Our first attempt to summit Mt. Elbert and climb our second 14’er was quite an adventure. Mt. Elbert sits at 14,440 feet claiming it’s place as the highest peak in Colorado and the second highest peak in the lower 48. We took the opportunity to climb Elbert on a Sunday morning since Clayton miraculously happened to have the day off. Since moving to Colorado, we’ve had completely opposite work schedules, making it nearly impossible to go on day trips and big hikes. On Saturday, I was in charge of packing our gear, loading up the car, and taking a nap so I could drive the 2 and a half hours to the campsite from Colorado Springs. We picked Clayton up from work and left the Springs around 11:00 PM. We made it to the campsite past 1 in the morning and found ourselves among tents and RV’s with people still awake and sitting around their campfires. We set up camp quickly, bundled Riley up in his sleeping bag, and set our clocks for 5:30 AM. The plan was to get up, eat breakfast, and leave as soon as possible. It’s common knowledge for those who hike 14’ers that you need to start early, typically around sunrise so you can start hiking down by noon to avoid thunderstorms. Well, apparently we enjoyed our sleep too much, that things didn’t quite go according to plan.

The alarm went off at 5:30, I slept another 30 minutes and climbed out of the tent, then Clayton followed. We peaked our heads in the tent every few minutes and gently called Riley’s name. He didn’t budge. After several attempts to wake him, nothing seemed to work. The kid loves camping and he looked incredibly comfortable snuggled in his sleeping bag. Fast forward an hour, we have Riley up and we’re packing away the tent. We drove a couple miles up a dirt road from our campsite and parked about a quarter mile from the upper trailhead to the South Mt. Elbert trail. At 8:15 we finally started our hike, over 2 hours behind schedule.

Roundtrip from the upper trailhead is 7.6 miles. The trailhead sits at 10,440 feet with an elevation gain of 4,000 feet to the summit. The first few minutes of the trail began with a slight climb then a very steep hill welcomed us several minutes into the hike. The trail doesn’t level out until after tree line which contributed to a very intense, heart pumping experience for the first half.

In the beginning, we were engulfed in a forest of aspen trees. The colors, the smell, the beauty surrounding us was overwhelming. As we climbed higher, the aspen became shorter until they disappeared. We soon found ourselves amongst a few pine trees before we reached tree line. As the trail slightly leveled and we were no longer surrounded by trees, the sight of the wildflowers was a treat in itself. Bright colors of yellow, purple, pink, and white covered the side of the mountain. I mentioned to Clayton how I felt like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. I just wanted to prance around the side of the mountain while singing about my favorite things.

Riley enjoyed the sights and started the hike with a ton of enthusiasm, but after we reached tree line, he started to lose motivation. He complained that his feet hurt and that he was hungry, yet he didn’t want to eat. He asked to stop for water breaks several times, sat on every rock he encountered, and stopped about 5 times to pee along the side of the trail. He also became very obsessed with his heartbeat, asking us to stop and feel his chest everytime he felt it work a little harder. The frequent stops along with the late start caused a bit of anxiety for me and Clayton. We knew that time and weather was not on our side.

As we began to approach the summit, dark clouds began to hover over us and the wind suddenly turned bitterly cold. We put our jackets on as unexpected snow flurries fell over our heads. We spoke to a nice man hiking down in the opposite direction and asked how long it took him to get to the summit from where we were standing. He answered, “about 40 minutes, but I was moving pretty slow.” We continued to climb for another 15 minutes until the flurries became worse. Heavy rain could be seen in the distance and the entire summit was engulfed in a big cloud. We stopped about 30 minutes from the summit, realizing that we couldn’t go on. We tossed around the idea of carrying Riley to the top so we could make it up faster and be able to say that we bagged another peak.

It was past noon and we had been hiking for almost 4 hours. A part of me wanted to continue because we were so close, but the other part of me was terrified of becoming a lightning rod and it wasn’t worth the risk of putting ourselves and Riley in danger. We decided that instead of hiking up another 30 minutes, we would sit and rest before making our descent. The flurries turned into a hard downpour of rain and we knew we had to move fast down the mountain. Clayton carried Riley as we quickly made our way back to tree line. Riley, exhausted and bundled up in his warm jacket, fell asleep in Clayton’s arms for a few minutes. When we reached the pines, we sat under a tree and waited for the rain the lighten up. As soon as we saw a small break in the sky, we quickly made our way back to the aspen trees.

By this time, Riley showed us that his motivation was back as he jumped down rocks and asked to take pictures. I was relieved to see some spark in Riley again. Over 6 hours after the start of our hike, we found ourselves back at our car. We were tired, but not completely exhausted. Although we were unable to reach the summit, there was a feeling of content since the hike was not only challenging, but incredibly beautiful. It was also gratifying to know that it was the weather, a circumstance out of our control, that contributed to our inability to reach the summit, and not a lack of motivation.

We were also so proud of Riley. Despite the complaints he had when we reached tree line, he showed determination and strength as his little legs climbed up that mountain. We continue to remind ourselves that with hikes this difficult, any person of any age (including myself) will show a variety of emotions while accomplishing something this challenging. Our 4 year old’s emotions during these physical challenges are completely normal. Riley continues to amaze us and other hikers especially since he was, once again, the youngest hiker on the trail.

Our plan for our next attempt at Elbert is to hike until tree line and camp, then continue to the summit on the next day. We saw tents around this area and thought it was a great idea especially with Riley who has a hard time waking up early. Overall, Mt. Elbert is a 14’er we’ll definitely find ourselves climbing again. Even though we didn’t make it to the peak, I’d say it was a successful hike and an experience we’ll always remember.

I first heard about the dinosaur track site from a co-worker who mentioned that it would be something Riley would enjoy. As she described her experience at the site, it consisted of a guided tour and 4×4 vehicles. I thought it was a cool idea, but had my hesitations about the tour guide. Tours tend to be expensive and I don’t like depending on others to guide my adventure. Regardless of my hesitations, I knew it would be something Riley would love, so I quickly did a google search and found out something we would all love. There was a hiking trail! The Picketwire Canyon trail could take us straight to the dinosaur tracks and I immediately knew that this hike was going to be awesome.

The drive from Colorado Springs to La Junta is around 1 hour and 45 minutes. Once we reached the town, it was still a bit of a drive to get to the trail head. It was also a little confusing because there weren’t any signs that said something like “trail to dinosaur tracks.” Some info would have been helpful!

Finding our way was a bit confusing, but the biggest mistake we made was taking our sweet time to get there. I must have not been paying attention to the details of the trail, or maybe I was just really excited, but the entire time I kept thinking it was only a 2-3 mile hike from the trailhead to the site. When we reach the trailhead, the sign stated over 5 miles to the track site, and it was already after 2 PM. We stood there for a few minutes discussing whether or not we should go. I was pretty upset with myself for not leaving earlier, but we were already there, so we decided to just go for it and if we didn’t make it, we could always come back!

Along the way, there are other points of interest on the trail such as the petroglyphs on the rocks, an old cemetery, and the Dolores Mission. We were pretty much hauling ass at the beginning of the hike. I was so concerned about the time, I kept picturing ourselves hiking out there in the dark, and it was not a comforting thought. We kept reminding Riley that we might not make it to the dinosaurs and that reminder was not welcomed. He insisted that we keep going because he wasn’t leaving without seeing what we promised him. My heart ached a little thinking of the possibility of breaking a promise. So we continued… and we continued at a very fast pace.

Before we knew it, we had passed the cemetery and the Mission, so we had no choice but to keep pushing forward. The weather was constantly changing. We started the hike with rainfall in the distance, then the beating sun came out, then the clouds returned and gusts of wind were pushing us off our path. I recommend bringing warm clothes, rain gear and a backpack to hold all those clothes to anyone who hikes this trail. I’ve never seen such inconsistency in weather in such a short amount of time.

The last 2 miles felt terrible. I think it may have been because we were moving so fast. We didn’t take any time to stop and take in the sights because we were so focused on our goal and the time constraint. But at last, we made it! And it was glorious! We had the entire place to ourselves, so we quickly sat down and pulled out the camera and food. As we sat and ate, the wind became stronger and colder, and we could see intense rain fall coming in our direction. As happy as we were to make it, we were a little bummed that we couldn’t spend more time to enjoy and explore the entire track site. After resting for 30 minutes, we quickly packed up and headed out to avoid getting rained on.

The hike back was hard. We moved at a much slower pace, but still didn’t have time for breaks since we had to make it before dark. Out of the 11 miles, Riley rode on Clayton’s shoulders for around 3 miles. He did amazing, but he was exhausted. Towards the end, he just couldn’t walk anymore and asked to take off his boots. My poor guy had some intense blisters on his feet which was a bit surprising because he didn’t complain much.

We made it back to the car past 7 PM. We were wiped out and relieved that we had made it back before dark. We were greeted at the car with a beautiful sunset which helped keep our minds off of our aching feet. When we got back to La Junta city limits, we hit up the taco bell drive thru and ordered every vegetarian item they had. We’re not usually big on fast food, but in that moment, it was the most delicious meal!

Overall, a great and tiring adventure. If we decide to make another trip out there, we’ll probably stay at the camp site right before the trailhead. I’d like another chance to take in the sights and explore all 1300 dinosaur prints. Maybe next time we could reenact some parts from Jurassic World. I think Riley would like that.

We hiked our first 14’er, Mt. Democrat, this past weekend. I could fast forward to the end of the hike where we rejoiced and took pictures with delighted smiles on our faces… or I could just be honest and tell the story from the very beginning. When I imagined this hike, I imagined something less strenuous. I think I heard 2 and a half miles up and ran with the idea. Less than 3 miles can’t be that hard?! But it was.

Maybe if the circumstances were different, we may have had a smoother start. My husband never gets weekends off, so when he found out his weekend schedule was the following: off at 11:00 pm Friday night and back to work at 4:30 pm Saturday, he thought it was a glorious plan to hike our first 14’er between those hours.

We left Colorado Springs at 11:30 and made the almost 2 hour drive to Kite Lake. We did our best to set up our tent in the darkness and picked a spot on a slope on top of some sharp scattered rocks. Little did we know we were only a few feet away from soft, muddy grass which would have made for a better night sleep… but in that moment, we were tired and I had no motivation to look for a better spot in the dark.

When daylight hit, all the campers awakened and started up the mountain. I barely slept during the night, but of course, once the sun came up, I finally fell into a deep deep sleep. I woke up to my husband yelling at me to “PLEASE, get up”. Unwillingly, I grabbed my stuff and started the car to crank the heater up while I got dressed. I really hate the cold.

Waking up was hard for me, but it was even harder for Riley. He pretty much woke up on the wrong side of the tent. I dressed him in the warm car and did my best to get him pumped at 6:30 in the morning, but he was not having it. I should have known that waking up a grumpy four year old and making him climb a mountain over 14,ooo feet would not be a good start to the morning.

Fast forward 45 minutes, we’re stopped on the trail because Riley is crying his little eyes out. The sun has barely hit the top of the mountains, so the beginning of the trail is windy and cold. I admit, I was frustrated. Riley is an amazing hiker and can handle the cold better than me, so watching him cry and complain slightly hit a nerve. I was caught between frustrated and guilty which made me realize that we need to suck it up and go back to the car; this hike was not happening. As Riley sat on a rock with red cheeks and a stuffy nose, I asked him if he wanted to stop hiking and go back to the car. Surprisingly, in between sobs he said “no, I want to go up the mountain.” What in the hell?! My frustration and guilt suddenly turned into pride. My kid is a flippin bad ass.

I decided it was best to stay behind with Riley and let my husband and the dog hike ahead. Riley snapped out of his bad mood, and once we felt the warmth of the sun, our motivation to continue the hike grew. Along the way, we had to make a couple pit stops. We hiked off to the side behind the biggest rock we could find so Riley could pee, then 20 minutes later it was an urgent request to take a poop. Yup, a few hikers saw my kid taking a dump along the trail. I guess when nature calls you gotta answer, especially if you’re 4!

The hike itself really isn’t bad until you start approaching the saddle. Occasionally, there were big gusts of wind where I slightly feared I’d get blown off the side of the mountain. We had to maneuver through these giant rocks while several people are hiking down and around us. I kept my eyes on the ground to make sure I was stepping on rocks that wouldn’t slide and making sure I had a good hold on Riley. As people hiked down, I had to be aware of people and sliding rocks coming towards us. I’m really surprised we didn’t see any injuries in that area.

When we got to the false summit, I had a mini tantrum of my own. I think I threw a couple F bombs at the actual peak and also announced that I didn’t care to reach the top because I was probably at 14,000 feet already anyways! Well, fortunately, I did care. I was tired and I wasn’t leaving until I got to the top. We began to approach the summit and Riley was delighted to walk in the snow. At this point, I felt exhausted and defeated, but Riley ran ahead of me and was incredibly excited to get to the top of the mountain.

The views and my son’s enthusiasm is what made this whole thing worth it. When we got to the top, several people congratulated Riley with high fives and fist bumps. Many couldn’t believe that he hiked the entire thing. Yeah, my kid is definitely a bad ass.

And those views… pretty amazing. It’s incredible seeing those mountains and not seeing a soul, a city, anything for miles and miles. Just pure wilderness. It was in that moment that I felt so free, so alive, and so close to God. We live in a beautiful world, and I got to see it at 14,148 feet with my 2 favorite people.

And that folks, was our first 14’er. I can’t wait for the next one!!