Yesterday I crawled through an arch and through a window. Today I crawled up and down a mountain.
It was another early morning, but the promise of adventure (and hot coffee) was enough to get me out of bed without too much complaining. (Ellie takes after me.) We were on the road by 7 and at the trailhead by 8:30.
We did the first half of today’s hike last summer. It was fairly steep, but nothing too difficult. We made it to the saddle between Shark’s Tooth and Centennial Peak with lots of laughs and great attitudes. (Bribery was involved.)
At the saddle we began the steep assent toward the peak. There is not a maintained trail, just a social one. This is always fun, more guessing and exploring. We found ourselves on a rocky side of a mountain with the marmots and squeeky pikas. The upwardness was slow moving, but the views were beautiful.
Ellie and I stayed back a bit, her being much more cautious of the placement of each step. Most of the rocks were quite loose, and you never knew if the next step would be a safe one. By moving slowly, one limb at a time, safety was all but guaranteed. We did about 1200 feet up in less than a mile. That’s steep! There were definitely points we were crawling, keeping low to the ground. With about 200 feet to the summit, Ellie had a panic attack and started hyperventilating. This has happened to her a few other times throughout the years. I got her to slow her breathing and eat a beef stick. We talked about where we were and how much more we had to do. She agreed she was up for it. The final push was quick. Slick, with steep dropoffs on either side, but the actual summit approached quickly after all the false ones. Suddenly, we were alone at the top.
The summit. The first one of 2022. How good it felt to be back on top of the world. We took the views in, swatted the bugs away, and took notice of the storm on the other side of Shark’s Tooth. We know that you never want to be above treeline after 1ish, the storms and lightning are too dangerous. After a few pictures, we started booking it down.
But. But. It was really, really hard. The slick, steep path up seemed even slicker and steeper on the way down. The careful placement of steps seemed so much more important. At points we were legitimately crab walking down. It was the only way to not slip and slide the whole way down. We were all balancing the risk of quicker, less precise steps vs speediness to make it below treeline before the storm hit us. Each time I suggested that Ellie try to move a little quicker, she snapped that she was literally going as fast as she safely could. It was full of anxiety and stress.
Eventually, we made it past the saddle and below treeline as the echos of thunder surrounded us. We quickly made it back to the trailhead and Ellie earned her reward, a new book for having a good attitude the whole hike. My parenting has never been above bribery. We grabbed drinks at Mancos Brewery and enjoyed the open mic event. Zak will have to start bringing his uke everytime we leave the house.
We did it! The first summit of 2022. Without trekking poles, lunch, or bug spray. (We’re going to start a checklist before we leave from now on.) We have many more summits planned in the upcoming days! I’m ready and excited!
Oh my gosh, I was on the edge of my seat! You all are true adventurers! Bravo! Love to you all from Grandma’s friend, Paula. *Beams a big smile your way*