Colorado

Has a lot of mountains!

Money was (still is) tight. There can be no question of that. The actual cost of things here is still relatively high and the budget (like always) is severely limited. With these thoughts in mind, I decided that after my first run, it was time to cut back and just chill out on the steps of the SSSAC (Silver Sage Staff Activities Center). It was with this purpose in mind that I grabbed a book and sat down, preparing for the mental siege against the forces of boredom. And, almost as soon as I had finished the first page, a couple of the Work Crew guys gathered around me and asked the rather innocent question, "Got any plans for the days off?"

To which I of course answered, "No."

And, within minutes, I was sold on the concept of heading to Colorado to hike some 14ers. Now, keeping the last paragraph in mind, I had come to a new conclusion. I was not often in the Southwest, and thus, did not have many opportunities to do Southwest things. So, budget be damned! I was gonna go out and have a good time!

Together, the five of us piled into the car and drove North. While an altogether uneventful trip, we were greeted halfway by dark, ominous clouds almost red in hue. The spread across the entire Northern horizon, obscuring the sight and even making a perhaps innocent mountain appear to be the gateway to Mordor. A local gas station attendant informed us that the cloud was simply a local wildfire (local?!) and that it was well in hand. Shrugging (what else were we gonna do?), we left and headed up to Denver to drop off one of our number who had been lucky enough to score a plane ticket to go see his girlfriend up in Seattle.

Leaving Denver, we headed back to Boulder, Colorado, where the catalyst for the travel, Patrick Megee lived and went to school. As soon as we entered the city confines, I was sold on the place. The people were healthy and happy at a little over 5000 feet above sea level. Almost everyone exhibited the aura of those who spend their lives seeking thrills skiing, rock climbing, and rafting. I was not met with a closed face nor with an overwhelmingly pudgy one either. As we arrived around dusk, the nightly assembly of stoned and drunk bikers began to claim the streets. As Megee explained, it was a common appearance and the locals just considered it a part of daily life. My soul soared! A culture that respected and used bikes! After spending two years dodging cars in the rather anti-bike friendly zone of NoVA, this came not only as a shock but a moment of personal pleasure.

After picking up one of Megee's college buddies (cool enough, the guy flew satellites), I found another thing that absolutely captured my fascination. Called LiquorMart, it was a store roughly the size of a standard grocery store specializing in the sale of, you guessed it, booze!! While I was not able to walk in, I still marveled from the outside at the possibilities. We carried the liquid party back to the residence of the satellite pilot and engaged in rowdy merry making. At rougly 2 in the morning, we struck out for the nearest food. As we ambled/skipped/ran/jumped down the street, people from nearby house parties came out to join us in our adventure! For the record, this just doesn't happen back at GMU. After arriving at Cosmo's Pizza, those with wallets and ample cash purchased sustinence. The others marveled at the rather funky and creative table tops. Yea, well, perhaps you understand. At 230, we got kicked out, and the remaining pizza was handed out to the hungry! I know, I know, awesome town.

After sleeping it off in Lazy Boys, we assembled once more to go watch the Matinee! A-Team was first on the list, and it was alright. Just what you/I expect, corny, good laughs, bad laughs, action comedy, and one or two good lines. Satisfied, but feeling just a little rebellious, we then snuck into the nearest next theater for the showing of Get Him to the Greek. This was an unexpectedly great movie. I mean, like, I had not laughed so hard since the Hangover. In other words, go out and see it!! Well worth the price of the first movie.

The day ended with a quick dip in the nearby apartment pool (which was not exactly open to us non-rent paying persons), and then we prepared for the ascent. On a last note, did I also mention that Boulder rests in the shadow of a couple massive mountains and has easy access to Snowboarding/mountain biking/white water rafting/rock climbing/mountain ascents/general awesomeness. I mean, its all within less than an hour of Boulder! Seriously (but not too seriously) contemplating moving out there.

In the wee morning hours (also called 9) we awoke and prepared to ascend giants. Unfortunately, half of the party was not feeling very good. One was a little sick and the other, well, his heart just wasn't in it I'm afraid (BS alert). In any case, Megee and I hopped into his Suburban and headed two hours west to the glorious peak known as Mount Elbert. While it sits right next to Mount Massive ( a much more glorious name), it is the highest point in Colorado at 14433 feet, and the second highest point in the continental US, behind that of Whitney. In any case, beginning shortly after noon, we began our climb.

When climbing 14ers the important thing to realize is that 14000 feet is a fuck ton! I mean, ahem, gosh! Thats really high! There are three distinct levels, the first being foothills occupied by forests and shrubs. This portion is really no different from much of the rest of Colorado. Pretty, serene, and generally still fairly warm. Most of its pine or fir and the birds and chipmunks frolic and play. Then you hit the tree line and bam, no more trees, just a lot of rock and grass. This is the second level, and I like to refer to it as the pseudo green/more brown and yellow grassland! I feel that some of the most picturesque views are obtained at this level, because you can still see the valleys, the foothills, the clouds, other mountains, and all sorts of things that make for nice pictures. At this level, its kinda cold. Not too bad, just chilly and windy. After a couple thousand feet, one arrives on the scree slope. This is the third level. Going up is hell, going down is hell. The slopes are full of rocks of all kind, shattered by the elements and left to impair the movement of the adventerous. The wind really starts up here, Big gusts and the temperatures steadily drops. Finally, after this rather rough last level, we gained the top.

And, looked onto one of the most beautiful landscapes I had ever seen. On one side, a gorgeous valley lay, small, stocky houses and ponds nestled in its green arms. The sunlight was only interrupted by clouds as the traced intricate shapes upon the valley floor. On the other side, jagged peaks stood guard between us and the rest of the West. I was reminded of broken windows and shattered stone. The wind screamed past us as we gazed upon these eternal monoliths. Only one thought permeated my mind, I AM SO VERY MORTAL.

The entire trip took us 6 hours, 3 hours up, one hour to take it all in, and another two hours to get back to the SUV. We made a brief pit stop in the town of Leadville and had dinner at Quincy's (located to the humorously named head shop, Headville). Then we drove on another half hour and found a campsite at the foot of Huron Peak. Unwisely, I decided to sleep outside, under the stars, encased on all sides by the immortal mountains. The temperature dropped below freezing and I was constantly waking up feeling both frozen and brutally uncomfortable. Mercifully, the sun rose, I shook myself out, had a brief breakfast and Me and Megee began our ascent. This 14er was much the same, but only reached to 14003 feet in height. And, of course it being Father's Day,I gave my old man a call saying thanks for doing such a monumental job. Huron Peak is another gorgeous mountain and looks out onto several small ponds (I'm sure they regularly freeze at that height) and a chain of mountains called the Apostles.

We then attempted to try a third peak, Mount Sherman, but called it off 1/4 of the way through due to the lack of light and found a calm campground surrounded on four sides by water. We picked everyone up the next morning and headed back to Philmont. By most accounts, it was a rather marvelous adventure. I had experienced something that not many can claim, and certainly was only possible in the Southwest. Money well spent? Why, yes, I do believe so.