Rocky Mountain High

Last weekend Alex and I took a trip out to Denver to spend a weekend with Uncle Ben.

We had a blast. We loved getting to see where Ben lived and checking out all the sights in and around Denver. The highlight of our trip, however, was climbing Mt Quandary, one of Colorado's 14ers, on Saturday.

It was just exhilarating to be that high up. At least as exhilarating as possible when struggling to breathe.

Here were are starting the hike at 6 a.m. And it's 28 degrees. Yes, I was totally freezing!



The first part of the trail looked like this. Nice and easy, right?

We enjoyed some beautiful views as well as a gorgeous sunrise.

The two peaks between the trees are Mt Torreys and Grey, also 14ers.



The nice gentle slope didn't last for long before we started to encounter some rocks along the trail. We are right near the top of the tree line here, at about 12,000 feet.

While the going was getting tougher the views were still spectacular.
Here we are at the ridge with the last 700 feet or so left to ascend to the peak.

At some points along the trail. We were literally using our hands to hike upwards; it was so steep.
Here is Ben pretending to almost fall. Yes, he is hilarious.

Taking a break to catch our breath and look down to see the progress we've made.

The view from the top was amazing. It was definitely worth the trek up there. We were freezing at the top though! It literally felt like the temperature dropped 20 degrees in the last 100 feet of the hike.

The view behind us is looking out towards Copper Mountain. Gorgeous, no?

Thanks, Ben, for hanging out with us all weekend!! We had a blast and can't wait for our next trip out west.