leaving a bit of me behind: part II
where were we?
oh yes, mikal, paul, bobby, canseco and I climbed into my suburban and pointed it towards colorado. a couple of hours into the journey i learned my first lesson. sitting in a vehicle with a long road ahead and a kidney stone in the pipes is not an ideal place to find yourself. we ventured on stopping several times along the way. at each stop i used the opportunity to make an attempt at passing it. i learned something new about anticipation. it is a beautiful thing. as our next stop approached i began to anticipate the possibility of this thorn on my inside making its way out. i was disapppointed at each stop. with a bladder busting drink in hand i boarded the burb again continued down the road.
24 hours into our excursion we found ourselves at the trail head. this is where we said goodbye to restrooms, air conditioning, comfortable beds, shelter, gramdma klumpp's cookies and a million other things i don't even think of each day. over teh next 4 days we said hello to a good number of things as well: 60 pound backpack, freeze-dried food, the same pair of underwear, fresh trout cooked on a open flame, and god's unmistakeable presence in the colorado wilderness.
the journey was the most difficult thing i have ever physically experienced. we scheduled the four day trip for the first week of october counting on the aspens to be in full bloom. what we didn't schedule was an early dump of snow that left 12 to 36 inches of snow on our trail.
Day 1: most of the trail was clear and free from snow. i didn't take me long to remember why i loved the mountains so. i was also reminded how out of shape i really was. taking off my pack after 4 1/2 miles was a welcomed moment. after a warn meal and great conversation around a hot fire canseco and i made our way to the tent to catch some much needed sleep.
Day 2: i started teh day thankful for a soft bed. sleeping in a bag on the ground really sucks. 240 pounds doesn't do well on hard ground. teh rough night was a precurer to the the day ahead. after hiking a mile and a half or so we found our selves at a point of no return. as we stared up at a snow covered north face we realized we had only two options: 1) go out the way we came or 2) make our way over the mountain through the snow. we chose the 5 1/2 mile second option. and so for 5 hours we trudged our way up the never ending beast. we found several jewels along the way. 1. none of us could have or would have made that climb alone. we leaned up each other for the strentgh and determination to put one foot in front of the other. 2. we learned that sometimes you have to blaze your own trail. more times than not the well traveled, visible, obvious trail was covered in snow. lots and lots of snow and so, we read or map, polled one another, and stepped out into uncertainty trusting that we were headed in the right direction. together we found our way. 3. we each learned that we could each do so much more than had believed about ourselves just a few hours earlier. 4. we learned that difficult if not miserable periods of your life can some day be cherished treasures. I look back on that pass experience as a highpoint to my journey 5. finally, snow is a cold but remarkable substitute for toilet paper. Once again, warm meal, great conversation, Canseco and I headed to bed.
Day 3: This day was to be the highlight. after a mile hike up and through the deep snow we were to descend on blue lake. we stared early so to have the day for fishing for dinner. for soem reason i faced this day with great hope. sure enough, not 30 yards from our summit i asked the guys to stop. i took a moment, caught my breath, and said goodbye to canseco. i passed my stone @ elev. 11,450. talk about turning a day around. nothing quite like a boost of hope than leeting go of your burden on top of the world. we hiked on to the summit only to look down on the most beautiful scenery i have ever witnessed. to the left was breathtaking blue lake. it truly was more remarkable than mikal had described. to the right was a canyon deeper than i have ever imagined myself to be. breathtaking. literally. we hiked down a 1/mile to the waters edge and spent the day like 4 kids at disneyworld. our good dehydrated meal was set aside for fresh brown trout, rice pilaf, and raspberry crumble. food is a reminder to me of God's provision. hard for me to think of a time i had been cared for better. after a heart warming fire and great conversation i hollered goodnight to canseco and found my way by my self to my tent.
day 4: downhill. 5+ miles of riverfront downhill. downhill is much easier than uphill. downhill, however, brings its own set of struggles. down is much harder on your knees than up. down encourages you to go faster than you probably should. longstretches of coasting down blind you from remembering the final climb out. i remebered again that you can't have the up without the down.
96 hours after making our way into the wilderness we found our way out. i look forward to going making the trip again. i found out alot about myself on that trek. i also left a bit of me behind.
if you ever find your way though the south san juans say hello to canseco for me. come to think of it the snow melt might have him in the gulf my june.
oh yes, mikal, paul, bobby, canseco and I climbed into my suburban and pointed it towards colorado. a couple of hours into the journey i learned my first lesson. sitting in a vehicle with a long road ahead and a kidney stone in the pipes is not an ideal place to find yourself. we ventured on stopping several times along the way. at each stop i used the opportunity to make an attempt at passing it. i learned something new about anticipation. it is a beautiful thing. as our next stop approached i began to anticipate the possibility of this thorn on my inside making its way out. i was disapppointed at each stop. with a bladder busting drink in hand i boarded the burb again continued down the road.
24 hours into our excursion we found ourselves at the trail head. this is where we said goodbye to restrooms, air conditioning, comfortable beds, shelter, gramdma klumpp's cookies and a million other things i don't even think of each day. over teh next 4 days we said hello to a good number of things as well: 60 pound backpack, freeze-dried food, the same pair of underwear, fresh trout cooked on a open flame, and god's unmistakeable presence in the colorado wilderness.
the journey was the most difficult thing i have ever physically experienced. we scheduled the four day trip for the first week of october counting on the aspens to be in full bloom. what we didn't schedule was an early dump of snow that left 12 to 36 inches of snow on our trail.
Day 1: most of the trail was clear and free from snow. i didn't take me long to remember why i loved the mountains so. i was also reminded how out of shape i really was. taking off my pack after 4 1/2 miles was a welcomed moment. after a warn meal and great conversation around a hot fire canseco and i made our way to the tent to catch some much needed sleep.
Day 2: i started teh day thankful for a soft bed. sleeping in a bag on the ground really sucks. 240 pounds doesn't do well on hard ground. teh rough night was a precurer to the the day ahead. after hiking a mile and a half or so we found our selves at a point of no return. as we stared up at a snow covered north face we realized we had only two options: 1) go out the way we came or 2) make our way over the mountain through the snow. we chose the 5 1/2 mile second option. and so for 5 hours we trudged our way up the never ending beast. we found several jewels along the way. 1. none of us could have or would have made that climb alone. we leaned up each other for the strentgh and determination to put one foot in front of the other. 2. we learned that sometimes you have to blaze your own trail. more times than not the well traveled, visible, obvious trail was covered in snow. lots and lots of snow and so, we read or map, polled one another, and stepped out into uncertainty trusting that we were headed in the right direction. together we found our way. 3. we each learned that we could each do so much more than had believed about ourselves just a few hours earlier. 4. we learned that difficult if not miserable periods of your life can some day be cherished treasures. I look back on that pass experience as a highpoint to my journey 5. finally, snow is a cold but remarkable substitute for toilet paper. Once again, warm meal, great conversation, Canseco and I headed to bed.
Day 3: This day was to be the highlight. after a mile hike up and through the deep snow we were to descend on blue lake. we stared early so to have the day for fishing for dinner. for soem reason i faced this day with great hope. sure enough, not 30 yards from our summit i asked the guys to stop. i took a moment, caught my breath, and said goodbye to canseco. i passed my stone @ elev. 11,450. talk about turning a day around. nothing quite like a boost of hope than leeting go of your burden on top of the world. we hiked on to the summit only to look down on the most beautiful scenery i have ever witnessed. to the left was breathtaking blue lake. it truly was more remarkable than mikal had described. to the right was a canyon deeper than i have ever imagined myself to be. breathtaking. literally. we hiked down a 1/mile to the waters edge and spent the day like 4 kids at disneyworld. our good dehydrated meal was set aside for fresh brown trout, rice pilaf, and raspberry crumble. food is a reminder to me of God's provision. hard for me to think of a time i had been cared for better. after a heart warming fire and great conversation i hollered goodnight to canseco and found my way by my self to my tent.
day 4: downhill. 5+ miles of riverfront downhill. downhill is much easier than uphill. downhill, however, brings its own set of struggles. down is much harder on your knees than up. down encourages you to go faster than you probably should. longstretches of coasting down blind you from remembering the final climb out. i remebered again that you can't have the up without the down.
96 hours after making our way into the wilderness we found our way out. i look forward to going making the trip again. i found out alot about myself on that trek. i also left a bit of me behind.
if you ever find your way though the south san juans say hello to canseco for me. come to think of it the snow melt might have him in the gulf my june.
posted by wacopreacher at 11:55 AM
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