#Coloradk 14ers

[mostlyexcited]

I’m caught somewhere between relief, happiness, fear, antsyiness and total, total, total exhaustion.

This weekend, I summited Longs Peak with a friend. For those unfamiliar with the 14ers in Colorado, it’s one of the hardest mountains above 14,000 feet to summit in the state.

Add heavy fog, insane wind and bitter cold, and you have an already-treacherous route made that much more difficult with slippery rocks.

It challenged me — physically, mentally and emotionally — more than anything I’ve ever done in the outdoor space. We spent most of the journey to the summit completely terrified and doubtful we’d actually get there. But then we did. And while the fog enveloped the top so we could barely see people 20 feet away, we had a little celebration before strapping our helmets on and heading back down.

Blue sky came out for most of our descent - a reminder that sometimes the peak of a challenge won’t reward you in the way you think. That you may have to push a little farther out of your comfort zone than you think.

It’s been three days since we summited and I still have bruises, a sore wrist from catching myself during a fall and faint numbness as the feeling in a few fingertips slowly returns. Probably a little mental exhaustion. But looking back now, I feel mostly pride. I overcame a lot to get up there and back in one piece.

They challenge me like nothing else, but perhaps that’s why I love mountains so much.

#longs peak #rocky mountains #hiking #hike life #trails #fitblr #fitfam #rocky mountain national park #RMNP #Coloradk 14ers #14er #14ers #14ersofcolorado