I am sure that some of you will recognize the above from the Rocky IV soundtrack. I would continually listen to this song and think about the mountain that was ahead of me. I live in Colorado, land of the 14ers (mountains with an elevation of 14,000 feet or more). I moved here right after Christmas in 2014. That following summer I started climbing mountains. I did 4 of them that year, the "easy" ones. I put "easy" in quotations because even the ones that are considered mild can kick your ass on any given day. Altitude sickness is a real thing and can even be deadly. The first one I did was considered the easiest; it's the "family mountain." An 8-year-old girl summited that day along with her dad and grandpa. I was in what I considered to be really good shape. LMFAO. Nope. Not even close to 14er shape, (there is a tiered-level ranking to being in shape here in CO- gym in-shape, hiking in-shape, mountain biking in-shape, skiing in-shape and finally, 14er in-shape). I was not prepared for the level of burning and exhaustion in my quads, glutes, and calves. There is a point on the ascent when you realize that your muscles are not getting enough oxygen and they're telling you to quit. Long story short, I made it, took several days to recover, and was addicted.
After the climbing season was done, I started looking up information on Long's Peak since it's one of the most talked about mountains. This is a class 3 mountain (classes of mountains or different ascent routes rate its difficulty, 1-5. See REI's informational page at https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/climbing-bouldering-rating.html ) I told my then-husband that I wanted to do this mountain. We had summited the previous 4 together and he had expressed interest in Long's as well. "Are you sure you want to do that? It's a difficult mountain, a class 3." "Well, eventually I would love to do them all," I said. His reply left me dumbfounded. "I just don't think you should try those types of mountains. You don't have the skills or stamina necessary to do them. Stick with the class 1 and 2's." I nodded. "You're probably right," and gave up the idea for a while.
The following season, 2 more summits, Long's is still in the back of my mind. I stare at that mountain every damn day on my way to work. It taunts me, "What's the matter? Are you afraid? Don't think you have what it takes to defeat me?" Fast forward to the beginning of the 2017 climbing season. On the books for that season was Pikes Peak, Huron Peak, and Long's Peak. Yes, my ladies and I decided to bite the bullet and make the attempt at the brutal beast that is Long's Peak. In the few weeks leading up to our scheduled date for Long's, we started watching videos of other people's climbs. Most of it is just a straightforward hike. It's once you go through the feature known as "The Keyhole" that it gets sketchy. After scaring ourselves shitless by watching videos of "The Narrows" and "The Homestretch" sections, we canceled the climb. My ex-husband's words blaring in my head, that I don't have what it takes. Needless to say, this mountain became my nemesis. "Next year," I said. "Next year I will tame the beast. I cannot keep being afraid of that mountain."
Everyone we knew that had made the summit of Long's Peak told us to make our attempt during the week. The trail would be less busy than if we tried on the weekend. This would make the sketchy parts safer. On the morning of August 8, 2018, my bestie and I hit the road to the trailhead at 5am. We had already secured a permit to camp overnight in the Boulder Field, just below The Keyhole. With 40 lbs of backpacking gear, we hit the trail for the next 6 miles. We only stopped a couple of times to use the restroom or grab snacks. We reached The Boulder Field around 2pm that afternoon exhausted and hangry. We set up camp, filtered water and took a nap. Dehydrated meals for dinner and then to bed. Since we were at the Boulder Field, we decided we could sleep in. If people are doing this all in one day, they're typically starting around 2am.
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| Up at The Keyhole |
D-Day. Up at 5am, breakfast, bathroom, dressed and our summit packs are ready to go (we took small packs for the summit so that they wouldn't be too heavy or getting in our way while scrambling). After climbing up to the Keyhole, you come out onto what's called The Ledges. This part isn't too bad but a wrong decision could be really bad for you. After that comes The Trough. Oh wow. Intense is the best word for this. It's a steep gulley with big rocks you scramble up for what seems like forever. About 3/4 of the way up this, I had a moment. I'm looking up and then over to my bestie with tears pooling in my eyes, "God Coley, we're really going to do this. I'm going to summit Long's". "Damn straight we are," she replies. Onward ho! Once you hurdle over the last boulder in The Trough, you come to The Narrows. This is where the majority of the accidents happen. It's steep, open, and fully exposed to drops of 100 feet or more.
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| The Narrows |
We go slow, taking extra caution when necessary until we reach The Homestretch. This area feels like it's straight up. It's a polished granite face with a near verticle scramble that requires you to use both your hands and feet. We pause to catch our breath one last time about 75 feet from the summit. "You go first," my bestie says. "All at once, let's finish this," is my reply. My boot reaches the summit and I'm instantly overwhelmed with emotion. I'm crying, exhale a sigh of relief, hug my bestie, the amazing woman at my side that believed in me this entire trek, and take in the surrounding scenery. Summit pictures include champagne this time instead of just beer or whiskey because this is a huge celebration for me. As we sit enjoying the gorgeous views, the awesome weather and our snacks, we know that we are only half done. We still have the descent.
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| The Homestretch |
We make it back down without incident, eat lunch and pack up camp. Now we have to descend 6 miles with 40 lbs of gear after having done the 3 strenuous round-trip miles of the summit. If you've ever climbed a mountain before, you know your legs are pretty much Jell-O on the way down so this descent was super fun (so not fun). We finally reach the sign that says we have 1/2 mile left. I swear this was the longest half-mile of my entire life. We can barely lift our feet by the time we reach the car. Done. So fucking done! The ride home is quiet for a while. I was thinking about the feat that I just accomplished. Wow. I really did it. I tackled the beast, slayed the monster, made the mountain my bitch and it can no longer haunt me. When we finally do speak, she asks me how I feel, how I'd rate the mountain in comparison to the others I've done. I turn my head to her and smile, "It's now my favorite mountain," I reply.
On a side note: Please never let anyone tell you or make you feel like you cannot do or accomplish something. Politely tell them to fuck off and go out there and make it happen. Life is too short to keep sitting on the couch being scared. Dream those dreams and then chase them!
Peace, Love, and Light. Blessed be.
**Disclaimer** Mountain climbing can be dangerous. Lives are claimed every year. Please research your trail/ route. Know the mountain and what to expect. Do not pick a route that is above your skill level. Know how to use your equipment if it's necessary for the climb. Most of all, do not keep going if all of the signs are telling you to turn around whether it is the difficulty of the trail, body symptoms, or inclement weather. It's better to be safe than dead.
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