Tom and I were both so happy that we decided to come home for our close friends, Jason and Chelsey’s, wedding. Although it was nothing short of a whirlwind, getting to spend that time with family and friends was truely priceless. Being in familiar territory and company was a welcomed change for us both. It’s easy to assume that when you’re gone, everything back home is at a stand-still. Coming home made us aware of the fact that, that isn’t the case. Regardless of where any of us are, or what we’re doing, our lives are continually transforming. As hard as it is to miss out on these moments with the people that we love the most, we are so grateful to have the opportunity to do what we are doing.
We returned to Denver this past Tuesday feeling overwhelmed with the idea of reacclimating to being on the move. After submersing ourselves in being home, coming back felt like a startling slap in the face. The mixture of our overindulgence and lack of sleep left us with fogged heads and no sense of direction. Kris kindly picked us up from the airport and drove us back to his place where Mogli and the Skamper had been staying. Tom and I both felt an unspoken but palpable urgency to have a plan that included our next destination. Kris had offered to have us stay for dinner and leave the next morning, and even that was hard for us to come to a decision on. We probably would have ran off to who knows where as a hectic attempt to find our bearings, had Mother Nature not intervened. A rain storm followed by hail kept us cooped up and allowed us to relax into the rest that we both so badly needed. After taking a deep breath, and giving ourselves time to figure out a game plan, our uneasiness settled. In order to be ready to leave early the next morning, we picked up groceries and packed up the camper. We both had such a fun night with Kris and Allison and were grateful to be able to take a shower before hitting the road.
We set our alarms for 6:30 on Wednesday in order to beat traffic. Tom and I had a renewed excitement for what we set out to do. We left Kris and Allison’s headed for Independence Pass, a well-known climbing area near Aspen. It was a beautifully, sunny day that illuminated the breathtaking view of our drive. We stopped at the Continental Divide, which is the highest point in the pass, reaching 12,000 feet. As we climbed up to that point, the temperatures dropped significantly. There was snow on the ground and other visitors were in hats and scarves. Climbing in the pass was much more difficult than what we were used to and offered technically and mentally challenging routes. It quickly became chilly as the sun dropped behind the trees, making it too cold to continue. After hiking back to the car, we began our search for a place to camp that night. There were campsites all along the pass, but were all $22 a night. We have never payed more than $3 and hope not to have to. We started down a dirt road in Lincoln Creek in hopes of finding an inconspicuous spot to sleep for the night. We were in National Forest land, so we knew that most areas were fair game. As we continued down this dirt road, we stumbled upon free primitive campsites along the creek. The first open site had more space than we needed with a perfectly flat area to park the truck.
We eased into Thursday with some restorative stretching and a delicious breakfast. We were trying to decide whether we wanted to climb and stay another night, or head to our next destination. If we were to stay, we needed to figure out how we were going to claim our site. There were only 22 sites and multiple cars filing in to reserve there spot for the weekend. As we were packing up and discussing our plan for the day, a car stopped and asked if we were leaving. We explained that we weren’t sure yet, but that there was plenty of space if she wanted to share the site. She gratefully obliged, introduced herself as Melissa, and began setting up her tent. She had another friend coming and they were only spending one night. The road after our site became more difficult to drive, which is why she was eager to stay closer to the main road. As a local, she was familiar with the area and let us borrow her guidebook, making it easier to decide on an area to climb. Shortly after, her cousin Hannah arrived with her 2 dogs; Rose and Gully. Tom and I both held our breath as Mogli met each of them. Luckily, they quickly became friends and played until we left to climb. Melissa recommended that we check out the area that they had climbed the day prior called Olympic Wall. It was nearby, with climbs rated at our ability level. It all sounded so easy, until we decided to take the first opening off the road that appeared to be a trail. Instead of turning back to ensure that there wasn’t another trailhead, we struggled up a steep, unmarked hill with loose rock. It didn’t take long before I was both tired and nervous from side-hilling with less than ideal footing. We had made it too far to turn around, and didn’t have enough sunlight left to make it worth it. After walking for over 2 hours, we came to a rock face that Tom was able to identify. From there, we found the trail that lead to the area where we had hoped to climb. Outdoor climbing isn’t always easy to find. When it is, appreciate it. When it isn’t, recognize that it’s all part of the journey. I was definitely feeling some self-pity over the fact that we ate up so much time trying to find the wall, but it served as a reminder that comes up often, which is to surrender to whatever each moment has to offer. We were surprised to still be able to get in a significant amount of climbing before making our way down the path, that earlier, seemed nonexistent. We enjoyed dinner and conversation with Melissa and Hannah back at camp that night. We shared stories of our day and learned more about each other’s backgrounds and personalities.
The next morning we woke up without much of a plan. We hoped to find an area with service in order to navigate and research places nearby that we might want to check out. Melissa helped us land on what our day ahead would hold. She informed us of a climbing area near Basalt, CO and invited us to a free concert in town that night. On our way to climb in Thompson Creek, we stopped in Aspen to connect with a few people that we hoped to coordinate with. On the hike into the climbing area, we crossed paths with a young kid named Sawyer. I said: “His name is Tom, so we have Tom Sawyer.” Sawyer, who was probably 11, replied with: “yeah....haha..that would be pretty funny if we were brothers”, then pulled his baseball cap over is eyes and said: “well, I should probably go”. The interaction tickled us both, giving us something to laugh about on the way to the wall. Our day of climbing could not have been more epic. The climbs were all concentrated on a single wall, requiring little to no effort to access each one. Not only that, but the whole wall was shaded. Tom on-sited (climbed the route without falling on the first attempt) a 5.11c. This was a really exciting moment for us both. I followed up by on-siting a 5.11b. We were both ecstatic, flying high on adrenaline, physical exhaustion, and the improvement that we have made since leaving. That night, we met up with Melissa and Hannah for the outdoor concert. Live music and a few celebratory beers was the perfect way to end a really great day.
We camped outside of Melissa’s house, waking up to what I assume to be the typical Saturday morning hustle. Those who are outdoor enthusiasts get an early start to beat the heat and weekend crowds. After making breakfast, we all headed out to meet Melissa’s friend; Matt. He took us on a hike that is known as one of the few that is still considered a “hidden gem”. Many of the hikes in Colorado that were originally difficult to locate have been made known to the public and are typically crowded. The hike that he took us on required trespassing on private land owned by Neil Diamond and Mary Kay. For this reason, it is not only hard to find, but also keeps other hikers from attempting to look for it. After crossing a large field, we made our way down into a “box canyon”, these are canyons that have high rock faces on either side. The majority of the hike was mellow, with only a few difficult and unnerving sections. Throughout the canyon, there were ropes placed to aid in climbing steep/slippery areas. Some were to the side of waterfalls. At the highest point we could safely reach, we sat and enjoyed the incredible, enormity of the canyon. The rock displayed various sedimental layers that offered perspective on the changes that have occurred over time. The hike itself gave us an opportunity to talk with each person and learn more about the variety of Colorado’s landscape. When we made it back to the cars, we all split ways. Tom and I had planned to make our way towards Gunnison and wanted to get started on the drive. Before leaving, we sat by the river, admiring the beautifully, sunny day and the many opportunities that have presented themselves on the trip thus far. The drive to Gunnison was absolutely breathtaking. We wound through thickly stacked Aspens and each opening presented unique and incredibly massive rock formations. We were grateful to take the scenic route, but being in the car for that amount of time left us both pretty wasted. When we arrived into town, we stopped at a grocer for a few supplies. We were 2 zombies blankly staring at various items throughout the store, our sad attempt at meal planning. After deciding on a few necessities, we left to check out a free local event that we had passed on the way in. One of the art shops put on an outdoor concert that also had a raffle drawing and a few lawn games. The band had just began to set up when we arrived, so we went for a walk with Mogli down the main drag. After exploring and window shopping to our hearts content, we returned to find two rowdy M.C.’s announcing the raffle, and found that we were no longer in the mood. As we settled into our campsite, we were gifted with an amazing sunset. Our vantage point offered an open view that allowed us to enjoy the display in it’s full glory. That night, we sat and talked about our plan for the following days. We had just over a week before meeting Joe and Lauren in the Tetons and what felt like much more to accomplish before then. Both feeling pressured by the timeline, we agreed to just take it one day at a time.
The area where we spent the night had a number of mountain biking trails that ranged from green (easy) to double black diamond (advanced). Tom and I rode a few intermediate trails that proved to be out of my league. Before leaving, we jumped on a few green trails, which allowed us to practice gaining speed without worrying about obstacles. As we pulled out, we headed towards Lake City where we had found a place to climb. The name of the area was “God’s Crag” and we believed it to be appropriately named. It sat atop a beautiful valley and possessed unique markings and form. The rock contained gritty pockets that served as perfect hand and foot placements and minimized our fear. Since we were in a National Forest, we could have camped anywhere along the road that we came in on, but instead decided to cover some ground. We had a mountain pass sitting in between us and Ouray, a town near Telluride where we had hoped to spend the following day. By looking at the atlas, we figured that the pass was approximately 40 miles, putting us in Ouray at around the time that we’d like to go to bed. Not long after we started driving, we came to a fork in the road. Unsure of which way to go, we asked a passing car for directions. They told us to go left and to follow signs for Engineer Pass. Before pulling away, they seemed slightly weary and informed us that the road required 4 wheel drive. Feeling confident that the truck could handle, we thanked them and were on our way. I drove for the first portion which was stunning. As the sun went down, the mountains and scenery pictured a silhouette that emanated peace. Crawling through the rough, gravel road, we awed at the sight of a towering waterfall. Slowing further to take it all in, we spotted a grizzly bear walking towards it. We were so grateful to be able to observe it and at a distance that diminished threat on either end. The further we drove the more choppy the road became. I finally tapped out when we came to a sharp turn followed by a steeply graded uphill. I asked Tom to take over and he was happy to oblige. Summiting the hill took two attempts. On the first, the car rolled back, the oil light turned on and the car shut off. I didn’t really know what to think, but became worried when Tom expressed concern. After looking under the truck and confirming that there was no leaking oil, we tried again. The car turned on fine and we were able to inch our way up. Not long after, the sun had completely set and we came to the peak of the pass and another Y in the road. Feeling tired and uneasy about driving the rest of the pass in the dark, we found a wide section in the road to post up for the night. As I crawled into bed and Tom bruched his teeth, a car came from the direction we were headed. They kindly stopped to make sure we were okay and told us that we needed to take a left up ahead. They said the road was rough, but our truck could make it and that we were smart not to drive it at night. We decided to leave the camper down and sleep on the lower bed to conserve heat. At 12,800 feet we “slept” as close as we could to share body warmth. The windows were nearly frosted and when our 5:00 alarm went off, to watch the sunrise, we were already awake.
We watched the sun come up with hot coffee and peanut butter and jellies, while expressing our gratitude for both the beauty and for the directions we recieved the night before. As far as we knew, we weren’t far from our destination and the comfort of being off of the mountain. We drove down for about an hour, admiring the view and awaiting our arrival into Telluride. A little while after passing through, what appeared to be an old mining field, the road became significantly more rugged. We went from rough gravel, to jumping boulders and avoiding large potholes, all on a narrow road. Each obstacle we passed gave us false hope that we were through the worst of it. Our fingers and toes were tightly crossed until we were let down by the sight of something steeper, taller, more jagged, and more risky than the one before. Each time, both of us would get out of the truck and devise a game plan. Once that was set, Tom would hop back in the driver’s seat and I would navigate his every move. We joked later that if we were to ever conduct couples therapy, this would be one of the required exercises. The height of our panic came after over an hour of what we were now calling nonsense. We had to pass over a large, uneven boulder that left maybe a couple feet of gravel road adjacent to it. Tom wanted to skirt the outside where one half of the truck would be on the road, and the other half would be maneuvering up and down the un level slab. The beginning went as planned, but we progressed into unexpected circumstances. My adrenaline was at an all time high as the rear axle was titled all the way to the left and the front, passenger tire was multiple feet off the ground. With a pale face and racing heart, I did everything I could to keep my cool and think critically about what to do next. I asked Tom to just stop moving so I could take a survey and decide on how to move forward. The truck continued inching and Tom informed me later that the breaks had seized, leaving him without control. He also mentioned that he could feel the truck swaying from the imbalance of the tires. He slowly turned back to the right and away from the edge of the drop off, landing all 4 tires, properly positioned, on the ground. I had to stop and give myself a minute to let my strong emotions and bodily reactions to settle before carrying on. That definitely wasn’t the last of it, but the rest of the way was somewhat more tame. As we reached the end of the pass, we parked the car to take in all that we had just experienced. The moments on the pass (5.5 hours of driving total) ranged from pure tranquility to ultimate terror. All we could do after the fact is be thankful for our safety and take more caution before putting ourselves in a similar situation in the future. That afternoon, we stopped in Telluride to traverse the Via Ferrata. This is a well known hike that extends across a mountain right out of town. You are advised to where a harness and gear for the areas with less than ideal footing. These sections have both hand/foot handlebars and a cable that you clip into. The hike was pretty mellow for the most part and gave us a chance to do something active that was also relaxing and enjoyable. To end the day, we looked up a nearby hot springs where we could drink a beer and take a load off. Fortuitously, there was one in the next town south (the direction we were heading) that sounded really nice. On our way out of Telluride, we stopped for a few overpriced dinner items before heading toward Rico. The poor directions that we got online led us on a wild goose chase. We turned around multiple times before finally finding the springs. Both excited, we parked our car and looked down the steep trail that lead to the water. We both stopped in our tracks, stunned with an eyeful of nakedness. We got back in the truck and discussed our options; continue with our original plan and not be prudes, or drive to the campsite and have a more private night. After the long day, full of excitement, we decided the latter of the two. We ended up finding a beautiful campsite right on the river where we were able to take a cold, but not freezing, bath. After dinner, we laid in the hammock and reminisced about the scariest moments during the morning’s drive. It was cool to hear each others perspectives and debrief now that we were on the otherside.
We woke up the following morning feeling determined to redeem ourselves after fleeing the hot springs. Our newfound courage was dependent on the springs being vacant on a Tuesday morning. On round two, we pulled up just as another gentleman was leaving. He came up next to us and asked what we were doing there. Feeling a bit interrogated, we nervously answered that we were planning to soak in one of the pools. Since we were from out of town, he gave us the 411 on a pool that was through a gate that had “private property” posted on it. “It’s National Forest, so if anyone gives you trouble, tell them to call the cops. I’ve been coming here for 10 years and haven’t had anyone bother me about it. The other pools are further down stream, so they are dirtier, this one is pimped out.” He followed all that with a hang loose sign and drove off. After cautiously slipping through the gate and following his directions, we confirmed that the spring was in fact “pimped out”. Not only was it completely private, but also had a bubbling inlet right in the center. We relaxed in the water for as long as we could handle it’s boiling temps. Before leaving, we rinsed ourselves off in the nearby stream, not fully removing the smell of sulfur, but well enough. Our next stop was Mesa Verde National Park. Here we were able to witness the dwelling remains of the Ancenstrial Pueblo. We didn’t spend much time at the site because the architecture could only be viewed from a distance. On our way out of the park, we read through the informational trifold, the cheap alternative to taking a guided tour. From there we drove outside of Durango to go climbing. The area was called “The Garden of Eden” and was situated next to a beautiful waterfall that filled a frosty blue lagoon. This is where we iced our muscles and pride after a difficult day of climbing. The rock was polished, meaning that there wasn’t much grit to it and the routes required a great deal of strength. We have really enjoyed getting to climb on so many rock varieties, some we have preferred over others. With light left in the sky, we continued our drive on the Million Dollar Highway. This is a scenic road, that due to it’s location, cost a million dollars per mile to lay in the 1880’s. We ended the day right outside of Silverton, where we camped for the night.
Wednesday morning was slow and easy. I had planned to go for a run, but other than that, commuting was the only thing on our agenda. Our next destination was Leadville so I looked up trails that would be on the way. We decided on Brown’s Creek Trail, which was a nice way to split up the drive and have a little time to ourselves. That night, we prepped ourselves for the summit that we had planned for the next day. Colorado has over 50 mountain peaks that reach higher than 14,000 ft. These are referred to as “fourteeners”. One of our goals before leaving Colorado, was to hike to the top of one. We ate a good dinner and preemptively drank plenty of water before getting as much sleep as we could.
This morning (6/28) we woke up to our 3:30 a.m. alarm, with sleep deprived, anxiety over what was to come. Although our bags were already packed and getting on the road should have been seemless, we drug our feet. The trailhead sat at the end of an uneven gravel road, only a few miles from where we camped. We were both happy to take the road slow in order to soak up as much heat as we could before our cold start. Mt. Massive, the second highest peak in Colorado, was our chosen beast. Prior to beginning, a fellow hiker informed us that it wasn’t an easy route. She made sure to mention that it was “straight up”. Both anticipating the worst, the hike ended up being a highlight for us both. It’s length was approximately 12 miles and it took us 6.5 hours to complete. During the assent, we both experienced extreme swings of mental/physical exhaustion and endorphine fueled highs. One minute you feel like each step requires your every ounce of energy, and the next feels like you could bound. Stopping for several, short water and food breaks was a major contributor to our success. Once we reached the top, we scarfed down a large bowl of beans and rice, while admiring the view. Two other hikers, Neil and Raymond, summited alongside us. We sat and talked with them for a good hour, allowing our bodies to rest before making our way down. Raymond knew a lot about coffee and chocolate, both processes of which he taught us about. He had a bag of shelled cacao nibs that he let us try while he explained how they’re grown, fermented and distributed. Nothing gets my attention like learning something new while eating chocolate. I’m sure we could have sat up there for another hour, but decided to get moving. After thanking them for their company, we began our descent. It was definitely easier going down, but still presented it’s own challenges. Maintaining proper footing and ignoring our tired feet were two of them. Mogli on the other hand, had no problem at all. He ran circles around us on the way up and continued a strong pace as we came down. Crossing the sign for the trailhead and fully completing the hike, gave Tom and I both an intense feeling of accomplishment. Nature has found a way to humble us, time and time again, and we have been grateful for each one. They show us how strong and able we are, while reminding us that we are at the mercy of something much greater.
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