So we were just out of high school, my buddy and I, and anxious to get about the more important things that were now within our reach. Both of us still living at home meant the money we made could be used for personal endeavours. We both enjoyed camping and hiking so a backpacking trip to Colorado seemed to be in order. We decided to climb Mt.Elbert just outside of Leadville. It is the highest peak in Colorado and something we could do without special equipment or training. Then we would head to the Maroon Belles near Aspen for a few days. The plan in place and our packs full we loaded up. Bear would accompany us on our journey to help keep us safe at night. Bear was my friend's rather large yellow lab mix that proved to be an over-ambitious defender when we would throw the football around. Couldn't really get him for pass interference because his timing was impeccable. However, unnecessary roughness was a common practice of his, and the games would be rather short in length to protect our general well being. Heading west in a red Corvair with our 2 packs and a dog was an immeasurably freeing sort of feeling. We were trying out our relatively new adult wings as it were, and loving the independence we felt. While Bear was a fearless cornerback, he seemed to have a phobia for cars. Not so much scared of riding in them, but as they passed by he was struck with a very strong desire to place himself under my friend's feet. This was somewhat comical the first few times it happened but became a bit of an annoyance as the trip went on. One time we were coming down a steep grade in the mountains when Bear couldn't stand being in the back seat any longer. During his trip to the passenger's side floor board in the front he actually shifted the car from 3rd into 2nd gear. He accomplished this without the aid of a clutch and the transition was amazingly smooth. We got a good laugh out of that. We eventually found our way to the trail head that would deliver us to Elbert's peak. We hiked up quite a ways before stopping for the night thinking we could get an early start and make the peak the next day. My memory isn't real detailed but for some reason I remember making some Jello with some of that wonderful mountain stream snowmelt. It tasted great though I can't remember what the main course was. Probably a dehydrated this or that. The next morning we did indeed get an early start. However, we were farther from timberline than we realized and started our hike to the peak a little later than hoped. We left our packs at timberline hidden in some shrubs. The three of us headed out on our long steep walk with plenty of water and some sandwich cookies. A great combination don't you think? This was our first stop though looking back it should not have been. I was having trouble acclimating to the altitude. It always takes me a day or two to get used to the mountains. During our adventure we encountered a thunderstorm. Not a lot of lightning, but when you are at eye-level with the storm you feel a bit more vulnerable. The reason for that feeling is the fact that you are more vulnerable. (spelled it right that time without help from the stupid spell checker) We took shelter in a boulder field. The boulders were large enough that we could get into the crevasses and be pretty well protected. The precipitation was mostly in the form of sleet. A function of the cooler temperature up where we were. As the storm moved on it left in its wake the most strikingly beautiful scene I have ever had the privilege to see. The storm moved on between us and Mt. Massive producing a double rainbow which seemed to end at a lake down in the valley. I will never forget the feeling of awe at that moment, or the almost inconceivable thought of knowing the one who created this incredible earth. Wow, what a sight. By the time we reached the top I was feeling pretty sick. The cookies were likely not the best choice for food to take, but it was what we had so when I got hungry, I ate some. We weren't at the peak too long as we knew we were in trouble time-wise. We moved as quickly as possible back down the mountain. When we reached the area where we had left our packs it was dark and I was as sick as a dog. Well, as sick as some dogs I suppose, it seemed Bear was feeling ok. My friend made quick work of finding a couple of puny little pine trees that could offer a bit of protection from the weather we might incur on the mountain-side. He set the tent up by himself while I was busy tossing my cookies, (no really), at another nearby tree. We climbed into the tent and our sleeping bags and settled in for what was a rather stormy night. A more intense couple of storms accompanied us through the night and again the precipitation of choice was sleet. By morning I was feeling better and we hiked back to the car to head to the more relaxing part of our trip. What a day it had been. What a great memory to have and to share with you on this cold night. Hope you enjoyed it.
