"You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things- to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals."
-Sir Edmund Hillary-
After a stressful night of getting lost and wandering around in the dark, Dylan and I awoke (in the right location praise Jesus!) to the majesty and grandeur of the many mountains in the San Juan Forest, near the quiet little town of Ouray, Colorado. Despite the unpleasant night, our spirits were greatly lifted as the summer sun came up over the mountains, slowly illuminating God's creation. In the stillness of the mountain morning, absolutely nothing was wrong in the world; life was as it should be.
We started walking around 6:15 am; we had a very long ways to go to even reach the trailhead to the mountain. Please understand, this mountain (Mt. Sneffels) was NOT our original mountain. We had to improvise the night before when the road we were going to take was blocked. Our Ford Escape is a great car, but not meant for jeep roads and extreme bumps, so we had to park very far away and walk a good 2 miles longer than necessary to reach the start of the actual mountain trail.
The scenery was well worth the extra walking though!! Plus, we met many other people moving towards Mt. Sneffels along the way, reassuring Dylan and I the mountain was up ahead, even though we could not see it. The perspective my readers/viewers receive on this blog is from me, not Dylan. I tell you this now, because I am positive Dylan felt very differently about the mountain once we were on it than I did. Any mention of crying, freaking out etc. is TOTALLY from me, not Dylan. He was a champ the whole time!! At this point on the trip though, I was feeling great. All my gear was in top shape; my body was in top shape and the altitude had not begun to bother me. Dylan and I were very much smiling, laughing, making jokes etc. during this portion of our journey.
Here is where my life began to get a little tricky. We veered off the main trail, which in Dylan's defense, was very easy to do because trails literally went in every direction on the ground at this point. I was annoyed at this outcropping of rocks we ended up having to traverse over. Dylan is telling me to get used to the rocks, and of course like a good wife, I'm thinking he is making a bigger deal than normal to get me all revved up. HAHAHAHA! Joke was TOTALLY on me. The extreme challenge was just beginning....
"No one climbs mountains for scientific reasons... You really just climb for the hell of it."
-Sir Edmund Hillary-
Spoke too soon!!! Our first coolier of rock. I am intimidated by this point and starting to question whether or not I actually want to do this. But, there are all of these other people going up with us, so I get it together and we start up. The way up was full of SCREE; this awful, loose pebbly, sandy stuff with absolutely NO traction. Dylan and I realized halfway up we were on the wrong side of this first pass and had a whale of a time trying to right our position. I slid a good ways down this thing when the rocks my feet were planted on gave out. I screamed big time and would have gone all the way down had Dylan not caught me from the side. Full blown panic moment ensued here. This was the first of my breakdowns. It scared me yes, but the worst part was realizing how far down I had slid. The climb is painfully slow. You crawl over these rocks, using your hands, knees and feet. It takes time too, because you have to be looking for the biggest rocks to place your weight on, knowing the small ones will probably not hold you. I lost considerable ground in my fall and was incredibly bummed about it. But, I continued to climb.
Over an hour later, we reach flat ground. I am starting to feel wiped emotionally at this point and am hoping that the top is not too far ahead. Dylan is such a great husband. He is doing nothing but encouraging me, reminding me of how far we have come etc. He does not give himself enough credit for all of this but there is NO WAY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH I would have made it up that thing without him. I needed every bit of love and strength he could give me along the way.
We rest here for a moment and then I turn my head to the left and a huge sinking, way beyond intimidation feeling kicks in as I view the second rock coolier/pass we still have to climb. This will take another 2 hours for me to do. My mental state is not great at this point. The pitch and angle of my body to climb constantly with a pack is beginning to take a toll as well. I just kept telling myself that the tippy top I could barely make out was it. We would be at the summit and I could relax. So with Dylan's help, we pushed on through.
"...I could look down (13,000) ft between my legs and I have never felt more insecure."
-Sir Edmund Hillary-
We reach the top- and we are STILL not at the summit. And I begin to cry. My emotions and hormones are starting to get out of control. I'm also upset because there are lots of people around us at this point, and I can't seem to stop crying. Dylan sticks it out with me, and we eventually make to do the last 500 ft or so to the top. But first, you must get through The Notch.
You cannot tell from the picture, but on either side of The Notch is a straight drop all the way down. There is no cushion or fall spot- just all the way down. And I lose it... again. There are zero hand holds, places to put your feet, no nooks or crannies to pull yourself through. You just take a big hop and grab on the other side of the rock and pray you pull your body through. This is my take on it anyways. Dylan swore there were actual climbing handholds etc. but I am not a climber... for a reason. That stuff scares the you-know-what out of me, so I don't do it. And now, I have too. I am crying big time, terrified out of my mind at this move I have to make. I start to tell Dylan I will wait for him down here when this angel of a man from Arkansas leans down and says he will pull me through. He looks like he knows what he is doing so we say yes. Dylan pushes from behind, the man grabs both my arms and they push/pull me through. It was traumatic. 500 more ft to go and bless both Dylan and Arkansas guys' hearts. They both stayed with me the whole way. I needed Dylan more than anything, but I tell ya what: knowing Arkansas man was in front of me, guiding me up was necessary as well.
."
We make it to the top. I am crying, Dylan is crying ( I think he was just relieved that I was up there. No more whining and moaning and groaning from me) and our Arkansas guy is still hovering near by. Once I calm down and look around, I realize why people do this.
"Reaching the summit of a mountain gives great satisfaction."
-Sir Edmund Hillary-
The views are beyond breathtaking and the pictures do not do them justice. You can see...everywhere. Mountains in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Telluride ski routes were in the background. My view and perspective on the world will never be the same after that moment.
We stayed at the top for a good 20 minutes, enjoying the view and giving me time to calm down. You must watch out for afternoon thunderstorms on the mountains though, so we headed out shortly before 1. After this trip, I hate that saying "What goes up must come down." Lame. Everything I had climbed up, I had to climb down.
This we did considerably faster than going up. We knew the best routes on each rock pass to take, and I was much more confident in myself. I had survived... I had beaten that damn mountain. I wanted down now to let everyone know I had bested that thing. We arrived back at the car around 2:30, more emotionally exhausted than anything. The hike was no more strenuous than a day at Lost Maples for Dylan and I. Neither of us had any problems with the altitude or breathing. We ate enough and stayed hydrated too. Our bodies were fine a few hours later. My emotional state; however, was out of control. I did not know whether to be happy/excited or just sit down and cry because of how hard those last 6 hours had been. I did neither. I listened to Dylan chat excitedly about the mountain experience while I took in the views. The valley we were in reminded me so much of Lauterbrunen, Switzerland, where we had hiked the Alps last summer to see the Eiger and Jungfrau. (Just needed snow on the tops of the mountains) I took comfort in that image and the sound of Dylan's calm, strong voice.
After having been back at my house for over a week, I can honestly say I want to do another one.We are planning on going back to this same area of Ouray next summer to do another mountain or two. I want to see that view from as many different places as possible. God has granted us with able bodies and eyes to see; I want to see the world the way He sees it, even for a fraction of a moment. I know what I have to do mentally now. I know there are other people out there to help you. Very important, I know Dylan will never leave me nor let me quit. I told him to go on at least 3 times, and each time, he just sat down on the ground beside me until I could get back up again. He believes in me too much and that makes all the difference in the world. Thank you Dylan, husband of mine, for guiding me through this experience. It was worth every tear!!
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