Today I climbed Mt. Shavano making it the first mountain over 14,000 ft I have summitted. Shavano is 14,229 (although some sources say 14,237) feet. It's the 17th highest peak in Colorado (with the highest being Mt. Elbert at 14,400). The tallest non-Alaskan U.S. mountain is Mt. Whitney in California at 14,505 feet. The Alaskan mountains are in a league of their own with Mt. McKinley reaching over 20,000 feet above sea level.
I didn't find it to be any harder than Horn Peak (13,450 ft), just different and grueling in it's own way. The last 500 feet were straight up and rocky. We (my brother in-law and some of his in-laws-6 of us total) left from the trail head at 6am, summitted at 10am, and where back at the trail head at 1:30. For me, that's making good time, but now I'm paying for it...very sore. It was surprisingly cold at the summit, around 40 degrees and super windy. My wife dissed me for my camo in my summit shot. Oh well.
It's sheer torture climbing these dumb things (coming down may actually be more painful), so now that I have climbed a 14er I may retire.
Here's a couple more pictures-
From the summit of Shavano
If you look close, you'll see some mountain sheep in the rocks. They live at 12,000 feet and run across the rocks like it's flat grass.
By the way, I don't post about these outdoorish achievements to brag in any way. Rather, I hope the fact that an overweight, aging, slow, and scared of heights person can do some of this stuff (by God's grace) might serve to inspire some of you.
7 comments:
At least you're not saying to yourself, "Is this all there is?"...I hope.
What a rush! Glad you didn’t “kick-de-bucket”.
On to Everest! (Just don't climb on the day they have a blizzard!)
Son
I share your fear of heights and can not believe you climbed a mountain or three--my heart is thumping 50 miles an hour just looking at the steepness of this mountain !! So glad the boys loved it !
nice pics of a peak i will be on next year this time along with adjacent peaks antero and tabequache. if you like doing fourteeners from the standpoint of just hiking up (not doing any scrambling or hand holds) there are plenty of "easy" fourteeners. Disclaimer: easy still means exertion.
i go with a group of guys most who go to colonial church which i hear might be heading to your denomination since the church proper voted to allow non celibate homosexuals with "loving" relationships to be pastors. the minister, pastor west, is as avid a hunter as you are. someone your equal! he probably doesnt remember me. i just go there occasionally. but i pass this on as i think you two could really hit it off as hunter/pastors.
also: get a book by gerry roach on fourteeners. it is by far the most comprehensive book on them with topos, all the different hikes with differing difficulties, campgrounds, etc.
you do not have to post this to the blog... it is ok
last mohican
LM,
I really don't like mountain climbing all that much. The summit is awesome with a view that cannont be paralleled, that's what makes me do it. I suppose I'll climb another, but I'm not making plans at this point.
About Colonial- they're preparing to join the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church). We (Redeemer) are PCA (Presbyterian Church in America. At any rate, good for Colonial...they should have left the PCUSA 30 years ago.
Way to go Tony! my knee is still killing me:-)
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