill and end your hike going back up. Fortunately I would rather hike uphill, as my body is conditioned for an uphill hike. 

I passed a drainage area and those bikers again.  They were confused as to how I’d passed them, and I replied I’d taken a loop.  I ended up passing them a third time later in my hike, to which they seemed embarrassed:  “Usually the bikers pass the hikers” they noted.  I smiled, talked to them a bit about reading the trial maps at Mueller, and kept hiking. They never caught back up with me. 

I hadn’t seen any wildlife on this hike (except that loud insect), so I was happy to see a rabbit in the middle of the trail.  It wasn’t happy to see me and bounded behind a tree.  I watched it and was delighted to see a cluster of (edible) Sheathed Woodtuft mushrooms. 

That was the extent of my hike.  As always I was glad I’d taken the hike, but a bit disappointed I hadn’t seen more wildlife.  I ended up getting quite a sunburn as well, which was totally unexpected since I’d hiked the entire time with goosebumps, wishing I’d brought along a jacket.

Married to the Mountain

My birthday present came early!  Last week I found a ring I REALLY liked
online.  It had to be made to order, so
the site said it took 6-8 weeks to ship. 
That meant I should have gotten it the second week of September, just in
time for my birthday.  It was the right
price, so I decided to make it my birthday present. 

You can imagine my shock when it arrived in the mail
today!  I opened it as I was walking back
from the mailbox and tried it on.  It was
a bit smaller than I’d anticipated, but not enough to make me upset.  From above it looks just like a solid gold
band, but from the side you can see Pikes Peak.

For some reason rings are always big on me, so this time I
ordered a 5.5 to be sure it fit (I usually order a 6 and it ends up being way
to big, sliding around my right ring finger). 
Imagine my surprise when this ring didn’t fit on my right ring
finger!  Well, I could “make” it fit, but
it wouldn’t come off without some serious tugging, so I moved it to my left
ring finger (where it slides around… go figure!).

When I got inside I showed it to Emily.  She was impressed, and said it was “perfect” for
me. 

I said to her “the only bad part is it has to go on my left
ring finger”, then explained how that is usually reserved for wedding bands, so
now everyone would think I was married. 

She started giggling, then laughing.  I asked her “what’s so funny?” 

Emily:  “You’re
married t the mountain!  It’s absolutely PERFECT
for you!!!”

My daughter knows me so well!  Yes, I suppose it’s quite fitting.  In any event, I’m in love with it!

Why I Love to Hike

This
picture right here I think explains it all, but I’ll try to put it into
words. 

 

To
be honest, I’m not really sure of all the reasons why I hike.  However, I do know that when I’m not hiking,
I find myself wishing I were.  I find
myself scrolling through the outdoor and
backpacking sections of Pinterest,
and I’m hard pressed to leave a Walmart without browsing through the camping
section.  My internet searches include “best
hikes in Colorado” and “bucket list hikes”. 

 

Every
time I return home from a hike I become that much more of an enthusiast. When
you get serious about long distance hiking it becomes a lifestyle. I’m always
thinking about that next trip, no matter how far off it may be.  I’ll be planning:  what do I need, what the hike itself will be
like, how will I get there, what’s the best route, what time should I leave, etc.,
no matter how far off the trip may be.

 

One
of my favorite hikes is a 26 mile trek up Pikes Peak, 13 of which are uphill.  My next adventure is hiking Rim to Rim of the
Grand Canyon this fall.  For some people the
idea of facing such obstacles, especially voluntarily, seems crazy, but to me
it’s exhilarating.

I really like hiking. There are lots of
reasons why, but I think the most important is mental. My life is stressful.  I have a lot of responsibilities at work and
home, and it’s hard to find the time to do everything I need to do.  Hiking provides a sort of relief.  For as long as the hike takes I can’t be
bogged down by the other challenges I face. I don’t see this as “running away”,
but more like mandatory “relaxing” time because I don’t get any other way.

When I hike I’m actually able to relax. 
My
life is loud, busy, crazy, chaotic and amazing. I don’t have time to soak
in the bathtub sipping on a glass of wine. 
In any event, I’d rather “relax” next to a babbling brook anyway.

 

Hiking is meditative.  When you’re hiking the only things you
really need to worry about are your destination, water, and when to eat, so it
allows your mind to focus on other things. 
When I hike I have time to think and problem solve.  I
tend to fall into a trance where I explore topics from the past, present, and
future.  Most days I have a million ideas and
thoughts that go through my head and not enough time to fully explore all of
them. When I’m hiking I’m able to think through solutions to problems. I’m able
to come up with creative ideas and I’m able to think through new ideas. 

 

Hiking’s
an excellent time for self reflection.  I’m
always trying to be a better person than I was yesterday, and time on the trail
gives me the opportunity to analyze myself as a person, mom, leader, etc., and
find room for improvement.  

 

I
also hike to get extra exercise and to push myself. While I work out on a
treadmill 7 days a week, I
just can’t push myself on a treadmill. I’m already at the steepest incline, and
watching television as I work out bores me. 

 

A
mountain trail requires real commitment. 
Maybe it has to do with the time investment or maybe it’s just a matter
of pride. It doesn’t really matter, when I have the desire to climb a big
mountain I’m going to do it.  The more
challenging the more exhilaration I feel when it’s accomplished.  And think about it, what other exercise can
you do for 10-12 hours continuously?

That being said, it goes beyond exercise. I
don’t get the same satisfaction from my daily 5-10 mile morning workout than I
do when I put on the serious boots and a pack. I think it is a feeling of
self-reliance. There is nothing like checking your watch one last time at the
trailhead and letting your eyes take in the adventure that you are about to
plunge yourself into. Whatever’s currently going on in your life can be pushed
aside (or explored) once you’re on the trail. 

I
also like the sleep that occurs after the exhausting myself on the trail. I’ve
always had a difficult time getting to sleep, but I find it’s a bit easier once
you’ve physically exhausted yourself. 

 

No
matter how many times I hike a path, I’m never the same person at the end of
the trail I was when I started.  There’s
always something new I find that wasn’t there before or something I learn about
myself through my musings.  Different
flowers bloom in the different weeks of summer, and I’ve discovered “new” caves
and creeks on trails I’ve travelled dozens of times.  The opportunity to see wildlife is a
spontaneous and ever changing gift.

 

I
love what my body can do and what hiking does to my body.  A few weeks ago I was hiking and saw some
Bighorn Sheep traversing the ridge next to me. 
They were truly amazing to look at: robust creatures using their toned
and defined muscles to jump from rock to rock. 
After a long hike I notice muscles I never knew I had, and that gives me
a sense of satisfaction.  In other words,
hiking time = toning time. 

 

I’ve learned if you can climb a mountain, you
can do anything. Reaching the top of a mountain is an impressive physical,
mental, and emotional accomplishment. And it’s motivating.  There’s a challenge to it all, and in the end
you can travel farther and accomplish more than you think. 

 

Uphill treks like Pikes Peak only leave two
choices: reach the top or turn around. Reaching the top only requires the
perseverance to keep putting one foot in front of the other. At the end of a
long hike with the scouts I remind them of all they’ve accomplished that
day:  How far they’ve come since they set
out that morning.  It’s a life
lesson:  When life gets tough put one
foot in front of the other and just keep going. 
As long as you don’t stop, eventually you’ll make it to your
destination.  And feel amazing once you
get there!

Knee Progress

Well, this is my knee exactly 2 weeks after the incident.  I’m pretty happy with how well it’s healing.  Seriously, considering I didn’t get the stitches I’m pretty sure I needed. 

You can still see the three puncture sites, although there’s only one that hasn’t healed all the way yet and is still tender to touch.  That one’s going to give me the “biggest” scar, although it won’t even really be that bad.  You can also see the little “pimples” popping up all over my knee:  Since I didn’t immediately wash the injury little pieces of sand, dirt, and rocks lodged themselves in the cracks, and they’re working themselves out. There is a very large bruise the length of my knee and shin, but all in all it’s doing pretty well. 

What’s even cooler is I was able to hike Pikes Peak again yesterday.  When I first fell I was worried I’d seriously injured myself and that I wouldn’t be able to work out/hike/do yoga for a while.  I probably should have taken a few days off, but I’m too stubborn for that.

I’ve been a terrible patient, but great at caring for the wounds.  I didn’t use antibacterial ointment (gasp) but did change the dressings daily and used quite a bit of Vaseline.  That stuff works miracles.  I predict it to be fully healed within a week (crossing fingers).

This is where I fell

OK, you’ve all read the story, so here’s the picture I neglected to stop and take when I took my tumble.  This is at about MM5.5 on the Barr Trail, and in this picture you can’t see the dirt/dust because it had just rained and settled everything down.

I was hiking down the trail (so in this picture think of someone walking towards you), rounded the corner, tripped over one of the larger rocks, and fell onto a smaller one.  Then I kept going. 

Rock Pond Trail

One of my goals this year is to go on new hikes.  I knew I wanted to take a new route on this camping trip, but I wasn’t sure which one to take.  I ended up settling on the Rock Pond trail, mainly because it included destinations of two new ponds I’d yet to visit, and it had the option of looping around Geer Pond, a favorite of mine.

It was a couple of miles from the campsite, so I took the truck to the trailhead.  While there I took a picture of the map to log my time and just so I’d be sure to have one while on the trail.  As I was looking at it I realized the map wouldn’t be of much use:  it was facing the wrong way!  You’d think they’d have been smarter than that when posting a map.  Luckily I know the area, but to someone who doesn’t, they’d get all turned around…

The hike was all downhill to the pond (about 2.5 miles one way) and followed a service road.  I was the only one on the trail… except for a white tailed deer I saw walking slowly towards me from the opposite direction.  She didn’t seem to notice me for a while, but once she did she bounded off the trail and was gone in a second.

I spent this part of the hike musing to myself as I followed the trail downward.  I thought for some time about my love for hiking: which is considerably more enjoyable while alone. 

Most thoughts centered around the kids, their lives, and how I fit into them.  This may seem like a simple task, but honestly, it’s not.  I’m questioning my role in Rebecca’s life specifically.  She’s graduated High School, and is off to college next month (but still living at home).  She doesn’t have a job, and I’ve been strongly pushing her to get one.  She doesn’t seem interested in this.  In fact, she doesn’t seem interested in much (therein lies the problem).  I’m wondering how to motivate her, if that’s even something I should be doing (or should I just let her figure it out on her own), and how I’ll be able to “kick her out” when she turns 18 and doesn’t have a job (something that will happen if she’s not employed). 

She’s begun complaining about everything that doesn’t have to do with guard (something she’s willing to drive hours away to participate in), and none of her hobbies have money earning potential.  She feels distanced from former close friends, and honestly needs direction.  However, I don’t feel she wants to take it from me.  Personally I’m feeling as if I’ve lost my best friend, as now I actually have to play the “mom” part in our relationship.  Neither of us is enjoying this much.  I want my best friend back! 

No one tells you the hardest part of parenting is letting them go to figure life out on their own.

I made it to the section of the trail that let me choose between going to Rock Pond or Brook Pond.   I love to hike and the weather was hovering around a nice 90 degrees with no chance of thunderstorms, so this was an easy choice for me.  I’d visit both. 

I’m so glad I did!  I only added less than half a mile to the hike, but some really cool experiences!

I found some wild strawberries on the trail.  I’ve found strawberries while hiking before, but never quite so many!  Usually I see one here and there… this time I saw small “fields” of strawberries in several spots along the hillside  So cool! 

They looked a bit overripe, so I tried a few.  They tasted amazing!  Warm from the sun they were hands down the best strawberries I’ve ever had (if a bit small…)

I grabbed a few to add flavor to my drink and some to bring back to the kids at the campsite, and headed down to Brook Pond. 

The pond was small, but clear.  I could see lots of trout swimming near the shore, and a few jumping in the middle.  Most were only about the size of my hand, too small to “catch”, but knowing they were there gave hope to future fishing opportunities. This was a pond I’d swim in if I’d had the proper gear…

I circled the water and came to a small stream feeding the pond.  I figure this was the perfect time to try out the water-proofness of my new hiking boots, and crossed in a mucky area.  They passed the test!

Knowing I was close to Rock Pond I decided to continue on and take a break there.  It only took about 10 minutes of walking to get there. This pond looked deeper than the previous, colder, and not quite as inviting.  I didn’t see any fish.

I sat for a few minutes, enjoyed the cherries I’d brought for lunch, then was quickly on my way.  It was 1pm and I wanted to get back to the kids before they worried. 

I decided to take the trail that went by Geer Pond, mainly because I didn’t want to hike back up that service road.  I’d much rather make it a loop than hike back from where I’d already been. Once again, another great choice!

Almost immediately the trail sloped upward at quite a steep angle.  This made sense:  I’d come down the entire way here, which meant I had to hike up at some point to make it back to the trailhead.  I saw some Columbine flowers along the trail.  I love seeing Columbines while hiking!

After about a mile (that passed quickly) I came across some small waterfalls, hidden inside small rock caves.  They looked cool and inviting, and I wished I’d had a handkerchief to get wet in the water.  Or a book.  I needed to spend more time here, and I absolutely need to bring the kids here to “play” sometime soon!

These waterfalls lasted for about a quarter of a mile, then all of the sudden, I was at the back end of Geer Pond!  I knew this because I’d played with the kids in this waterfall a few times before!

I found a few cool flowers:  Alpine Kittentails

and then I was at Geer Pond. No one was at this pond either.  All weird since it was about 1:30 in the afternoon on a Saturday in July.  I kept thinking the entire time what fun it would be to snowshoe these trails!

Lost Pond was a bit of a disappointment. It seemed murkier than usual.  There were some really large salamanders that were fun to watch however.  And lots of flies.  I didn’t stay long.

The hike out took about another half an hour.  I made it to the trailhead at 2pm, which made it a 2 hour hike.  I covered just over 5 miles, and stopped a bit to enjoy nature, so I considered it a success!