I am currently serving as the Varsity Scout Assistant Coach in the ward we are in. In the LDS language- that means I am a Teacher's Quorum advisor. Last Saturday, August 29th, I breathed the fresh morning air at approximately 3:15 am as I prepared for my journey up one of Colorado's tallest peaks. Pikes peak graciously stands at an impressive 14,110' of elevation and is ranked 30 down the list of grandism amongst the other 52 "14ers" in Colorado. Mt. Elbert is the highest peak in Colorado which rises to an amazing 14,433'. We as a Varsity Scout Team decided to challenge the mountain which will be an experience never to be forgotten.
We hit the trail like zombies at 4:50 am using a flashlight to guide us for about an hour and a half until the sun came up and began to show us the way. I never captured a picture of the sunrise but that alone was worth the trip. The trail from Manitou Springs, Colorado, to the top of the peak is roughly 13 miles and we were hoping to make it there by noon. About a quarter of the way to the top, I started hearing complaints about leg cramps, and stomach and head aches; and at that point I realized that only a couple of the boys were truly prepared for what they were about to encounter. Oh boy, I thought...this could be a very long day.
Sure enough, a little over half way to the peak this was what began to happen...
It surprised me to see how fast they would fall to the ground in some of the most uncomfortable places imaginable as soon as I said, "k- catch your breath." I just had to take a picture of this one. We weren't even to the tree line yet. Oh well, they did pretty well considering the circumstances. I was proud just to be hiking with them. Not too many 14-16 year old kids volunteer to face such a task. They are a great group of young men!
This picture (above) was taken half-way up the face of the peak- looking down at where we started. Colorado Springs is in distance but it was kind of hazy so we could barely see it. The base of the valley just to the left of the center in the picture was where we began the hike. At this point we still had a couple miles to go. From timberline up to the peak was definitely the slowest part of the entire hike. Once we got above 11,000', our pace seemed to slow quite a bit due to a fair amount of oxygen deprivation.
This canyon is called The Cirque and is 1,500' straight down. It made me so dizzy just looking at it that I had to sit down for a minute:)
This is another picture looking towards Colorado Springs. One of the craziest things I have ever seen was when groups of mountain bikers would come screaming down the trail. I don't know about you but I think you would have to be a fry short of a happy meal in order to mountain bike down the face of pikes peak! So just when you think it couldn't get any more difficult, the last quarter mile is practically straight up and they call it the 16 Golden Stairs. Why it's called that...I have no idea. But thank heavens it was all switchbacks because you would almost need rock climbing gear if it wasn't. We reached the top at 11:45 am....practically 7 hours after we started. Not too bad at all!
The view from the top was stunning to say the least. Here is a picture showing the Cog Railway that goes all the way down to where we parked the car in Manitou Springs. I know what you're thinking...why hike when you can ride? Only pansies take the train!! The furthest mountain just left of center in the picture is Cheyenne Mountain which is where NORAD is.
We made it!! Take that PIKES PEAK!!!! OH YEAAHHH! From left to right: Me, John Brady, Peter Call, Timmy Call, Dillon Rogers, and Matt Stein. Great job boys! At the top of Pikes Peak there is a summit building with a souvenir shop and a restaurant. Everyone raves about the doughnuts, but I didn't think they were anything special. The only souvenir I took home was two honkin blisters- one on each heel. The boys only had one thing in mind when we reached the top....
I think they were a bit worn out...what do you think?
One 14er down, 52 to go!
We hit the trail like zombies at 4:50 am using a flashlight to guide us for about an hour and a half until the sun came up and began to show us the way. I never captured a picture of the sunrise but that alone was worth the trip. The trail from Manitou Springs, Colorado, to the top of the peak is roughly 13 miles and we were hoping to make it there by noon. About a quarter of the way to the top, I started hearing complaints about leg cramps, and stomach and head aches; and at that point I realized that only a couple of the boys were truly prepared for what they were about to encounter. Oh boy, I thought...this could be a very long day.Sure enough, a little over half way to the peak this was what began to happen...It surprised me to see how fast they would fall to the ground in some of the most uncomfortable places imaginable as soon as I said, "k- catch your breath." I just had to take a picture of this one. We weren't even to the tree line yet. Oh well, they did pretty well considering the circumstances. I was proud just to be hiking with them. Not too many 14-16 year old kids volunteer to face such a task. They are a great group of young men!
This picture (above) was taken half-way up the face of the peak- looking down at where we started. Colorado Springs is in distance but it was kind of hazy so we could barely see it. The base of the valley just to the left of the center in the picture was where we began the hike. At this point we still had a couple miles to go. From timberline up to the peak was definitely the slowest part of the entire hike. Once we got above 11,000', our pace seemed to slow quite a bit due to a fair amount of oxygen deprivation.This canyon is called The Cirque and is 1,500' straight down. It made me so dizzy just looking at it that I had to sit down for a minute:)This is another picture looking towards Colorado Springs. One of the craziest things I have ever seen was when groups of mountain bikers would come screaming down the trail. I don't know about you but I think you would have to be a fry short of a happy meal in order to mountain bike down the face of pikes peak! So just when you think it couldn't get any more difficult, the last quarter mile is practically straight up and they call it the 16 Golden Stairs. Why it's called that...I have no idea. But thank heavens it was all switchbacks because you would almost need rock climbing gear if it wasn't. We reached the top at 11:45 am....practically 7 hours after we started. Not too bad at all! The view from the top was stunning to say the least. Here is a picture showing the Cog Railway that goes all the way down to where we parked the car in Manitou Springs. I know what you're thinking...why hike when you can ride? Only pansies take the train!! The furthest mountain just left of center in the picture is Cheyenne Mountain which is where NORAD is.
We made it!! Take that PIKES PEAK!!!! OH YEAAHHH! From left to right: Me, John Brady, Peter Call, Timmy Call, Dillon Rogers, and Matt Stein. Great job boys! At the top of Pikes Peak there is a summit building with a souvenir shop and a restaurant. Everyone raves about the doughnuts, but I didn't think they were anything special. The only souvenir I took home was two honkin blisters- one on each heel. The boys only had one thing in mind when we reached the top....
I think they were a bit worn out...what do you think?One 14er down, 52 to go!
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