July 6th – Hiking to the summit of Mt. Elbert, 14,439 feet
For my third “rest” day we decided to climb the highest peak in Colorado, Mt. Elbert. We woke up at 3:00 a.m. and were on the road by 3:45. We got to the main trailhead, and were able to do some off-roading for an extra mile up a crazy dirt road – really fun in John’s truck! We got to the trailhead and started our hike at 5:00 a.m. It was a dark morning with lots of clouds, but the moon was bright. As we trekked up the trail, the moon was just above the mountain peaks. It felt like we were chasing the moon. Finally, as the sun began to rise, we hiked above tree-line and through the clouds. As we continued climbing, a marmot posed for us on a rock. Closer to the summit, I got excited and forged ahead of the group, reaching the peak at 8:15 a.m. Sophie, Miguel, Jonathon, and Enio arrived shortly after along with Kathy, John and Britches (Sophie’s dog). While at the top, the clouds cleared and we had an amazing 360 degree view of all the mountains. The 13 mile hike was well worth the views! We left the peak an hour later and got to the bottom at 12:34.
For the rest of the day we relaxed. We enjoyed delicious BBQ pork sandwiches for both lunch and dinner, and followed that with homemade ice cream. We even got in a good soak at the Cottonwood Hot Springs. What a great way to finish out the day. But then it got even better because we had a fire and s’mores back at Sophie’s. Can’t get much better than that!
Distance: 00.00(1381.49 total miles)
Time: 0:00:00
Ascent: 0000
Descent: 0000
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Catching up on your travels – the west rocks! I love Colorado! I would have loved hiking with you guys, what a blast! Pictures are beautiful, love the flowers! Way to go Max, what an amazing adventure!
Ah, my old areas, spent a lot of time in Leadville — three time DNF at the Leadville 100 run, but did complete the 50-mile Silver Rush and the Leadville Marathon. Really great areas all around. Enjoy. Be careful, Colorado has a way of sneaking up on you. We visited once in 2005, less than a year later we moved there and ended up living in Denver for 13 years 🙂
Chief Niwot’s “curse,” Chase!
Colorado was amazing (especially compared with Kansas). I could see going back…
Missed hearing from you for a few days, but fun to catch up tonight. Can’t believe how much you did out there. Love the marmot picture!!!! Hope the snacks help a little. Wish we could have loaded you up with a lot more, but didn’t want to weigh you down too much. Hope the days off the bike gave you the rest you needed
I’ve been getting into the snacks on my first few days back on the road. I wish I could take more too!!
Yo MAX !
Thanks for not telling the whole world how tired I got coming down Elbert…..I’ve got a reputation to uphold you know!
What!? Tired!? If you did it’s probably only because you had to carry a certain someone down yourself!
Max, heard you made it to Pueblo!! Hope your first night back in the tent was restful. Keep on keepin on 🙂
Thanks Kathy! I had such a great time in Bewnie!