By Harrison Walter
The day after the Buena Vista Burro race, some of my teammates and I woke up early to climb Mount Elbert, which is the highest peak in Colorado at 14,439 feet altitude. I was really looking forward to this since I missed the trip to climb Mount Sherman with teammates the year before. This hike would be almost 10 miles round trip with about 4,500 feet of vertical gain.
I met Nate, Lee, Paulo, Adaline and Miles in the Multipurpose Room of the residence hall around 4:45 a.m. and then jumped in Adaline’s car for the drive to the trailhead.
There was some confusion finding the right trail. We started out from one trailhead we thought was the right trail. However, after walking up the trail a ways we realized we were not in the right place. So, we got back in the car and went looking for the right trailhead. This took some time but we eventually found it.
When we started out, it was getting light and I saw a waning crescent moon fairly low in the sky. I got my backpack and stuff out of the car and we headed towards the summit. As we went up in altitude, I noticed some of the pine needles were turning as the trees were getting ready to shed old needles in the fall. As we climbed we came to a stairway made from logs on the trail. We stopped to eat when we got close to timberline. This is where the altitude gets too high for trees to grow.
When we arrived above the tree line, a big cloud was spread out just beneath us. This cloud was so dense that we couldn’t see anything below it. When I saw that, I felt like I was in heaven.
Up a little farther, the trail got very steep. We ended up taking a shortcut, which proved to be even steeper. During that time, I felt some anxiety building up and I was worried that I was going to tumble down the mountainside. I just had to remind myself: “Don’t look down!”
When we got past the steep part, we got back on the trail which led to a false peak (a peak that isn’t the highest on the mountain). We eventually got to the actual summit of Mount Elbert and then gathered together for pictures.
On our way back down we took the main trail instead of the shortcut. Soon we were back down in the trees once again. A short time later, I tripped and fell on the trail. I was fortunate to not have been hurt badly, but I was upset after that. I got back up and we continued going down. However, I ended up tripping again shortly afterward. This time, I did not fall but it still startled me.
When we made it back to the parking lot, I put my arms up and cheered in accomplishment. We headed back to Leadville and met Brooklyn at City on a Hill and then we all had lunch at High Mountain Pies to celebrate our successful climb up Mount Elbert.
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That looks like an epic hike Harrison. Another reminder that we can do hard things whether it's a mountain or a misunderstanding.