Title: Rock Mountain high
Tags: hiking geezerjock
Blog Entry: I just got back from a hike in the Rocky Mountains. We hit one of the many trail heads at Rocky Mountain National Park on Thursday with our packs, which included tent, sleeping bags, bug repellent, sun block, a change of clothes, some camp cookware and some freeze dried food. And not much else. Gotta keep those packs as light as possible. Our plan was to do a three-day/two-night hike and camp, which would average about 6 to 7 miles of hiking a day. Quite reasonable, even given the altitude and the elevation gains we'd need to deal with. But upon reaching the ranger station on Thursday morning to get our permit, we learned the camp sites we wanted were unavailable. Time to regroup. We decided to do the same loop only backwards. This plan allowed us to get the desired campsites, but it would now require an 8- mile, 12-mile and 4-mile hikes, with a heck of a lot of climbing. Hiking with a 40-pound pack on your back is challenging. But schlepping it several miles and up 4,000 vertical feet is, uh, hard. Darn hard. But darn rewarding. The first day we did the 8 miles, which was mostly up. The hike was a bit of baptism by fire, but it was a good workout. We spent our first night under a cloudy sky, snuggled in our bags and our tent, trying to get a few Z's in prep for the long hike the next day. After some green tea and instant oatmeal, we headed out the next morning for what we knew would be the most challenging part of the trip. The first 8 miles of the 12-mile day would be climbing. We hit the pinnacle of our hike at that 8-mile mark. It was some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever come across in my entire life. Truly amazing. We saw a gorgeous lake near Long's Peak. The peak is 14,000+ feet, but we climbed to about 12,300 to get this amazing view. We hid our packs and hiked unencumbered to the area where the lake was located. High above the treeline, our views were unobstructed and awe-inspiring. Our next challenge was to descend from that altitude, down to our next camp site. Just like in a marathon, the punishing part of up and down is the down. Especially with the weight of the pack. It is hard on the legs. But we managed. We reached our camp site, dropped our packs and hiked back on the trail a bit to explore an old mine that was there. Between that out and back and the out and back we did at the lake, we added another two miles to an already long day. But it was completely worth it. Again we made ourselves a nice little home at our campsite, fixed dinner and retired with tired legs, but content with what we'd accomplished that day. Our last day was 4 miles. Mostly downhill once again. And knowing we were drawing near to the end of the hike, that somehow made the hike feel short. Finally in the bright sunlight of late morning on Saturday, we emerged from the trails, hot, tired, a little hungry, perhaps a little stinky, but deeply satisfied. This is what I love about being a geezerjock. We make lifestyle choices that allow us a level of fitness and health that keeps doors open. As our kids grow and time becomes a little more available, we find we can do the things we'd wanted to when they were young and time was short. We are capable of those choices because we stay fit. We take good care of ourselves. We remain active and cherish that activity, as it is a major component of the life we choose for ourselves. And when you stay in shape, you always have options. We can once again prove to ourselves, that limitations are largely self-imposed, and when we choose fitness for ourselves, anything is possible.
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