Standng on top of the world!

Okay, so maybe just 14,081 feet in the air. However you want to look at it, it was spectacular, although windy and cold.

My friend Yuri and I decided to go backpacking while I was in CO over Labor Day. After checking the weather forecast and changing our minds several times throughout the week (and even the morning of), we decided to tackle Challenger Point (unofficial 14er) and Kit Carson. It is south of Buena Vista outside the little town of Crestone in the San Luis Valley.

My morning started bright and early at 3 am. Anyone who knows me will understand how rough that was! I had stayed up the night before packing and repacking everything, so I felt reasonably comfortable that I had everything I would need for a 2-3 day backpacking excursion. I settled in for a melon medley breakfast followed up by a Dr. Pepper. Hey, at that time in the morning, I'll take anything I can get to stay awake.

Yuri, surprisingly, got a late start, so we didn't leave my house until 4:30ish. We made it about 10 minutes from my house when I realized I had forgotten to give Yuri his GU and the quad map of the area. Back to the house we went - take II on heading out for an early start.

After an extremely bumpy ride up to the trailhead, we arrived around 9am and settled in for our 3.5-4 mile packing excursion. It didn't take very long for the altitude to hit me like a ton of bricks. I guess I am officially a sea level gal now! It was a glorious day, so the hike, although very slow, was gorgeous.. The valley up to the lakes is amazing. Yuri wouldn't let me take any pictures on the way up but I did manage to snap a few on the way out. Just wandering through the trails would have made the trip worth it for me. I love the Rocky Mountains - the Cascades are beautiful but in an entirely different way.

We arrived at our campsite about 3.5 hours after leaving the trailhead - 4.25 miles into the back country. After setting up my tent and Yuri's hammock, we decided to nosh a bit. That honey & peanut butter sandwich tasted like gold! :) We then took off to snap some pictures and explore the area around the lake. It sure was nice to shed that heavy backpack!! My shoulders were the only sore muscles in my body - I was extremely pleased by this as my shin, as always these days, was a question mark. I did put my compression socks on to make sure I would be ready for the next day.

After exploring for a bit, I decided I needed to take a nap. Only getting 2.5 hours of sleep the night before was starting to catch up to me. It turns out to be a very fortuitous decision. It started snowing/sleeting sometime after I had fallen asleep. I awoke to my tent roof dipping down and my vestibule hovering periously close to my pack! I was warm and dry snuggled in my sleeping bag. Hearing Yuri's voice outside the tent was a very welcome sound as I needed a good shake....err....rather my tent did. The weather cleared out and it was a beautiful evening!

We had to filter some water so I could cook dinner and to be prepared to hike the 14er pair. The filtration process turned into a bit of a comedy of errors! Having forgotten the directions, it was fail and repeat until we finally got a safe reading. I imagine the guys trying to fish across the lake were wondering what the heck we were doing!! Full water bottles and cooking pot in hand, we headed back to camp for a quick dinner before turning in early.

I slept well - for camping. Apparently Yuri didn't get a lick of sleep; too cold and windy for sleeping in a hammock - not to mention forgetting his shell. We were up and around by 5am, ready to go hiking at 6am. The sun was just starting to come out as we started towards the waterfall and the easiest part of the hike. I has feeling much better than I had the day before, altitude-wise. I definitely wasn't sprinting up the hillside but not too bad for 11,000+ feet. After stopping at the waterfall for some pics, we headed out following 2 groups of hikers on the trail.

The peaks were covered in fog and we were hoping it would burn off by the time we made it up to the top. Weather is always a factor when attempting 14er summits. We kept slogging away...up the class 3 route we discovered later! I had to slow my pace way down as we crossed into the 13,000+ altitude range - I was struggling to breathe and didn't want to get altitude sickness. Yuri got a bloody noise about 200-300 feet from the crest of the trail - not the best news ever when hiking at that altitude. It was also discovered that he had run out of liquids, so we had to share from that point on. Thank goodness I always bring extra Gatorade!

We reached the "top" of the trail and realized that we were actually in a saddle between Challenger Point and Kit Carson. The skies were completely black and a cold wind was whipping by. Yuri wasn't prepared for the cold without his shell and I wasn't feeling comfortable with continuing in the current weather conditions. We decided to turn to the north and only summit Challenger Point. We knew there was a class 2 trail down the other side of it and figured that would be our safest and fastest way off the mountain. The alley between the two was a bit sketchy - in reality we did the hardest part of the doing both the peaks on our way out. I even managed to hit my shin directly on the bruise while klinging to the rock face. I might have cleared the skies a bit with that blue streak!!

The hike back out was an exercise in impossible cairn siting. It was not very well marked and since we had summited on a different trail we didn't know exactly where to look. Another group of hikers was close to us, so we all made our way down together. My knees were quite grateful to reach the willows and relatively flat terrain! We made it back to camp with a 6 hour roundtrip time. Very slow but considering the weather and the trail we picked, not too shabby. I was happy with it as I got to stand on top of a 14er - my goal for the trip!

We broke down our camp, grabbed something to eat prior to heading back down the mountain. While we were eating a friendly little deer wandered up next to the camp. I just *had* to snap a few pictures!! It is always fun to see wildlife although I'm not convinced he was so wild. Several hikers came down by us and he just stood there munching away.

My shoulders were protesting the pack as we set out. It was pretty funny, Yuri and I were discussing our contrasting styles of hiking. He likes to power up the hill without stopping and then take his time on the way back out. I am the opposite in that I like to stop and take pictures on the way up, soaking in everything and then nose-to-grindstone on the way out. As I was saying that I still enjoy the outdoors even though I am going quickly down the mountain, I manage to misstep on a log and do my best turtle imitation in the river! Score one for Yuri although I was nice and cool hiking out as I was soaked from my waist down. My first words were "Is my camera okay?" You have to have your priorities, right? ;)

About 1/4 mile from the trailhead there was a fork in the trail. I was positive we needed to head to the left. My right foot was an unhappy camper as a blister that had formed while wearing heels to the office was screaming at me. All I wanted to do was get back to the truck, put on my 'flops and head out for a burger! After hiking 1/4 mile, we found a trailhead, just not the one we parked out. So, back up the hill we headed to make the correct turn and get to the "real" trailhead. Yikes, I was not very happy with myself. I can tell you nothing felt better than taking off those bloody hiking shoes and putting on my flipflops!

We ended the trip with a burger in Buena Vista. We should have driven the extra miles to Leadville to the place Yuri knew about. Oh well, it definitely replenished the calories and it was nice to sit in a chair in air conditioning! It was a fantastic weekend! A lot of exhausting fun in a beautiful part of Colorado! Thanks, Yuri! It's always a pleasure "suffering" with you. ;)