Well, I did more research and determined that Mount Yale (14,196) was a little too aggressive for my first “14er”… Some of my research happened to be a guy at the Mount Yale trailhead following my Lake Hartenstein hike who said, “Man, that last mile and a half is brutal!” To be honest, I really didn’t want to try anything “brutal” for my first time. So, I decided on Mount Antero (14,269) based on a number of conversations with people recommending first climbs. It’s very doable, and partly because you can drive up and park about 11,000 feet making the trek even easier…
So, why, you ask yourself, do I have a picture of Mount Princeton (14,197) in this post? Because i got inspired, that’s why. Driving to the Mount Antero trailhead, I saw a sign for Mount Princeton, and remembered reading in one of my many books and publications on the subject that Mount Princeton is a fairly easy climb. AND… I’m currently in the middle of my Jonathan Edwards biography as part of my sabbatical reading list, and knowing that Jonathan Edwards is a past president of this famed institution, it all made perfect sense! So, I pulled to the side of the road, did more reading on Princeton to make sure I wasn’t doing something stupid, and upon seeing that this peak is indeed very doable, I changed course. In honor of Jonathan Edwards, on to Mount Princeton!
I haven’t been able to upload the pictures from my camera yet, so this picture from a 14ers website will have to do for now. I will summarize by saying that this was without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but for sure one of the most exhilarating and rewarding. I arrived at the base of Mount Princeton at around 7am and made the way up the very precarious one-lane road having read that there were a few parking places somewhere up the mountain. I do have to say, that drive made me pretty nervous. There was no place to pull over if there was an oncoming car. That would have made for an interesting situation about 10,000 feet. I’m glad I didn’t have to figure that out!
I found a parking spot, thank goodness, near some radio towers that had some room, got my pack ready, and was hiking by about 8am. At about 10:30am, I was exhausted, nursing a blister on my left heal, and really discouraged because it seemed like the summit was still miles away! I was praying for strength to make it, and did I mention that I foolishly attempted this climb alone?! Well, God has mysterious ways of answering prayers. A mother-daughter team - who were moving quite fast, I might add - caught up with me. We started talking, and upon finding out they had already done six 14ers, I knew I was in good company. I was right. Kim and Kristin Sievers were my lifesavers! There were so many times over the next two hours that I didn’t think I could go on. My lungs were definitely not prepared for 14,000 foot oxygen. And combining the lack of oxygen with a lot of vertical climbing, I was in trouble. But, Kim and Kristen slowed down and were determined to help me get to the summit. I kept telling them to go on ahead, but they kept waiting for me as I stopped to catch my breath.
At 11:15, I felt like giving up, but knew I had to make the last few hundred feet despite what my body was telling me.
At 11:30, I really felt like giving up. But Kim wouldn’t let me. Kristen had gone ahead of us and was almost to the summit. I thought to myself… “We’re this close. I need to pick up this lifeless body from the rocks and get my feet moving.”
At 11:50am, we hit the summit. I can’t tell you how I felt. I was dead physically, but emotionally overwhelmed at having made it. There was some weather coming in, and it didn’t look good, so we had to get moving back down fast. Lightning can be a real risk above the tree-line with no protection from the elements. I signed the log-book that’s at the summit for those who make the peak… took a few pictures… gave as much praise to God as my delirious mind could muster at that moment… and started heading back down.
Oh… and yes… I ran out of water about 10 minutes after the summit. That’s a big no-no on a mountain like this. Dehydration is a big problem. I had 3 liters with me, which I thought would be plenty, but I thought wrong! Unbelievably, Kim and Kristen had both packed more water than they needed just in case… They each gave me a bottle for the trek back. HUGE answer to prayer. Meeting up with them was not a coincidence. God must have wanted me to make it back down the mountain! Kim and Kristen, if you are reading this… know that you were an answer to prayer in a big way. Thank you for your selfless and giving spirit. Yes, I do believe in angels!
We hit the bottom at 2pm, and I was glad…no, elated…no, ecstatic… that we were on a road. We’d made it!
As I was on this mountain today, I was reminded of how incredible God is, and what a master artist He is. The landscapes, vistas, and views were breathtaking and incredible. The Lord brought to my mind a number of times Psalm 90:1-2:
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
From everlasting to everlasting You are God.
I repeated those words over and over. What an awesome and majestic God we worship. He is eternal. He is transcendent. And, though I am unfaithful and faithless at times, He is always faithful. I get a real sense of God’s bigness in the mountains. I am so thankful for this time today at the top of one of His most beautiful creations, Mount Princeton.
Pictures and more commentary to come soon…
