Queen of the Mountain

On Sunday, July 22nd, I acheived a long-time goal. With a nudge of encouragement from some dear friends, I finally climbed a 14er! Mt. Bierstadt is the 39th highest peak in Colorado at 14.060 ft. and is named after Albert Bierstadt, a well-known landscape painter of the American West in the late 1800s. The photos are posted in one of my profile albums, but to summarize, here are a few of the things I learned . . .

1) As long as the mind is willing, the body will obey . . . even if it regrets it the next day.

2) Sharing a beer at the base of Mt. Bierstadt in celebration of a successful summit is wonderful, even if I generally don't like the taste.

3) Old friends and newer friends are the BEST friends to support me in achieving a long-time goal. (Thanks Jocelyn and Ryan—you two rock! Get it? Rock . . . haha!)

4) The thinner air really does do a number on the mind; even a genius like me feels loopy at the top!

5) Just because it may feel cool, doesn't mean the sun isn't working a number on your skin. My red, blistery neck is proof sunscreen applied once is NOT enough!

6) At the bottom of the mountain, 14,000+ ft. seems like an exciting challenge. Half way up, it seems like it might be an impossible feat. At the top, you breathe in the splendor of God's creation and are moved beyond words at the sight laid out in front of you. 14,000+ ft. suddenly becomes the greatest gift shared with all mankind.

7) Sports bras and mountain climbing don't always go together well and there is no instant relief for under-the-boob chafing.

8) Despite sizzling hot summer temperatures, there is indeed still snow and ice on the peaks of the Rockies.

9) There are crazies out there who would rather run up (and back down) the mountain instead of walking, skipping, strolling, hiking, sauntering, moseying, ambling, etc. You can identify this odd breed by their uncharacteristically gigantic calves of steel.

10) Colorado has an extremely high population of mountain-climbing dogs! Too bad they're unable to sign the climber's log at the summit!