Mt. Elbert

Here I am yet again on another summit and experiencing the feeling of being on top of the world. Mt. Elbert is the tallest mountain in the Rocky Mountains and I sure felt it being at such a high elevation. The climb was slow and steep, taking me about five hours to summit. My back was in a lot of pain, and I admit that there were times I wish I turned around, but I kept trekking on. You begin with some forest, as the trail meets up with the Colorado Trail, then move above treeline. Once above treeline, there are about three false summits that one has to get past before they are at the top. I remember several people complaining about it, but it came of no surprise to me.

I hiked this one with my friend and liberty colleague Garrett Coon, who bested most of the way with his long legs, and lack of a backpack. Overall, I enjoyed this hike and found it challenging compared to most. I also kept staring at Mt. Massive savoring at the idea of climbing it someday. The skies were clear and there wasn’t any snow or water in our path. The trail was easy class 1 all the way to the summit and I was quite impressed with how maintained it was. Of course, we can thank the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative for that. After camping at the trailhead the night before and leaving at about 6:48a MT, we summited at 11:58a MT and were off the summit by 1:00p. By the time we returned to our vehicles, I noticed that a group of three women were headed up. Thunderstorms were already beginning to brew by this time. Hopefully, they turned back.