Crossed one off my bucket list recently! On July 3rd, 2015 we hiked up Mt. Bierstadt, a 14er here in Colorado. 14ers are what the locals call mountains that rise at least 14,000ft above the sea level – and Mt Bierstadt is dubbed one of the “easy” ones. But believe me, that mountain does not let you forget that you are scaling the heights of the rugged Rocky Mountain Range. It is a brutal climb, where the gradient just gets steeper and steeper just as the air thins around you. To get to the top, you have to be nimble like a mountain goat climbing over rocks and be surefooted so you don’t slip over loose gravel. Adding to the fun, the trail was soggy and slippery in places because of recent rains and the ice melting from the mountain top. And as we got closer to the summit, the winds blew harder and dark clouds threatened to come pouring down (thankfully it didn’t rain)!
Ascending a mountain is more than a hike. It is a test of your will power – after hours of unforgiving upward trek, when the summit still seems far away, you look up at the skies, implore to the Gods and draw upon your dwindling resources of determination and a healthy dose of stupidity to march on. So behind the smiles you see in these pictures, is a whole lot grit and a constant questioning of my resolve!
Climbing a 14er comes with its own unique set of rewards. Every time you pause to catch a breath, you are astounded by the beauty in front of you. Raw peaks still touched by snow; a spectacular spread of greenery below you; a bounty of wild flowers with bursts of yellows, purples and whites; and as you go higher and higher, tiny vegetation cropping from under rocks; lichens growing on top of them – all a serenade to survival. Nature is its own reward.
While scaling the 2,850ft Mt. Bierstadt certainly left me accomplished, I still question the legendary mountaineer George Mallory’s sentiment. When someone asked him why he climbed Mt. Everest (three times!!), he famously responded, “ because it’s there.” Really? A day after tackling a 14er, all I want to say is, “Job done. Now show me just flat grounds for a month”
The Peacock Plumes 