This blog post is finally here! Two months later, but it’s here! I was talking to someone a few weeks ago and mentioned I hiked a mountain with an elevation of 14,429′ and she stopped me before I could go on and enthusiastically said, “you did a fourteener?!” That’s when I realized what I did was actually a pretty big feat!
A flight to Denver was booked after dinner with Michael one night. We decided we would hike and I let him, the first-time hiker, research where we would go. Looking back now, it was a terrible idea! But hey, I’m alive and here with a story to tell.
Fast forward three weeks and I was flying into Denver. We picked up the rental car and started the two hour drive out to Leadville, the town closest to the hike’s trialhead. After having dinner, picking up groceries, driving, unpacking, preparing for the hike the next day, I finally got a couple hours of sleep that was interrupted by my 3:30am alarm.
My day-pack was ready to toss on my back and head out in the morning. Leadville was the closest town, but there was still another 45 minute drive before arriving to the North Halfmoon trailhead in the San Isabel National Forest.
The first photo is me, overly excited at my 5:30am start. I truly felt even better than I looked in the photo. Nothing was going to bring me down! So I made my way up, and up, and the hours were going by really fast. I sound ridiculous saying this, but all the youtube videos I watched of hikers on this trail said it would be approximately 4-6 hours. At the four hour mark I became a little concerned. The mountain I was hiking had no where to go but UP, and at the top of every “peak” was another one and another one. It was exhausting and disheartening knowing I was four hours in and I couldn’t even begin to see the summit.
There were dogs, children, and people far older than me that continued hiking past me at a pace that I couldn’t even imagine. How the heck were they doing it?! The clouds were coming in quick. Being out in the open on a mountain with hiking poles isn’t recommended. Michael suggested we turn back to make it below tree line again before the storm came in. Had I really come all this way to not reach the summit?
A couple guys were down climbing from the summit and informed me that the summit was close. It was just what I needed to hear keep on trudging! I took the lead. I put my head down and pushed myself to put one foot in front of the other. I was out of breath every ten steps, my heart was at it’s limit, and my fingers were numb from the cold. I guess an elevation gain of 3,900′ will do that to you.
An hour later, I reached the summit! I so badly wish I could tell you that it was the most beautiful view I have ever seen, because that’s what others have said. I was met with a 360 view of dense clouds instead. There was literally rain on my parade, and still my heart was full. I was proud and happy and all the positive words you can think of, but there was rain that I couldn’t hide from. I gave myself a few moments at 14,429′ before it was time come down.
The good news here is that I reached the top. The bad news? I have bad knees and it didn’t occur to me that down climbing would be uncomfortable. Hiking up the mountain is well documented with photos and videos, but coming down was too hard on my body to allow for any photos. I do remember being absolutely miserable though! With big, wet tears in my eyes, I let myself fall back on a rock and gave up the hike. My knees were so beat up and I had the worst knee pain I had ever had. The down climb went something like this: cry, sit, down climb, repeat.
The pain I was in was far too strong to be of any help on the way down, so I wasn’t. Michael navigated us on our way back down the unmarked mountain while I took my cry breaks. It was an all around horrible situation! I felt bad for not being more help and for having him carry my day-pack, and he felt bad for picking this mountain to hike.
Six hours later, I was led out of the forest! I had never been so happy to see a rental car before! I took my shoes off, stuffed my face with gummy bears, and celebrated the end of the day with sub-par Mexican food.
Hiking Mount Massive is hands down the most difficult thing I’ve challenged myself to do in my young life. Knowing all that I went through, I would do it again!
Would you hike a fourteener?
XO, Vivian
Quick Mount Massive facts:
- 15th highest mountain peak in the U.S.
- 2nd highest mountain in Colorado
- Part of the Rocky Mountains and Sawatch Mountain Range