We Did It

July 29, 1999

We did it, my daughter and I.

We wrote our names on the list at the top of Long's Peak, the second time for me, the first for her.

Ok, so at 14,255 feet it is not the tallest place on the planet, but if you harbor any thoughts that it is no big deal, let's put a group together to try and climb it.

Details will follow - let's just say the 19 hour day I put in on Monday was more than enough to make me a very sore boy today. Ok, Ok, so not a boy any more... sue me.

Things I have to think about before I write,
Visiting the Colombine High School
A pedestrian flying through the air after being hit on a downtown Denver street
Trying to decipher the dynamics of "clicking" with one person vs another
Mountain sunsets and wildflowers
How come that Elk looks so big? It is just standing there eating next to the trail.
Why am I here again? (standing looking at the last section of trail leading to the summit)
A friendly companion moon while walking off the mountain in the dark.
Just how tired can a person get before he/she falls down and sleeps?
Rainbows from passing storms
Lightning strikes - killing tourists and striking the near by peaks
The fact that "Mother Nature" sometimes takes no prisoners

Why some of the stupidest people on earth can challenge nature unscathed, while a young father dies beside his wife and toddler. I watched the first, read about the second.

But all in all, in spite of turning 48 years old last week, I did ok. I think what pleased me the most was seeing a daughter understand that dad took 10 pounds of stuff out of her pack and added it to his own, because he wanted her to make it. She appreciated it, and I appreciated that she understood what it meant to carry the extra load. I saw it in her face when she could barely lift my pack.

A heavy load can be carried a long way, when you know you are appreciated.

Tell someone today, that you appreciate what they have done for you.