tackling mt. elbert
3 september 2007

Just over 24 hours ago, my husband Gary and I completed our goal of climbing the highest peak in the Rockies- Mt. Elbert, elevation 14,433 ft. We have been working up to such a challenging hike all summer. In fact I didn't realize we would be doing this until a few weeks ago after we accomplished Mt. Bierstadt, another 14er. Gary declared that we should do Elbert since we were already in shape. He had a point.

We knew we would have to start early and so we decided to stay in Leadville the night before. Doing any difficult hike involves mental preparation and it helps if I can be relaxed the day before and get to bed early. Sometimes plans go a bit awry and although we got to Leadville by late afternoon aiming to have an early dinner, we ended up on a little detour. If only we hadn't wandered into Bill's Sport Shop. We needed a small flashlight as we'd be starting our hike before daybreak and that's how we met Bill, the owner of the shop. The great thing about small mountain towns is that the locals are usually super friendly and be can be very colorful. Bill was certainly no exception.

We started talking to another couple who were also planning to hike Elbert the next day. Before we knew it Bill was advising us not to go via the north ridge. Let's not forget that Gary had done his homework and studied some trip reports and concluded that this was the route for us. But Bill was adamant that we take the south trailhead and proceeded to hand us (and the other couple) a simple map and an information sheet. When Gary looked at the hand drawn map he recognized the road as being a four-wheel drive road, not a good candidate for our Subaru. Bill continued to endorse the south trail and assured us the road was adequate. Besides, he said it was less steep and more scenic. I was all for that. He then showed us an old newspaper clipping of he and his father who had tackled the mountain by jeep in some long ago era.

By this time we were sucked in and thought we should do some re-con so that we wouldn't be struggling to find the trailhead at 5am the next day. It seemed like the other couple was also on board. And although it was already 6pm, we headed out to find our destination. Gary is damn good with a map and after a couple of attempts we thought we might be on the right road. It was certainly beautiful, lined with fluttering aspen trees and dotted with sage and wildflowers. These were nice distractions from the rocks and potholes! At one point there was a big dip in the road filled with mud. I was sure we should turn around but Gary did some creative maneuvering through a narrow corridor of aspens thereby avoiding the muddy mess. Eventually we came to a fork not indicated on the map and thought it was time to give up and just stick to our original plan. On the way back we met up with that other couple who had also had the same realization.

Back we went and after scoping out the chosen north ridge trailhead, it was time to find some dinner. Loading up on pasta the night before works well for us and we had seen an Italian restaurant that looked promising. It was now after 8pm and getting to bed by 9 seemed like a distant dream. We left after 10 minutes, never seeing a host or anyone else who might be interested in seating us. Next, it was on to Rosie's Brewpub where the wait was at least 30 minutes. This wouldn't do and against all instinct I suggested we try Pizza Hut thinking they might have pasta and that it might be quick. Was every restaurant unprepared for extra business on the Saturday night of Labor Day weekend? All employees were in panic mode. I was trying desperately to stay calm in spite of eating a flavor-free salad and ice cold spaghetti. When paying, Gary politely mentioned that the spaghetti was stone cold and our server literally tore up the check. One of our cheaper dates, for sure. .

There is a real advantage to starting a hike in the dark. For at least the first half hour you feel fairly comatose and you don't think too much about what you're doing. The quiet of that hour is so special; seeing the brilliant pinks of the dawning day is about the most peaceful feeling you could imagine even as you're trudging up the mountain. Hearing the stream without seeing it is also magical. This is one bear of a mountain. It's four and a half miles to the summit BUT the elevation gain is 4500 ft. It's steep most of the way up and you don't even hit tree line until you've been hiking for two hours. Right at tree line there is a grove of dwarf aspen trees- this is where the views really start to open up and you know there's no going back.

There weren't a lot of people ahead of us but we did meet a trio of college boys from Oklahoma University who had spontaneously decided to drive out the day before to do this hike. When you're young you can get away with this kind of thing. They would sprint ahead of us and then sit for awhile. We'd catch up and they'd take off again. There's definitely a bond that develops the higher up you go. The hardest part of this climb is daunting and it happens at about 13,000 ft. As I looked up to see the first false summit and after I asked Gary for a little pep talk I realized it was time to start talking to myself. In addition to the usual self-motivating words swirling around in my head, I latched on to some show tunes as I literally put one foot in front of the other. The other technique I used was to count 50 steps and then take a rest. This stretch was so steep that I could already feel the soreness in my calves. But I wasn't light-headed or nauseous so I kept going, determination stronger than ever and knowing for sure that I would be okay. Reaching the top is of course exhilarating. Gary was not far behind me and even though it was cold, we lingered awhile. The distant mountains were red, blue, green and gold, the clouds suspended in strange but interesting shapes, and everybody up there was chatting away and feeling very good about mastering this incredible mountain!

Descending is of course a whole new set of challenges. This trail is very well maintained though and we didn't have any problems and made it down in exactly 3 hours. We've discovered some things that are helpful. We don't sit down on the way up, it makes it difficult to get the rhythm going again but we do sit on the way down, which gives our legs a sufficient rest. The weather was just coming in as we got back and at the trailhead upon our return was a guy playing guitar and some friends singing along. It was nice to be serenaded at the end of such an endeavor.

Just as we thought we could go back to the hotel, shower up and relax, we realized we had overlooked something. When Gary booked the Delaware Hotel, he thought it would be charming in its history. In fact, it had a weird vibe. The lobby and hallways were full of "stuff" for sale, including antique furniture. But the absolute worst part about this hotel is that our room was on the third floor and there was no elevator- I'm glad no one was watching us trying to navigate the stairs with our backpacks and sore legs after our 8 hour Mt. Elbert hike!

deb