Climbing to New Terrifying Heights | Mt. Elbert

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Recently we settled our travel plans for this summer, and with it some amazing adventures planned. My amazing husband Matt put together the details and with both of our travel plans combined we have officially scheduled 100 hours of driving! Crazzy. But I just laughed and said, "can we even sit still for two minutes!"

I am excited about this opportunity to cross the country this summer and with it I have all my travel dates scheduled.

June 2 Monticello National Park and Charleston, WV
June 3-4 Dayton,OH + Carmel, IN
June 4-5 Chicago
June 6 - Navuoo (West Illinois Area)
June 7 - Omaha, Nebraska
June 8 - Badlands National Park
June 9-10 - Rapid City Area
June 11 - 15 - Fort Collins (North CO Area)
June 16 - 20 St. George, UT
June 21 - July 5 - Salt Lake City
July 7 - Mountain View, CA
August 1-4 - Salt Lake City and Provo, UT

If I will be in your area, please email for availability and we will set up your session!

effervescentmediaworks@gmail.com

Anyway, this a #TBT post from one of our adventures from last summer, where my mountain climbing husband brought, me, the not as fit wife of his to climb Mt. Elbert with him. Can't help to not think that is sounds like a Sesame Street character more than a name for a mountain but that is just me. It is the tallest mountain in Colorado, so that's cool. Anyway... I only cried twice! The climb up was doable with at least a dozen stops and taking a lot of pictures, but climbing down! Yikes a bee! Not a fan of heights. Especially this area of the mountain with a lot of looser rock and it just kept going and going! I had to take my time, but as I did some obviously well traveled climbers passed us and were literally running down the mountain... rocks rolling about and rolling down the mountainside. Reckless! Can I say... mountain goats! Oh, wait, mountain goats are smarter than that! Lol.

There is something about being up on a mountain that is just food for the soul. It is so peaceful and everything else that seems to keep us so busy each day and those things that seem so important but aren't really as important as other things... just fall away and the breeze blows and nature ambiance chimes through the trees. While it is not laying on the beach, it is a true vacation in the sense of getting away from it all and breathing in fresh mountain air. And speaking of scents, why is it that I have not come across the perfect sap smell candle? Have you? Every time I go hiking, I love finding the perfect tree and smelling the sap. I am a closet sap sniffer. I admit it.

A some what aminous start to our little trip but at the same time that perfect cozy feel... even though we would be going out into that, not in front of a fire. I love the way the clouds cling to the mountains as they brush over them.

Driving through Leadville, CO. I love little towns like this that are full of character and color and of course history. We just drove through for this portion of our trip, but I do like to stop at local cafe's and the occasional antique shop for fun.

Enthused and feeling legit. It is really more convenient to just have you hiking sticks out, even on a flat trail so I just felt funny using them, but come the rough terrain I could not have done without them.

We made it just in time to our desired area to set up camp and of course the best part of camping... being out with the beautiful stars up above and the light pollution practically not there. I love to see the way the sky seems to twinkle. We attempted a fire but the wood was too wet... so well that was a bust but shout out to my amazing husband to attempting it for the sake of my love for campfires! One year we brought up the stuff to have fondue over the fire. That was a lot of fun. Melted chocolate and fondue cheese with apples. But our breakfast was amazing! If you haven't, try out Mountain House's biscuits and gravy. Sounds odd, but I seriously loved it! Better than most everyday breakfasts.

And good morning! What a peaceful surrounding to wake up to!

When I see something like this I have to stop and take a picture, I love the way weather forms the wood to be smoothed out into a work of its own natural art. It is just naturally beautiful.

Mount Elbert is at: 14,439 ft. Surprised I didn't pass out! Likely would not have made it if I did not have time to adjust and take my time. Matt was very patient. Plus, I wanted to stop and take pictures of just about every flower. When they are gently swaying in the mountain top breezed and clinging to those cracks in between the rocks, that is such as beautiful imagery to me. Blossoming in life despite the strong opposition of its challenges.

This is a look down part of the mountain and this photo does not do it justice of how steep it really was. The perspective is hard to realize but a crazy test on my vertigo. And having rocks roll about your feet as you stepped was difficult. I didn't mind the company of my amazing husband for the challenge though!