All In a Day

As far back as I can remember, I have been drawn to the forest.  When I was very young, my dad would stick me in his backpack and take me on long hikes.  When I was a little older, my favorite friends were those who'd come over with big, clunky boots and warm coats, ready to go tromping through the creek in the woods behind my house.  During my summers in Northern Michigan, my friends and I would head to the woods, exploring and making forts.  In college in West Virginia, I'd grab some schoolmates to follow trails into the woods, not even caring if we got lost among the huge boulders that lined our path.  When I lived in Tennessee, I'd strap my daughter onto my back, just like my dad had done to me, and we'd explore the trails and caves near our home almost every day.  Even when we're snowmobiling in the middle of nowhere, I have to be the last in our group because I stop often just to take in the beauty on those isolated trails through the woods.  And then, a couple of years after I started running, I discovered trail running, and everything just clicked.  Running AND being in the woods?  Perfect match.  I think transitioning from road marathons to trail ultras was so easy for me because as much as I love running, I love being in the woods even more.  I can't think of anything better than spending a day in the woods, running and exploring and meeting other kindred spirits along the way.

About a year ago, a Facebook friend in one of my running groups started organizing adventure day trips.  He had been out to Colorado numerous times and was looking for people to join him.  He found cheap flights that left early and returned very late the same day, and in between he'd guide a group up a mountain.  I wanted in.  Except every time he posted about one of these trips, it didn't fit my schedule.  So I waited.  And waited.  And then finally, there it was. A trip to Colorado to climb a 14er.  Except it was in the winter.  I don't even like winter.  But winter in Colorado?  Yes, please.  So Jason and I decided to join this group and take a mini vacation from our dreadful Michigan winter to brave the Colorado winter and it's elements.

The plan was simple:  Fly from Detroit to Denver on Friday night, grab an extra large van and some dinner before catching some shut eye at a hotel, gather at 5am to drive to Breckenridge, be on the mountain by 7am, off the mountain by 4pm, drive back to Denver and hop a flight back to Detroit, arriving at 12:40am on Sunday.  Whew!

We got to the airport and headed to the designated meeting spot, searching for others wearing hiking boots and backpacks and carrying trekking poles. Soon enough, there we were, a group of 13, most of us not knowing more than one other person.  After packing up our poles and micro spikes into shared bags, we were ready to fly.

On the flight, Jason and I sat with a woman from the Grand Rapids area and we became fast friends.  Jason was quite shocked that I wasn't the only crazy runner mom out there with a bunch of kids and a bunch of crazy ideas!

 The time flew by and soon enough we were in Denver.

After picking up our van and checking into our hotel, we headed to dinner where we completely pigged out on chips and salsa and enchiladas and other fabulousness.  I joked that it was kind of like the start of Survivor where you have to learn everyones' names and a bit about them and try to come up with a plan and form alliances!  But really, no alliances needed in this group-everyone was completely great!

After that, we headed to a local supermarket to grab water and any last minute items we'd need for the next day.  We were quite a spectacle getting out of our van!

After  very short night's sleep, the alarm went off and we were up.  We all met in the lobby for a quick bite to eat, and then we piled into the van and headed to Breckenridge.  Breckenridge's altitude is about 3,000 feet higher than Denver's, and coming from an altitude of just 750 feet, we were warned to stay  very hydrated to combat altitude sickness and to take frequent breaks, so as not to overexert ourselves.  As the van climbed higher and higher towards Breckenridge, the mountains loomed larger and larger.  Finally, just before sunrise, we were at the base of Quandary's Peak, our quest for the day.

We once again piled out of the van and made our final preparations.

And then, it was time.  This picture is absolutely perfect.  It captures our excitement and just how much fun we were all having together.

We headed off, into the unknown, in a single file line.  Aside from our leader, Josh, and one other girl, Trish, the rest of us had never climbed a 14er and had no idea what to expect.  After a just a few minutes, we were at the trailhead.  After this, the trail headed up at a sharp incline into the woods.

The snow was deep.  Deep as in, if you stepped to the side to let someone pass, you sunk to your hip.  Quickly, the group spread out, with Trish taking off at an impressive speed, the rest of us kind of splitting into smaller groups, and Josh moving back and forth between all of us to chat and tell stories.  The mountains were all around us, growing larger and more real as we climbed.  Every time there was an opening through the trees, we'd stop to take pictures, and the higher we got, the more majestic the mountains became.

We could hear the wind gusting far above our heads, and wondered how it would be once we made it up above the treeline.  With temperatures predicted to be in the 30's, surely even with these gusts it wouldn't be too cold.  After about a mile of climbing, the trees started to really thin out.  It had taken us over an hour to get to this point, and we had about 2.5 more miles to get to the summit of Quandary.  Already, the winds were starting to whip us, and we all zipped our coats a little higher and pulled our hats a little lower.

As we headed out above the treeline, our group was quite separated.  Trish was long gone, Jason and I were with Mike and Ashley, there was a group of four or five behind us, and then two more girls farther down and out of our sight.  Josh was still moving from group to group, making sure everyone was feeling ok and that no one was left behind.  He seemed to have endless energy!

The first part of the climb above the treeline was a little steep.  I don't like heights and I was a little uncomfortable.  I know, I don't like heights and here I am, climbing a mountain.  But you know what they say about comfort zones, and I was feeling ready for this challenge.  After climbing through ankle deep snow in a "trench" made by other climbers that  day, we came to a rocky plateau.  We were at about 12,000 feet here, and we were feeling good.  We took advantage of the somewhat flat area to eat and drink and gather ourselves.  The next part of the climb was much steeper than the last, and the winds were really picking up.  Ashley was also battling a fear of heights, so Mike stuck with her while Jason stuck with me.  We started the next part of our climb, and it was steep.  We'd take about 20 steps, and then the wind would hit us and we'd have to stop and rest.  Jason kept telling me to turn and look down at the others, but I only did a couple of times.  The height was really getting to me and I'd have to brace myself sideways, grab onto his coat, and just take a quick glance over my shoulder!  And man, I thought I was in somewhat good shape, but I was not expecting to need to take a break every 20 steps!

As we climbed higher and higher, it was getting steeper still.  The ankle deep snow was now very hard-packed and the micro spikes on our boots were the only things keeping us in our places.  The wind seemed to be getting more fierce by the minute.  And then, I had a complete breakdown.  I was freezing cold and panicking about how high up I was.  Jason calmed me down, jammed had warmers into both of my mittens, and told me to grab his arm and we'd climb the rest of the way like that.  I reluctantly agreed.  The wind and cold were intense now. We were stopping about every 10 steps to crouch down on the side of the mountain to shield ourselves from the wind.  It felt as if it could just blow me right off into infinity.

We were about 30 yards from the next ridge and Jason told me to just get there and we'd get a rest.  I wasn't buying it. I told him he had no idea what was above that ridge and I knew I couldn't climb down from that steepness and I was soooo cold.  I checked my watch and saw we still had 1.5 miles to get to the summit.  I knew I couldn't go on.  Mike had taken Ashley back down to a safer spot, and had started to reascend, and I had reached my limit.  I was so frustrated and disappointed in myself.  I told Jason to keep on going, as he was feeling great.  After reaching, 12,600 feet, I turned and cautiously headed back down the mountain.

The grade was quite steep, and I didn't have trekking poles, so I basically stepped and slid sideways on my feet down to the rocky plateau.  It was much to steep to run and I wasn't up for sledding on my butt.  On my way down to the plateau, I passed Mike going back up, Stephanie, Shannon, Adam and Janene, and then I came to Matt, who was suffering from a terrible headache due to the altitude.  I decided to follow him down the mountain because the high winds had completely erased the trench that we had used to climbed up.

I also passed a man heading up with his two little dogs!  Amazing!

And another group of climbers, hoping to summit.

I followed Matt back down into the trees in the deep snow.

Shortly after, we met up with Ashley and Gail, who were also making their way back to the home base.  I think we were all a little bummed to fall short of our goal, but we were still proud of our attempts.  I'll admit, my head was hanging a bit.  I had come here to reach the summit and I had failed.

 It seemed even the birds were judging me.

And the trees had their eyes on me, too.

As I turned and looked back up the mountain, I could see some tiny specks way up there, in the spot I had been.

We finally made it back to the van and I was frozen.  I quickly started the engine and cranked the heat up.  As I thawed out, I drank a bunch of water and had some snacks.  Soon, I was feeling restless.  I hadn't come all the way to Colorado to spend just four miles on my feet in the mountains!  So, after 45 minutes, I pulled my head out of my butt, bundled back up and told the others I was heading back up to the treeline.  I knew I didn't want to hit those winds again, but the forest was magical and that's where I wanted to be.

As I started my climb, I came across the man with the little dogs.  I asked if he had made it to the top, but he had not.  He was a local and said he had never seen wind conditions like that before up there.  He told me to come back Wednesday, when it would be sunny and no wind.  If only!  I came upon Kerreen, who was heading back down.  The winds had gotten to her, too, and she had given it her best shot.  And then I came across Shannon also on her way down.  I continued my ascent, and then, there was Jason!  He was with Janene, Stephanie and Josh.  They hadn't made it.  With 60MPH wind gusts and -35 degree temps, they, too had fallen short, reaching 14,000 feet but not quite making it to the summit.  That left just three people from our group.  Trish, Mike and Adam.  That foursome headed back down and I continued to head up the trail alone.  It was so beautiful and I was glad I had decided to get back out there.  I climbed 1.25 miles up to the edge of the treeline and just took it all in.  I'd probably never be in this spot again in the winter, and I wanted to remember it.

As strenuous as the two climbs had been, for some reason, I just felt like running.  I was wearing hiking boots and had a heavy backpack on my back, but I just needed to run!  So I did.  I let myself just go, running down the trail among the trees, and it felt like a was flying.

When I got to the bottom, I ran into Matt, who was trying to shake his headache, and he looked at me in amazement.  I told him I was having the best time out there and had just run down from the treeline.  He said, "You're GLOWING!"  And I was.

I was heading back to the car to check on Jason and the others, and ran into him, Ashley, Janene and Josh.  They were heading to hike one of the side trails, so I joined them.  Might as well make the most of the day!  As we went, we came upon a group of three guys who had made it to the summit.  They recalled seeing Trish, who had made it to the summit, headed back down, and then was trying to help get Mike and Adam to the summit, as well.  The guys had passed them on their way down and were quite confident that our friends were going to make it all the way.  Josh had given us a 12:00 turnaround time, so that would be the only factor.  We planned to be back to the car by 2:00 to greet them.

This trail was a lot less traveled and the snow was thick and mostly untouched aside from a few cross country skiers.

We hiked out about a mile and then it was decided that a snow angel had to be made in the deep snow, and Ashley happily volunteered.

The five of us headed back to the car to find that the trio had returned and that they, in fact, had all made it to the top!  They had done it! Victory!  Just three of the 13 of us had made it, but I was so proud of them.  Those conditions were nothing to laugh at and Trish, Mike and Adam had prevailed!

With extra time to spare, we decided to share one more meal together before heading back to the airport.  Once again, we all piled into the van and hit the road. We found a nice little spot after we left Breckenridge and proceeded to stuff ourselves.  It was a quiet ride back to the airport after that.  The day had been a long one.  We made it through security and kind of took over a section near our gate, telling stories and joking around and making future plans.  In 24 hours, we had gone from strangers to friends.  We had done something hard and unknown together and we had bonded.  We had all had our own individual experiences, but we were all a part of each others', too.

We made it back to Detroit a little after 1:00am.  It was hard to believe we had just left that place the day before.  We had all done so much and seen so much.  We made friends and shared meals and pushed each other.  We told our stories and we were heard.  We hugged our goodbyes and wished everyone safe travels, and headed for home.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous to head to Colorado with Jason and 11 strangers, but I should have known better.  These people are runners.  They are my people.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again-the running community is amazing.  We are all on the same path and we want to share our journey with others.  We laugh together, we cry together, we have fun through it all.  We are always looking for the next adventure, the next race, the next chance to try something new, to explore new places.

I may not have reached my ultimate goal in Colorado, but I came away with 11 new friends and memories to last a lifetime.  As for right now, I'm ready for my next adventure.