Willow Lakes Backpacking Trip - June 2015

Upper Willow Lake at sunset - Prints available

The Willow Lakes area is kind of a hidden gem located deep in the Eagles Nest Wilderness of the Gore Range mountains north of the town of Silverthorne.  The hike in requires 9 miles and 2k ft. of elevation gain one way with a full pack on if you're going to stay overnight.  This kind of distance eliminates a large percentage of the population from ever being able to even reach the lakes which, in my opinion, makes it a little more special. 

My brother, Zach, Josh and I had complete solitude all 3 days of our stay.  Most of the trail was clear  and dry until near the lakes where there was rushing water all around due to the heavy snowfall this spring.  The lakes still had quite a bit of ice on them. We camped right at treeline at the upper lake where the Zodiac Ridge dominates the scene.

The rocky side of Red Peak at upper Willow Lake

Red Peak at sunset

The first morning Zach and I rose early to catch sunrise on the lower lake as the wildflowers were blooming.

Lower Willow Lake sunrise - Prints available

My brother and his buddy left that morning.  Zach and I stayed back and did some fishing.  We could see brook trout swimming right up near the shore.  I went to get my lures from my pack and...Oh NO!  I forgot them at home!  Afraid that I was going to have to eat ramen noodles for the rest of the trip, I found a safety pin and fashioned it into the shape of a hook.  We couldn't find any bugs or anything to use for bait so I just threw it out there in front of the fish to see if they would be interested.  I caught one right away!  No bait.  No lure. Nothing but a gold piece of metal.  I couldn't believe it.  We had enough fish to make a nice lunch within about an hour.  You could probably catch fish in those lakes until you got tired of catching fish.

makeshift hook made from a safety pin

Later that afternoon I hiked up high on the south side of the basin to see the views.  I was wondering if a climb of Red Peak was possible from the Willow Lakes side.  The answer is yes, but it's a long way.  Once I reached a class 3 wall I decided I better not start any climbing in the middle of the day on a route I know nothing about when my only partner is my dog.  Don't get me wrong, the temptation was there!

Gore mountains from the northern flank of Red Peak

Grays and Torreys in the distance from later that evening

I returned the next morning for a sunrise at the same unique location from the previous afternoon.

Same angle (almost) at sunrise

"Call 911"

We did not stop at all on our hike out.  I also did not eat or drink very much that morning.  It was 75 degrees when we reached the truck.  We got in, cranked up the AC and started back toward Silverthorne.  All of a sudden my face and arms started tingling.  The tingling started spreading up my arms.  I pulled over and looked at Zach, who looked at me like, "What are you doing?" Soon, I couldn't feel or move my hands at all and the numbness was spreading into my chest and abdomen.  My heart was racing and I was struggling to breathe.  I told Zach, "Call 911!"  There was no phone service.  He jumped in the driver's seat and quickly drove down the hill to a gas station where he could make a call.  I was about to pass out afraid I was having a heat stroke or heart attack or something.  I don't remember a whole lot of what happened from here other than focusing all my energy on breathing.  The EMT's arrived and told me I was hyperventilating and having a panic attack.  They helped slow my breathing until my heart rate started dropping.

Once the feeling returned to my arms, I thanked the paramedics.  Then I thanked Zach for handling the situation so well.  Then I thanked the Lord for watching over me.  I also felt the need to apologize for the event.  It was a bit humiliating.  I have never had a panic attack before and was a bit confused why it even happened.  I didn't feel any anxiety or stress.  In fact I was feeling relief that we were done with such a strenuous hike.  I'm guessing that elevation, dehydration, lack of sleep, fatigue from hiking all week, the heat of the day, and malnutrition, all contributed to the cause of the stress on my body.  Thankful to be back to normal, we stopped at Wendy's and had some burgers before our drive home.  I'll be getting my heart checked out by a doctor before I go hiking again, just to be safe.

Sunset Over Holy Cross - June, 2015

Sunset over Mt. of the Holy Cross - Prints available

"What fortune lies beyond the stars
Those dazzling heights too vast to climb
I got so high to fall so far
But I found heaven as love swept low

My heart beating, my soul breathing
I found my life when I laid it down
Upward falling, spirit soaring
I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground"

              

                                                                   - Hillsong United

The Holy Cross Wilderness is a special place.  Unique from the rest of the Sawatch Range, there is a wild nature to the area.  I climbed the 14,005 ft. Mt. of the Holy Cross 7 years ago as my first solo hike with my puppy Molly.  She was probably a bit too young at the time to do such a strenuous hike, but she made it alright.  A little pooped on the summit.  

Molly on Mt. of the Holy Cross from 2008

On our way down after that hike we were followed by a hungry fox (or something like a fox).  It was a large gray dog related animal with black spots on it.  I remember having to chase it off multiple times when it would come close.  I'm pretty sure it thought Molly would make a nice lunch.  It would run away from me after I would shoo it off, then come back and try to get at her from a different angle.  Fortunately for Molly, I was more persistent than it was and it finally gave up after I chased it all the way up a hill.


This outing was to be our first solo overnight backpack.  Molly is now a veteran mountain dog.  She's climbed more than half the 14ers and numerous other 13ers.  I've even had friends borrow her to go hiking with them when they need an experienced partner. 

Molly with her "backpack"

I've been wanting to summit Notch Mountain for a while now, but there's always a short window of time between when the Tigiwon Road is open and when the snow in the Cross Couloir is still present before the summer heat melts it out.  This summit of Notch Mountain is the spot where you can get the classic view of the cross from where Henry Jackson took the famous first photograph of the peak in 1873. 

The plan was to pack in to Halfmoon Pass and camp, then wake up early the next morning before dawn and summit Notch Mountain for a sunrise photo shoot of Holy Cross.  We reached Halfmoon Pass around 7pm.  I decided to drop my big pack and climb up and see how high I could get before the sun went down.  Turns out the climb isn't very hard.  There were a few snowfields to cross, but no major difficulties.  I was able to reach the top in just over an hour from where I dropped my pack, just in time for sunset.

Holy Cross on the approach

God put on one of the best light shows I've seen in a long time. I wish I had a camera that could capture the 360 degree view in all directions.  The entire sky was lit up with vibrant warm colors.  It was totally calm and peaceful on the summit when the sun danced around the clouds.  There is a lot of creativity in photography, but in many cases, a photo is not the work of the artist behind the camera.  Instead it is the the work of the artist in front of it.  These images are only humble copies of the Lord's awesome handiwork:

The entire length of the Gore Range in the distance

The sun says goodnight between the clouds and the horizon

Sunset colors over Holy Cross and the Jackson group - Prints available

Though not super excited to descend back in the dark, I was elated to have witnessed such a rare scene.  Once I reached my backpack, I thought, "Hey, those sunset photographs were really good.  Why would I need to go back up there for sunrise?"  Molly didn't object to the idea of hiking out and going home, so we started down the trail.  I decided that sleeping in my own bed and getting less sleep would be better than a full night of restless, uncomfortable sleep in a tent.  So we packed out and headed for home.  Hiking back in the dark is kind of an eerie thing.  I understand why people aren't nocturnal creatures.  We drove home and I surprised (or confused) my wife by crawling into bed at 3am (she was expecting me to come home the next day).  It was an awesome and quick 13 hour trip!

On a side note: I find it interesting that, historically, this mountain was thought of as a holy place for people to come to pray and worship.  Why people call the cross holy is hard to understand.  A cross was considered all but holy.  It represented shame, punishment and torture for those who had done evil.  Christ, though he was blameless, only "endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." It's the man who volunteered to die such a horrible death that is holy and worthy of worship.  I guess people just look for icons or symbols to elevate and worship.  Hopefully, when people see a crucifix it reminds them of what the Lord did rather than thinking that the symbol itself has any sort of power or holiness.  I hope people can see Christ as he is now, having "everything under his feet" and "given all authority in heaven and on earth" because of his willingness to be tortured on an ugly instrument of death to pay for our sins.  

In conclusion, I say it should be called "Mount of the Cross that the Holy One was Crucified On, But Now He is Lord of Everthing."  Or...maybe that's a bit too long...

Mt. Elbert : Top of the Rockies - Spring 2015

Mt. Elbert from near Leadville - Prints Available

Grandma and Grandpa were kind enough to take KD overnight on Thursday so Cami and I could get out on a quick day trip.  Mt. Elbert was Cami's first attempt at a 14er 6 years ago and she only made it to just above treeline on that hike after moving here from Nebraska.  It's been one of her goals to get back out and try to reach the summit of Colorado's tallest mountain ever since.  The weather forecast was about as good as it gets with 0% chance of afternoon thunderstorms.  We decided it would be crazy not to give it a try!

We slept in the back of the truck at the Halfmoon trailhead and started around 5:30.  We went at a nice, slow, easy pace knowing that we had all day to reach the top.  Cami was a little nervous about not being acclimated enough to reach the summit and feared another failed attempt.  This would be the most elevation gain she'd ever hiked in one day.  I was pretty sure she'd be able to make it.  She and I had just finished a 60 day PiYo workout challenge to help train for these hikes.  Cami recently became a Beachbody fitness coach, which basically means that I have recently become her workout guinea pig.  Whatever new exercise video she tries out, I try out too.  Whatever new healthy recipe she tries out, I eat it too.  I'm not complaining though.  It's actually been very helpful and since finishing this last video workout series I feel much better and have lost the pain in my lower back when hiking!

Anyway, turns out that she's probably in the best shape she's been since we've been married.  She had no problems getting to the summit!   The top few hundred yards of the peak were covered in snow, but it was easy to walk on using microspikes and poles.

The views of the Sawatch Range were awesome this early in the season.  It was a wintery wonderland up there.  We must have been able to identify 25 or 30 other 14ers from the summit.  We cooked some Ramen and had a relaxing summit break.

Mt. Elbert Summit Panorama

And don't forget about the celebratory Whichwich picture on top.  Gotta get our free sandwich!