For those of you who read my About Me page, you’ll know that I didn’t grow up always loving hiking and backpacking. Through high school and most of college, I only went on one or two hikes a year when my friends asked me to join them. I enjoyed the excursions well enough, but it wasn’t my preferred activity.
My junior year of college was a tough year. It was my most challenging year of classes and I was incredibly busy with homework, my part time job at the campus Rec Center, and my cheerleading team. My full schedule combined with my naturally reserved personality meant that I said “no” to a lot of things, even little things such as going out to dinner with friends. I felt that I had missed out on a lot of opportunities my first couple years of school and was determined to make my last year different. I wanted to say “yes” to more things than I had in the past, even if I had to get outside of my comfort zone.
So when one of my friends asked me if I wanted to hike Mt. Bierstadt, one of the 58 mountains in Colorado with an elevation of over 14,000 feet, I knew I had to say yes. After all, hiking a “14er” is a quintessential Colorado activity and I felt that I should do it before potentially moving away after graduation. At that point, I did not own hiking shoes or a hiking specific backpack, but my friend assured me that I would be fine in tennis shoes and whatever backpack I owned. His only piece of advice was that I bring as much water as I could. I was nervous, but excited to try something new.
Sunrise over Mt. Bierstadt
On the morning of the hike, my friend picked me up at 5:30am and we drove an hour to the trailhead. The first part of the hike started through a meadow just as the sun was rising. As we hit the base of the mountain, things got intense. Fast. Large sections of the hike were very steep and the lack of oxygen became noticeable very quickly. Half way up, I was really struggling. I felt as though I had to stop every 100 feet to catch my breath. I remember thinking to myself “You just have to get through this. Get to the top and you never have to do this again.” And in that moment, I truly had no intention of hiking anything that strenuous ever again. My heart was pounding in my chest and I was panting like a dog. As the sun rose higher in the sky, beads of sweat formed on my forehead and on the small of my back. My backpack, which was an old picnicking backpack that I had for years, grew heavy and painful on my shoulders, weighed down by all my water bottles.
Thankfully, my friend was patient with my frequent stops and we finally made it up to the boulder field, the last part of the hike. I finally began to enjoy myself. Because we were picking our way over rocks, we were able to move at a slower pace and the grade was not as steep. Nearing the summit, the views began to improve (or at least I began to notice them), which also boosted my mood and gave me the final motivation needed to reach the summit. At last, the ascent slowed and we reached the summit of Mt. Bierstadt.
Frozen Lake from the boulder field
And I was speechless. It was a perfectly clear, sunny day, and I could see for miles in every direction. At 14,065 feet, I could see over most mountains nearby, which was something I had never experienced before. I tried to take as many pictures as I could, but as I quickly learned, photos never truly capture the spectacular and incredible beauty of such landscapes. My friend and I refueled for the descent with food and water, drinking in the view, completely in awe of our surroundings. Part of me wanted to stay on that mountain top forever, staring out over the vast Colorado wilderness. But, I was pulled back to reality: I was getting cold since we had stopped moving and we had to get off the mountain before dangerous afternoon storms rolled in.
Me on the summit of Mt. Bierstadt
Hiking down the mountain brought a new set of challenges. Whereas my heart and lungs were my limiting factor on the ascent, my quads and knees screamed at me on the way down. I found myself wishing we could go uphill again, because my legs were in such agony. It also began to warm up as our elevation dropped and I was sweating even more than before. After what seemed like an eternity, we reached the meadow. What had been a nice, cool, refreshing start to the hike had turned into a muggy, bug infested swamp once the sun had risen. I was tired, hungry, and out of water. I trudged on, and eventually we made it back to the car.
Even though I did not find the hike itself overly pleasant, the sense of accomplishment and joy I felt at the summit was unlike anything I had felt before. I was hooked. All of a sudden, I wanted to go hiking. Like actually wanted to go hiking. I didn’t want to just tag along on the easy hikes my friends usually did. I wanted to really get out there and explore the beautiful mountains that I had taken for granted all my life. The next week, I went to REI and bought my first hiking backpack: a blue Osprey Daylite pack that I still have to this day. I also invited a different friend to hike Grays and Torreys Peaks, two other 14ers near Golden, CO. And on that hike, I even enjoyed the journey itself a bit more than I had the first time!
I am forever grateful that I decided to take a risk and get outside of my comfort zone that day. I’m so thankful to have fallen in love with the outdoors. I challenge you to get outside your comfort zone. You never know what you might discover!
