Grays Peak: My First 14er Adventure

My alarm went off at 4:30am on Saturday, July 18th.  Having gone to bed around midnight, those 4.5 hours of sleep felt more like 4.5 minutes, but I immediately sat up and turned on my bedside lamp. I had a busy week and very little time to pack, so I knew that the one hour I had before I needed to be out the door was crucial. I hopped out of bed and spent the hour getting ready for the hike I had been waiting for all week. 

My morning beauty routine was a simple one: teeth brushed, hair brushed, contacts in. Boom, done.  One of my favorite things about nature is that it doesn't care if you haven't shaved your legs in 4 days or aren't wearing any makeup. After that oh so time consuming and strenuous beauty routine, I moved on to more important things like packing food, water, and clothing. I filled my CamelBak Pack and Nalgene bottle with water, packed breakfast and coffee (duh) for the car and some snacks for the hike, and then finished getting my clothes together. I impressed even myself by sticking with my plan of packing only the essentials. Packing the "essentials" usually means half my wardrobe, two thirds of my food supply, one tube of mascara, and nearly every electronic appliance I own, but not this time! This time, the essentials included water, a Clif bar, apple, and trail mix, two shirts, an emergency camping flashlight, sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, chapstick, gum, and my phone. I decided to throw in a second Clif bar in case of an emergency...because one Clif bar may just save my life, right?...but seriously, you never know. All of the essentials fit snuggly into my small CamelBak Pack, and I was good to go!

I met up with my friend (and favorite hiking buddy) Jesse around 6:30am, and we headed out to climb our first 14er of the season, and my first 14er ever, Grays Peak! For those of you who many not know, a 14er is a mountain with an elevation of 14,000 some feet. So basically, a really tall, rocky mountain with very thin air at the top. The drive to the trail head was uneventful until we got to the actual trail head. Due to a very high number of hikers/cars and a very rocky road, we had to park two miles away from trail head. That wasn't going to dampen our spirits though! We grabbed our gear and left the truck around 7:50am. We made a quick detour to the restroom before starting the 3 mile climb to the top of Grays Peak! 

The scenery throughout the hike was beautiful. There were times when I felt like I was in a scene straight from the movie Heidi. There were colorful wildflowers scattered alongside the trail and continuing down into the valley, little creeks trickled beside us, occasionally flowing on the trail before us, and the clanking sound the rocks made beneath your feet as you walked over them was quizzically enthralling. As we kept on trekking, the flowers and trees eventually disappeared as we climbed to higher elevations, but the rocks were with us every step of the way. We also saw a mountain goat, which I found to be very exciting! The difficulty of the hike was about what I expected it to be, and I personally liked how the difficulty seemed to come and go, at least in the beginning. A somewhat flat section would be followed by a steeper section for quite some time, but as we got closer to the top, the flat sections disappeared entirely. People who were descending the mountain would occasionally throw out words of encouragement to us as we neared the top, which was a wonderful feeling. I am grateful for those people, because it made me feel like every person climbing that mountain was there with the same or similar goals in mind, and we were all rooting for each other to succeed. The peak was getting closer and closer, and you could feel the air getting thinner and thinner, but we managed to keep a slow yet steady pace until we finally reached the top around 11:35am.

Jesse & I at the top of Grays Peak

Reaching the top of Grays Peak, which is about 14,270 feet in elevation, was an amazing feeling of accomplishment. As you take that first step onto the peak, you are immediately greeted with stunning mountain views accompanied by very strong and very cold wind gusts. I only managed to snap a couple pictures before I was reaching for my fleece and trying to control my hair. We spent about 20 minutes at the top, taking pictures, eating our snacks, and soaking in the breathtakingly beautiful views. Unfortunately, pictures don't do the views justice, but they will have to do for now until you climb a 14er of your very own! There was quite a crowd at the top; one group was popping open a bottle of champagne, one girl was calling her dad from 14,000 feet, and lots of others were sitting down, eating, and enjoying the view. Eventually the wind and cold got to be a bit much, so we took one last picture, one last look around, and started our descent down the mountain around 11:50am. 

View 1 - Top of Grays Peak | 14,270 ft

View 2 - Top of Grays Peak | 14,270 ft

The descent went fairly quickly and smoothly. There were a couple times when unstable rocks and gravity liked to give us a fright, but we always managed to keep our balance. Instead of focusing all of your energy on the physical strains of of the ascent, like breathing, you are now focusing all of your energy on the mental strains of the descent, like foot placement, watching for loose gravel, and speed control. We kept a steady pace the entire way down, and by the time we reached the flatter sections of the rail, my knees and feet had had enough. A few raindrops began to fall, and looking back at the summit, you could see a storm cloud rolling in. Jesse and I were both very happy to be back down near the trailhead, because being struck by lightning wasn't on our agenda for the day. We made one last trip to the bathroom, took a couple more pictures, and began the 2 mile trek back to the truck. I was in too much of a zombified state to remember to look at my phone, but I think we got back to the truck around 2:30pm, and we headed back to Boulder shortly after that. 

The drive back to Boulder was uneventful (in a good way), and Jesse and I were both hungry, tired, and flat out exhausted. Jesse treated me to a delicious lunch at Noodles & Company before bringing me back to my car. We thanked each other for the great hike and then parted ways. After running a few errands, I arrived home, immediately took a much needed shower, and then called my mom to let her know I had survived! 

Hiking my first 14er was an overall amazing experience that I will never forget. Being immersed in nature and seeing the beauty of the world all around you makes the aches and pains of the difficult climb completely worth it. Neither words nor pictures can do this adventure justice. The entire experience gave me a greater appreciation for my body, my life, God, and all of the wonderful opportunities I have in my life. I am truly blessed, and I can not wait to see what other adventures I will get to experience as I walk with God through this wonderful journey of life. 

♥ Jane

P.S. I'd like to give special shoutouts to Jesse for the awesome hike, and to my cousins Amber and Eric for letting me use their CamelBak Pack (which was a lifesaver!) and lending me a waterproof layer! 

P.P.S. There may be another story detailing my second 14er experience later this week! Plans are still in the making, so stay tuned!