I started at 4am, about an hour before sunrise, to beat the heat of the day. It was so cool to see the sun coming up over Colorado Springs.
3 miles in! It was about here that I took off my headlamp once the sun was bright enough.
A sign about 3.5 miles up. The summit is still 10 miles away!
I met a lot of people on the trail. Some want to chat, some don’t. I met Linda on the left who is 69 and a regular Pikes Peak hiker and walked with her for a mile or so. And you may remember Nicole on the right. I talked about her a few months ago when I met her. She’s 76 and hikes halfway up and back every Monday and Thursday. Just amazing women!
This is a shelter they call The A Frame. It’s a first-come first-serve shelter for hikers about 8 miles up.
I wish this showed how beautiful it was by The A Frame. Just a beautiful meadow with grass and flowers where most of the mountain is thick forest and trees or barren with rocks and boulders.
Three miles from the summit and 11,500 feet. The altitude bothers a lot of people but I didn’t really feel it. The worst part for me was just past halfway. I was weak and had to rest about every minute. I was frustrated and wondering what was going on. I think it was because I hadn’t eaten enough during my break.
10 miles in!
Random pic just above timberline. I was getting excited that the summit was in sight!
Now 2 miles from the summit!
Just a random huge rock formation. Pictures don’t really do any of this justice.
After 11 hours, I made it to the summit! If you’ve ever run a long race or done something really hard, you’ve probably said, “Never again!” But a few days later you want to sign up for another one. That’s kind of how I felt after this. Never again! But now I’m thinking about what mountain I can climb next!