When we moved to Colorado, there was a term I heard frequently, but had no idea what it meant. People often say phrases like, "I hiked a 14er this weekend" or "How many 14ers have you hiked?" or "Do you plan to work up to a 14er?". HUH? What is a 14er?? A 14er is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet. There are over 50 such mountains in Colorado (so I now know).
One would think that should a person desire to attempt their first 14er, one on the shorter end would be a wise choice. I would agree. But apparently we're dumb. We instead chose the highest mountain in Colorado, Mt Elbert at 14,433 feet, to be our first 14er this weekend. It was AWESOME!!!! And hard. The entire hike has an elevation gain of 4,700 feet and is 9.7 miles long round trip.
Me and the girls after we had broken through the tree line (about 1/2 way up). Still feeling pretty feisty but quite intimidated by what we see in front of us.
One would think that should a person desire to attempt their first 14er, one on the shorter end would be a wise choice. I would agree. But apparently we're dumb. We instead chose the highest mountain in Colorado, Mt Elbert at 14,433 feet, to be our first 14er this weekend. It was AWESOME!!!! And hard. The entire hike has an elevation gain of 4,700 feet and is 9.7 miles long round trip.
Me and the girls after we had broken through the tree line (about 1/2 way up). Still feeling pretty feisty but quite intimidated by what we see in front of us.
A little further up the mountain, climbing towards what we think is the peak. WRONG. False summit #1. False summits #2 and #3 were to follow. Just when you think you've made it, you circle around to the back and BOOM, another one in front of you. That's fun. ;-)
LEFT: Family picture on the way up
CENTER: Will and the girls leading the way. Do you see all those other ants (people) in front of us? A lot of other crazy people out yesterday too.
RIGHT: Me either still feeling goofy or starting to go coo coo from a lack of oxygen...not sure which, probably the latter.
LEFT: Family picture on the way up
CENTER: Will and the girls leading the way. Do you see all those other ants (people) in front of us? A lot of other crazy people out yesterday too.
RIGHT: Me either still feeling goofy or starting to go coo coo from a lack of oxygen...not sure which, probably the latter.
Family pic at the summit!
2 different views from the summit. These pictures can't even begin to show the beauty from up there. You could see for hundreds of miles in every single direction. One of those moments when we again remember just how small we are in this big world....which then reminds us how amazing it is that God knows and cares about us "little people" to the great extent that He does. Humbling.
My victory pose. I was pretty psyched. Then Bailey and Kelsee wanted in on the action. They said that they worked just as hard as we did and they wanted a piece of the glory too with their own victory pose. (Except Bailey looks more like she's embarrassed of her mother's silliness and Kelsee looks more like she's jammin' to "Walk Like an Egyptian" in her sleep.)
And if that wasn't enough to show you how I was feeling.....
LEFT: Bailey and Kelsee ponder the sanity of their parents and keep a lookout for the helicopter they have been praying to God for to take them back down to camp where the tent and snuggly blankets and pillows are. ;-)
RIGHT: That night at the campfire Bailey climbed up in my lap for a snooze. Man, were they sleepy! But don't let that fool you....they had an amazing time and ran circles around Will and I.
RIGHT: That night at the campfire Bailey climbed up in my lap for a snooze. Man, were they sleepy! But don't let that fool you....they had an amazing time and ran circles around Will and I.
And in summary....
