My Epic Mountain Climbing Quest

Just to set the record straight right up front:

#1. I have never climbed Mount Everest.

#2. I am middle-aged.

#3. I am in average shape at the moment.

#4. I could stand to lose 10 pounds.

#5. I plan to climb tall mountains.

#6. I may be delusional.

I know what you're thinking. Is she nuts? To that I would answer: Refer back to #6 above.

This notion of achieving new summits in my life has fully captured my imagination. There's no turning back. My mind is made up. Here I declare to the world, and, more importantly, to myself, that I WILL climb a 14er in the near future. What's a fourteener, you may ask. This is mountain speak for peaks that rise above 14,000 feet in elevation.

The best way for me to train for my 14ers is to hike and climb at ever higher elevations. So far, my training hikes have taken me up to 9,767 feet. Today my goal is to hike the South Zapata Lake trail as high as I can go before hitting too much ice and snow. I don't want any injuries on this quest, so I plan to turn back before the trail gets dangerous. It's still too early to get all the way up these trails.

Today is a cool, breezy, overcast day. Excellent temperature for a strenuous hike (lower 50s). I have the trail to myself, which is not at all surprising. Even in the summer this is not a heavily traveled trail. Most people bypass it because it is rated very difficult. The first trailhead, which goes to Zapata Falls, is at 9,085 feet. At 9,281 feet, the trail splits off to head up to South Zapata Lake.

Right from the start the trail is steep. There will be 2,500 feet of elevation gain. Basically, you are always climbing up a very steep incline the entire route. It is five miles each way to the lake that is nestled at the base of one of the 14ers in the Blanca Massif - Ellingwood Peak. This is a rugged, classic alpine hike with several mountain stream crossings. The high views overlooking the San Luis Valley and the Great Sand Dunes National Park are exceptional even on this cloudy day.

The weather has definitely not been cooperating with my mountain quest. Tomorrow is the first day of May and snow is once again predicted. Extremely high winds, sleet, below freezing temperatures, and snow squalls have kept me from doing as much high altitude climbing as I would like.

Took advantage of a brief fair weather window to hike six hours up to Mosca Pass today. The trailhead begins in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and goes through the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. As you can see from this photo taken at the trailhead, the aspens are just beginning to leaf out at the lower elevations. Hiking through the aspen groves was a real highlight of today's workout. Everything was aglow.

Photo Credit: ©RenaissanceWoman2010

Training in historic places has been a major bonus to my 14er quest. The trail I climbed today was an ancient gateway into Colorado's San Luis Valley. First used extensively by the Native Americans of this area, it became the key pathway by which early explorers, settlers, and traders traversed the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Mosca Pass is sacred to Native Americans relative to their Lake of Souls. This site is thought to be the birthplace and final resting place of souls. I tread lightly in these places that have so much deep meaning to so many. It is always a privilege to experience trails that still hold a powerful essence. I feel transported to another time. This is perhaps the true epic part of my mountain quest.

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No part of this work may be copied or used in any way without written permission.

We are each of us angels with only one wing,
and we can only fly by embracing one another.
~ Luciano de Crescenzo

Thank you, Squid Angels, for providing the second wing that I need to fly. I am deeply appreciative of your support and encouragement!

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