New Heights

One of my favorite beers I've found in New Mexico is the La Cumbre Elevated IPA as I've mentioned previously. La Cumbre means "the summit" in Spanish which brings me to the topic of this post: summits. But first, let's talk rivers.

The Rio Grande flows right through the middle of Albuquerque. The river isn't very deep, I would say an average depth of 3 feet with some parts more shallow or deep. Last Saturday I decided to do a 5 mile stand up paddleboard (SUP) tour down the Rio Grande. The tour was half tour and half a lesson on how to maneuver the river and it's obstacles. For example, getting in and out of eddy's, ferrying to shores, multiple paddle strokes, and finally a quarter mile upstream race (ouch). The Rio Grande is the first river I've been on where I couldn't see the bottom. The water was completely brown from agricultural runoff. The tour was awesome and worth every hour in the dry desert heat. I digress...

This weekend I journeyed out of town to meet Melody and her boyfriend in Colorado to do some hiking and camping. By hiking I specifically mean conquering my first 14er, Mount Lindsay. West of Walsenburg, CO in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains stands the 14,042 foot tall peak. I was not only excited to set a new PR for the tallest peak I've hiked, but to complete it with these two. Being really organized for a hike like this is essential from not only planning where to camp, what to bring, and what the route will be. I highly suggest utilizing the 14ers website when planning your hike.

The road to the trailhead was a bit of a trek, but ended at a spectacular view and a great camp site next to the trailhead.

View from the parking area where we camped

We started our hiked at 5:30 a.m. which was a great choice given the heat and the frequent afternoon thunderstorms that happen in the mountains. Here are some photos from our ascent before we were above the tree line. 

Wildflowers were in bloom along the creek

Just before the boulder field

Sunrise

After reaching the saddle of the start of the ridge it was time to put our helmets on, get the map out, and determine our route along the northwest ridge of the mountain. There were about ten others hiking Mt Lindsey on Saturday as well. It was nice to have a sense of comradery with our fellow hikers, especially when things got tough. There are 2 main routes to the top, we chose the rock climbing ridge route for the ascent and the scree of rocks in the gully for the descent, thankfully. 

From the base of the saddle, the false summit is pictured here. 

None of us had ever had to do this level of rock climbing to get to a peak. I was nervous but felt better being with people I trusted and somewhat knowing the route we were planning to take. The following are the photos I was able to take during the ascent. I can honestly say that at one point during the "semi class-4" climbing area, it was the closest I have ever come to having a panic attack. The important thing I learned was being able to overcome my fears and really apply mind over matter.

Final steps to the top of the false summit

One of the easier crevices we were able to climb

Our route was scurrying on the left and down the ridge

Reaching the top of the false summit was such a feat. It was only a short distance to the actual summit on a defined trail. By this point we had reached 14,000 feet and it felt so good. The trail had a very great string of cairns that were even throughout the ridge. At that, we had reached the summit.

Cairns at the summit

Apparently my excitement and relief to be at the top of this beast resulted in a power stance. I secretly think I was having a post-panic grounding stance. Blanca Peak is directly behind me. It was such a beautiful view from the top.

After finishing our lunch and signing into the log, we began our descent down the gully. As opposed to the very sturdy granite we had climbing up, the gully was a steep scree of loose rock that we mostly had to slide or side step down. After the gully it was just a long route down of dodging hail and aggressive marmots. 

We were pretty spent after our trek and in search of a well deserved beer. I was so happy to have these two with me for this experience. I love accomplishing personal goals especially in good company. Colorado, you never disappoint. Mount Lindsey, thanks for being my first and definitely not my last 14er. 

Now go out there and get elevated.

k