I felt tired as I roll over and wait for the alarm to sound. My excitement made it difficult to sleep through the night. All in all I slept about 3 hours. At 2:34 am the alarm sounded signaling the beginning of my adventure.

My hotel was a little more than an hour and a half away from the trail head at Guanella Pass. Once there, i was not alone. two other cars were in the parking area at 11,000 feet.

Still dark outside I set off on the well defined trail at 5:00 am. I was not prepared for the cold. I anticipated that it would be chilly, but I was not prepared for the frigid 37 degree temperatures. The nearly full moon illuminated the path so much that I did not need my headlamp. By 6:00 am the sun was beginning to rise and began to warm my frozen hands.

The hike was relatively mild at first with some downhill scrambling through low bushes. About a mile into it the incline began. The initial climb was relatively mild, but quickly increased in difficulty. It would remain difficult to the top.

Once the sun came up, I was welcomed with amazing views. I passed lakes and wildlife waking up to greet the day. I came across a herd of mountain goats grazing about half way to the top.

Hitting the Wall

At 13,700 feet I hit into the proverbial wall. The combination of thin air mixed with the physical exertion needed to get to the top almost stopped me in my tracks. I just had to keep reminding myself to continue to put one foot in front of the other and just continue on. It took nearly 30 minutes for me to make it the last 300 feet to the summit.

But once I did I was rewarded with 360 degrees of amazing views.

I was proud of my accomplishment. It was an amazing adventure and one that I will remember forever. It is exciting to see this as my stepping stone to 18,000 then 20,000 and then, well who knows. There are many peaks to climb, and I am just beginning.