the    sides

Steve “Purk” (of July 4th hike fame) is training for climbing Mt. Bierstadt this August.  It’s one of Colorado’s famed “14′ers.”  In fact, we are going to try to bag 2 in one day - Bierstadt and Evans.  They are two of the more “friendlier” 14′ers plus we’ll have a guy who has done it before with us.  Mainly I’m going to hold Steve’s hand as he is afraid of heights and I’m afraid of bears.  We make a great team.

Today, he picked me up at 6 AM and we were the first ones in the park.  This big boy was waiting on us.  You think of deer and images of Bambi race in.  A bounding, graceful, gentle deer.  I don’t think this one was one of those deers.  I kepy thinking - if he turns and decides he’s tired of us, ther, not a lot I could do.  He’s less than 13 feet away from me.

My lungs reminded me that I had hiked pretty hard the day before.  It took longer to catch my breath but once I did - time to roll.  Beautiful venues (red rock formations, hogsbacks) spread out before us.  Amazing to think that this ridge runs from Denver to Garden of the Gods (Colorado Springs.)

This was the view I had of Steve most of the day.  Matt and I made sure we goofed off when Nature called Steve.

We got to the summit at 8.45 am, first ones there this morning.  Great view and we had avoided the heat.  We’ll do this one again.