17 Years Later, Still Reaching New Summits
Marmots, Mountain Goats, and Milestones
July 11 marked the 17th anniversary of the heart attack I survived at 31. As the years pass, I tend to forget the approaching date until it arrives, along with an email from my guardian angel, who convinced me to go to the hospital that day. He remembers every year.
The anniversary weekend was busy, with Yoga on the Rocks, teaching SUP yoga, and getting chores done, but we decided to take the girls on an adventure up their first 14er on Sunday afternoon to escape the heat.
After our Sunday morning responsibilities were complete, we ate lunch and then packed our bags. After a boring weekend for them, the dogs saw me put their treats in my bag and got excited. It was their signal that they were going along for this outing.
We drove through Evergreen, then turned and headed up the road toward Echo Lake, where we used to go regularly during the summer when Ella needed her wheels for walks. It was the perfect escape with her because of the cooler temperatures at that elevation and the fairly wide, flat path by the lake.
This time, though, we took the turn up the road to Mount Blue Sky. You have to purchase a timed entry, and we arrived right on the dot at our time (1:00 pm). The ranger gave us some advice and sent us on our way.
As we started driving up the mountain, John and I talked about how neither of us had ever gone up there, always thinking it was so close that we could do it anytime. Tessie stood in the middle, watching out the windshield the whole way, and Mala sniffed the fresh mountain air through the open windows. It had been 87 degrees at home, so we were happy to see the truck’s temperature reading was only 72 when we got to the Summit Lake parking area.
We strapped on our packs, grabbed our hiking poles, leashed the dogs, and were off!
The girls wanted to check out all the new smells, so we spent a lot of time by the lake before starting the trail up the mountain. There were big rocks to climb over, and Mala misjudged a couple of times, slipping. At 11, we tend to worry about her a bit more these days, but we didn’t need to – she’s still a great rock climber!
Along the way, I reminisced about why I never took Ella on another 14er after she practically dragged me up Quandry when she was young. Ella always had summit fever. On that hike, she could see the summit for much of the trail and was determined to get there quickly. We talked about how Mala has never hiked a 14er. On our big adventure last summer, we reached about 12,500 feet above sea level while crossing West Maroon Pass between Aspen and Crested Butte.
We took a break at a spot overlooking Chicago Lakes, the destination of one of the long hikes we did last summer while training for our grand adventure. Then we pushed on and reached the summit of Mount Spalding at 13,842 feet. With the challenging terrain and low oxygen levels, our hiking pace was much slower than our typical 20-minute miles, so we kept our eyes on the distant clouds.
We continued on the trail toward Mount Blue Sky, but after climbing a bit, we decided to turn around. The trail was getting rockier and harder to follow. Tessie was nervous with all the marmots around, which make a noise that sounds like a smoke detector beeping. The girls were happy to turn around and head back to the lake. We enjoyed the expansive mountain views in all directions and the abundant wildflowers.
After returning to the car, we continued driving to the summit. We saw some mountain goats along the way, and I picked up a tuft of fur from the ground for the dogs to sniff – Tessie tried to eat it, of course. We reached the parking area and walked the last 1/4 mile to the summit. It was a good thing we didn’t try to hike the whole way, because it was already 5:00 p.m. by then.
We saw more mountain goats and even some bighorn sheep along the road on the way down, so Tessie kept watch. We’re glad we were able to make it work and get all of us to the top of Mount Blue Sky on a random Sunday afternoon. We feel fortunate to live somewhere surrounded by so much beauty and endless opportunities to spend time in nature.
Seventeen years ago, that heart attack could have ended my life, but instead I’m alive and well – able to hike, bike, and run on mountain trails, paddle on lakes, practice and teach yoga, swim, write, and enjoy this wonderful life.
It’s easy to fall into a comfortable routine, but doing new things keeps your brain sharp, your body fit, and your heart full.
What’s one thing you can do this week to celebrate life?