With some pride and confidence up my sleeve from the Decalibron achievement of last week, I ran full speed into another 14-er challenge.
Mt Elbert is the highest peak in CO and second highest in the contiguous USA. There are several trails to the top but if you are looking for the most trafficked, least technical and easiest to find and follow trail, with the shortest mileage, then Elbert from the North Trailhead is your winner.
The trailhead and parking lot is easy to find even in the dark when unfamiliar and tired! It sits just outside of Leadville at an elevation of about 10,000 ASL and while the gravel road is a bit squirrely, its doable no matter what you drive. I got there well into the night and parked up for a few hours of rest before popping awake, rearing to go. My friend Kat, was already there. She was organized and mostly asleep when I knocked on her 4-runner window in the dark, my headlamp turned on myself so she'd recognize me before winding down a window. Creepy for sure, but an effective check-in when you don't have cell service!
It was a Saturday night. The parking lot was about a third full and all was quiet. All was apparently dark too after I discovered I had about 2 mins of headlamp juice left in the batteries. Well, that was going to make for an adventurous hike at 4:15am, with little moon light, in the forest, was it not?!
Scheduled departure went off without a hitch and I enjoyed hiking in the darkness, chatting away merrily. The trail was not so bad and neither was our pace in the dark.
Sunrise around 6am, brought with it some warmth, color and renewed enthusiasm on my part. We were still in the trees. About 3 of the 5 miles of this ascent were below treeline, which suited me just fine since rain and thunderstorms were likely later and that meant the goal was to get below treeline again by noon. Nobody wants to be struck by lightning, am I right?!
5 miles; doesn't seem that far but 5 miles consistently UP 4500' of rocky terrain is nothing to sneeze at. At 4 miles in, I was feeling the altitude. It was hard to swallow food and water, I felt lightheaded and it could be said there was some brain fog. I slowed it way down and Kat went on ahead. I saw her turning to check on me from time to time though! It's not that I thought I wasn't going to make it, it's just that it was only going to get slower and for sure wasn't looking pretty. I gave her the thumbs up. Misery loves company and I was definitely not the only one on the trail in this condition.
A bit about Mt Elbert.
At 14,400' its the tallest thing I have taken a run at since 2019 - in Peru! And while it has a reputation for being one of the easy ones, I believe it earned the designation "EASY" by having an easier to follow/find, non techical path to the top. This completely overlooks the fact a human being is dragging ones breathless ass up a steep hill endlessly for 5 miles. That they are gaining 4500' while simultaneously losing O2 in each breath. And that is not, in fact, easy!
It is pretty however.
A false summit looming...
Once you get to the false summit (the last one) it's not so bad reaching the top 10 mins later.
I summited a little before 9:15am. And as you would expect from the highest point in Colorado, plonked amidst the Rocky Mountains, there are stunning views in every direction. The wind was calm, the temperature was perfect and so far so good on cloud accumulation that could later become dangerous weather up here.
The top of Mt Elbert was a hive of slow activity. Lots of the people who had recently passed me were friendly and encouraging. I enjoyed stopping a while to hear their stories.
There was a group of 109 (not a typo) who were here from Lincoln NE. Work colleagues being treated to a weekend in Breckenridge, all meals and expenses paid, including being paid for the "work hours" they were not actually working. It was a reward for meeting health goals this past year and their CEO - a 73 year old chap - was hiking Mt Elbert with them. He passed me!!! The group was spread over a couple of hours on the trail with everyone going at their own pace. Spaced hiking leaders, complete with emergency SPOT devices and walkies were mingled in. Everyone wore bright red bandanas on their daypacks. From the young men who bounced up the trail to the middle-aged, heavier members, they all smiled through the challenge and supported each other. It filled my soul with warm fuzzies and motivation!
At the top I also met a couple in their late sixties who had hike up the Southern Trail, arriving when I did. The southern trail from Twin Lakes is longer and harder!!! They let me borrow their summit sign and he took my picture. So sweet! (Perhaps the neatest handwriting on one of these signs I have ever, and will ever see!)
I spent about 30 mins at the top - but during that time I never found Kat and had to conclude that we missed each other on final approach to the summit where it was possible to take several different paths. She likely passed me as she departed. I think I was 20+ mins behind her at this point.
It was the first time I had sat down since crawling out of bed in my 4-runner at 4am and was surprised to learn that was over 5 hours ago. I forced in a protein bar and choked it down with lots of water. Eating and drinking was not something I felt like doing at all, but even my foggy brain knew it was necesary. After slathering sunscreen on my face, it was time to leave.
Going down was pretty nice, I'm not going to lie. That 20 minute sit-down had done wonders for my breathing and being able to direct O2 from leg muscles back to brain was working for me. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing bumble bees, a marmot, pika up here, and a ptarmigan flew right past my head not 3' from me, squawking as it went! Not bad for a mountain that I'd say was not a wildflower or wildlife Mecca as some of the other hikes have been.
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| Marmot |
It wasnt until several miles in, near treeline, that I felt I hit a wall. Brainfog was back and so was that lightheadedness that I find makes me clumsy.
At this time, I had been walking for at least an hour with the second oldest person on trail. Peter from The Villages in Florida was 71. He was chatty, upbeat and an extremely accomplished hiker of 14ers. He seemed to know that if he told me his life story, the story of all 3 marriages, his wives life stories and all the travel he had done and was about to do, it would keep me distracted for 3 miles. When I started to slow, he encouraged me to not overthink it or mentally give in to it, but to keep moving forward. He also poured on the advice to stop trying to do things by myself and actively seek a husband with whom to share my goals and joys with.... as he hiked without his wife! Peter was a devout Catholic and a Trumper with an ultra-liberal daughter living in Portland OR. He referred to his daughter as "mostly good" and I think (just guessing) that he struggled to understand her liberal leanings. Hahaha. I actually really grew to like this man. We were so different in so many ways, yet deep down shared a love for nature and travel and supporting other humans the best we can with acts of kindness, charity and genuine empathy. Plus, this is how he described his wife; "She's perfect." Awwwww.....You don't hear that very often!
Kat met me near the bottom. She had come down almost running part of the trail and had been there over an hour already. Closure for her was making sure I was down and safe. Closure for me, was making sure she ate some of the food I had packed for the post hike refuel prior to driving 3+ hours home. In went the egg and veggie croissant, Cheez-its and cherries! Then we parted ways.
I70 was it's usual dire mess heading east toward Denver. The residual slow-downs of 3 crashes meant the drive was 45 mins longer than it needed to be.
My brake foot was tired and I made the decision to use the express lane from just before Idaho Springs to just before the turn off to Clear Creek Canyon. I'll update this when the toll posts to my account and we'll both know how much that cost me. But it saved me another 15 minutes I think, and it was awfully satisfying to pass 300 cars! To be honest, I'm not sure I care how much it cost me.
Final note - Monday Morning thoughts:
Yesterday, I did feel like I was struggling... big time. I had serious doubts about my capabilities and the thought crossed my mind that Kilimanjaro wasn't such a great idea for me. But looking back, with 24 hours worth of perspective, I've realized a few things and am willing to soldier on with faith and hope if nothing else, leaving the question of "can I or can't I?" until October 17, when it will definitely answer itself.
- Walking 1mph at altitude, uphill, including gear on and off breaks and photo stops, is not insufficient.
- I was hiking with Kat who is younger, lighter, incredibly well hiked this season already and in training for a Aconcagua. She doesnt use or need Diamox for these hikes. The possibility exists that I unfairly and inappropriately compared myself to her. (Doh! How very unhealthily human of me!)
- Unlike Decalibron where I felt pretty great all day, I had slept lower and less time, and hiked higher yesterday on Mt Elbert. I also didnt eat before hiking - room for improvement there, obviously.
- Not all days are created equal and there is room for the possibility of it being an off-day without needing me jumping to conclusions about not being physically equipped to handle Kilimanjaro.
I think I'll just find another mountain to summit and keep teaching my body that stress and hardship is temporary and nothing to panic over. Learning to get mentally strong is apparently 50% of what it takes to summit Kili. I know I can increase my mental fortitude.... Persistence and courage don't depend on normal levels of oxygen, right?
