It has been awhile since I have been atop a mountain. Not since October, I don't think. That is crazy. On my birthday I was up at my parent's house, so I opted to walk up the White Cap trail to exercise the dogs and myself. I was surprised by how good it felt to be going up, consistently, on foot. Although I have been doing a ton of X-C skiing, and gaining some elevation here and there, it is nothing compared to hiking up a mountain trail. I vowed to head back to the White Cap trail on Saturday, knowing it was my birthday weekend and that Jim would do whatever I asked, in the way of outdoor activities. Well...things happen. He got violently sick - so much so that I spent 4 and a half hours with him at the ER in Farmington. He had a ton of abdominal pain and as a man who does not complain about pain, I knew it was bad if he was acting the way he was. I waited until he was sure he wanted to go, just telling him I would take him if he wanted to, and he finally asked me to take him around 6pm. I knew he would not be hiking with me on Saturday, so I opted to still hike, but stick closer to home and head to Bald in Weld. On my way up I realized this was the baby's first of many hikes. That was a pretty neat realization. There was only one car at the trailhead, and I met them on their way down - a family of three: two parents and a 17 year old (I am guessing) son. I asked about ice (had my crampon thingys on) and they said for Bald, it was ice-free. And it was. I enjoyed having the trail to myself as I made my way up to the summit. I stopped for a few breaks as it is amazing how much harder my heart beats and how quickly my pulse-rate quickens because of the extra amount of blood in my body. But I know I am still in shape because I am also impressed by how quickly it goes back down when I stop and break. My body is amazing me on a daily basis these days. The summit was excellent - windy as all get-out as I expected, but free of people and very pretty. I stayed up there long enough to look around and snap a few photos and then we were on our way back down. What a treat. As always, incredibly thankful for where I live and how I enjoy it.
Near the summit
Slipping on some ice...
Self-Timer - 21 weeks and baby's first summit!
Dogs playing on top
Phoenix - ready to head out
Dixie - looking East
It's a school-free weekend (wahoooo! brought no schoolwork home and was prepped for next week by Thursday) - not exactly the birthday weekend I had planned (Alison and I were supposed to ski and go demo some fat bikes - mountain bikes for snow - but she too is really sick with a high fever, etc), but regardless, I am a year older and feel great (knock on wood).
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