The week of my 45th birthday, with both kids in camps, I set my sights on several hikes throughout Colorado with the intention of bagging a few more 14ers. On my actual birthday, July 18th, I had my third go at trying to summit 14,015 foot Wetterhorn Peak near Lake City. The first time I attempted Wetterhorn two years ago, I got within 100 feet of the class 3 summit wall before I got scared and had to turn around. Last year I had to turn around much sooner after a constant rain drenched out my attempt. This year, with the help of my friends Nicole, Laura and Kim, I would try for the summit yet again.
We reached the Matterhorn Creek trail head and got on the trail at 6:00 AM, shortly after sunrise. The monsoons had set in just this week, so every afternoon there was a chance of storms. Today was no different, and there were already clouds in the sky when we got started.
After a wet winter, the wildflowers in this basin were out in force.
The first couple miles of the trail are a standard hike, steadily climbing about 1500 feet over a couple of miles. You can't see Wetterhorn at first, but as you make your way up the basin, it starts to come into view.
The trail leads up to and crosses in front of the peak before cutting back and starting to ascend up its SE ridge. This area below the peak is much rockier and required some boulder hopping as we made our way to the ridge.
Finally, after a little over 3 miles, we reach the summit block where the more serious scrambling begins. My attempt two years ago was my first real attempt at solo route finding on terrain that was more technical than I had done before, and although I made it to the summit, mentally I had gotten so frazzled with uncertainty in my route choices that I couldn't muster the courage to attempt the final wall. This year was different. With the support of the group, and knowing what to expect, I was able to find the correct route much more easily and scrambled up it much quicker than I did before.
As we made our way up, it started to drizzle on us, and my heart sank, as I knew we would not attempt the final push if the rock was too wet. But luck was on our side today, and the drizzle stopped after only a couple of minutes. Finally, we reached this point:
Just beyond the notch on the left of this block was the class 3 wall at which I had to turn around before.
I was the first in the group to get to this point, and when I got there I looked up, then bowed my head and prayed. I remembered this view from before, and I remember, after a short attempt to scale this wall, being so scared that I couldn't continue. I have reflected on that moment for almost exactly 2 years, and finally, this was my big test to tackle one of my most memorable "failures".
Laura was soon next to me and must have seen in my face that I was nervous, as she asked if I was ok and if I was ready, to which I shook my head yes. Nicole followed shortly behind her and simply mouthed "you got this". And so it was time.
Laura took the lead and I followed shortly behind her. It was much easier this time than last, and the height and exposure that paralyzed me last time had no effect this time. Between Laura and I, we found the paths of least resistance and made our way up. And after what seemed like no time at all, I pulled myself onto the summit.
This was the most emotional I had ever been on a summit, but it stands to reason after finally summiting my nemesis peak. The fear of heights I had last time was gone, and the climb was actually really fun. As the rest of the group made their way up, I took in the incredible views that I had missed out on twice before.
Redcliff and Precipice Peaks to the north:
Matterhorn Peak and 14er Uncompahgre Peak to the northeast.
And the view down the valley where we made our approach to the east.
Wetterhorn Peak, my 25th 14er summit, and one of the most satisfying.
We were on the summit maybe 20 minutes before we decided it was time to descend. I hung back as the others slowly made their way back down the wall, then I followed after them. When I was almost down, I was greeted with this:
Birthday cake on the summit, with an awesome wood carving of Wetterhorn Peak to go along with it. The perfect end to the perfect 14er summit.
The rain that had been forecast for the afternoon appeared to be threatening, so we quickly packed up and scrambled our way off of the summit block and back to the boulders below. Since we had a little protection, we stopped again briefly to adjust our layers and have one last snack. While we were in this area, a curious marmot came over to us looking for some food.
Soon he had a buddy, and then another, and another, until there were eventually six of them "swarming" like sharks, looking for an opportunity to steal something from our packs. It was a little creepy, and feeling outnumbered in hostile territory, we decided it was best that we packed up again and headed down the trail to safety.
Today was a huge one for me. I spend a lot of time studying 14er routes and planning which ones I want to go after next. And for two years, anytime I looked at routes, I always remembered my failed attempt on Wetterhorn the first time and wondered if I would react differently if I tried to do it with friends and not solo. Within the past couple of weeks, I hiked to the top of Lookout Mountain near Estes Park with my family, and the summit consisted of a diving board looking formation that is very short but is considered a class 4 move to scale it. That would be the test for my upcoming Wetterhorn attempt, and I completely froze again. If I couldn't bring myself to climb a chunk of rock I could literally almost reach to the top of while standing below it, how was I going to climb a 100 foot wall that I had frozen on before and do it at 14,000 feet? I was disappointed and became nervous that I would not be able to summit again.
However, with friends and encouragement, I not only beat those fears but I destroyed them. It was the best I've ever felt on a 14er climb, and it is one that I won't ever forget, my 25th at 45. 7 miles in 6hrs, 40 mins. I knew the hikes I had planned for the rest of the week also had some more technical terrain, and now I felt completely prepared to take them on. It was a great day with some people I am truly blessed to be able to call my friends.
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