A {Little} Saturday Walk

On Saturday Adam and Zac arose at 4:00 in the morning...FOR FUN!  That doesn't sound like MY idea of fun, but for them, it was the start of a great day of adventuring.  They were going to hike to the top of Pike's Peak with two of Adam's buddies, Dave and Vern, and Vern's son, Spencer, one of Zac's great friends.  This hike has been a goal of Adam's since he arrived here in The Springs, almost 4 years ago, so it was a day long in coming and highly anticipated.  Just so the significance of this hike is not lost on the non-Colorado resident, Pike's Peak is one of Colorado's 54 fourteeners, topping out at 14,110 feet above sea level.  They took the Barr Trail out of Manitou Springs at 5:45am.  The trail travels along 12.6 uphill miles, with an increase in altitude of 7,300 feet.  Not for the faint of heart...or the unacclimatized! **Note:  Our hearty hero, Adam, was at sea level until the night before the hike on a business trip in Seattle.

The group hit the top at 1pm, making for a total time of 7 hours, 15 minutes.  That is pretty fast for a group that has two young boys in it, considering that the cut-off time for the Pike's Peak Ascent, a 1/2 marathon run by people who have been planning and preparing for a race that follows the same route, is 6 hours, 30 minutes (meaning you have to finish before that time for your time to "count").  Our guys were only 45 minutes slower than that.  Not bad at all!

It was a last minute decision to go for Adam.  I had my longest run (130 minutes) before my half on Labor Day to do, and I didn't want to go in the heat and thunderstorms of the afternoon.  So Adam wasn't going to go.  But I felt like maybe I should just do what I had to do so these guys could have some fun.  I called Jen, Vern's wife, on Friday morning and told her to count Adam and Zac in for the big hike and then talked to Adam on his way to the airport in Seattle and told him to get mentally planning because they were going.  Even if it meant that I ended up at the Y on the treadmill watching HGTV for 130 minutes.  I now have HUGE plans for remodeling my kitchen!    

Although we were a little worried about his performance, Adam said Zac did a great job.  He actually led the pack to the top!  He was a little hesitant to go the first time I mentioned it to him on Friday at lunch.  The early start time and the length of the hike did not necessarily appeal to him (i.e. "I'm not a hiker."  Huh, does all our family hiking not count?).  But after a little convincing (i.e. "Zac.  Spencer is going.  And Dad, who loves you, is going.  Whether you love hiking or not, this is a good chance to spend time with your father and your best buddy!"), he decided that it was going to be fun and that carrying a Camelbak was going to be cool, so he was in.  Zac dragged a bit in the beginning, so Adam carried his Camelbak for a short while and Zac picked up the pace.  Once they hit the timberline (where the trees can no longer grow), Zac figured out he was, in fact, a hiker, and started to go so fast that Adam had to call him back because he was getting too far ahead of the group.    

It was a beautiful day for the hike.  Sunrise was stunning.  It was hot down here at the base of the mountain, but perfectly pleasant on the slopes.  The mountain was busy, with the Pike's Peak Ascent and Marathon only 2 weeks away.  They even saw a local celebrity, Matt Carpenter, the man who holds the record for the Ascent, finishing it in 2:05.

The group had a great time together.  Adam loved having Zac as a hiking buddy and felt very proud of his eldest son as he hauled himself up the mountain with gusto.  My guys and Vern arrived at the top in pretty good shape.  Unfortunately, Dave and Spencer were both experiencing some mild symptoms of altitude sickness and were feeling a little unwell.  Before heading down, they had Pike's Peak famous donuts from the tiny cafe at the top, famed to be some of the best donuts in the world.  The donuts might not actually be all that spectacular, but after such a lot of work, even a so-so donut has got to taste like the ambrosia of the gods!

They caught a ride back down to the car in Manitou from Jen, who drove up to get them while I watched over the other Maloy kids (minus Spencer, who was on the hike) and the rest of my crew down here.  It had been an exhausting day, exhausting in the best way possible.  Ben is already chomping at the bit to be included on the next hike up.  And Adam is busily planning the backpacking trip he and Zac are taking together in two weeks. 

Zac and Spencer starting out in the dark

Those are some pretty serious warnings!

Sunrise

Zac pointing to the top...where they are headed!

Three miles in!

Barr Camp--Halfway there!

Timberline Shelter--About three quarters of the way up, just before they lose the trees

A very brave chipmunk!

What a view!

Looking up at the switchbacks

Zac shoots to the front of the pack

Looking down on some of the switchbacks.  The last 16 switchbacks of the hike leading to the top are called "The 16 Golden Stairs."

Dad and Zac at the top!

The group: Vern and Spencer, Dave, Zac and Adam

One final picture from the tippy top!