On Mary’s 22nd birthday (last Tuesday), we left the cabin before dawn and drove to the Leadville area. The weather did not seem promising with heavy clouds and even light rain as we arrived at the trailhead. We’ve yet to have to turn around on a 14er due to weather, but I thought this would be our first because we are very cautious especially concerning thunderstorms. These didn’t look like the thunderstorms that typically come up in the afternoons.
Jesse is our master route guide, and he planned for us to take an alternate (shorter) route up Mt. Sherman. We parked near an old abandoned mine and began our trek, in the mist and cold.
We hiked up a beautiful mountainside with a great trail. The weather changed literally by the minute, and so sometimes we took a break to get our rain gear out and other times we stopped to take it off.
On the ridge, the trail joined a popular route, so we gained a lot of company, which is great. The wind was really strong as we did the final ascent.
Enjoy the pictures and journal below of our hike!
Love,
Sarah
PS – We arrived home Monday afternoon, and I’ll be catching you up on the hikes later!
On the way, we saw a herd of elk!
The dirt road we took up to the trailhead was gorgeous.
These sweet sisters of mine, all ready for the hike.
Hiking up at a steady pace.
Take a break to de-layer. As you can see, it was at an angle not terribly conducive for
one’s Camelbak to stay in one’s possession.
Notice the rain in the upper left coming in. You can see it approaching, and then when you don’t see it
approaching, and you feel wet, well, you know it’s now upon you!
As we reached the ridge, the wind picked up and it began sleeting ice pellets,
which thankfully didn’t last too long.
Now this is looking back down the ridge as the family approaches.
The ridge consisted of lots of rocks, and the wind was really strong, and the temperatures cold.
The summit itself was flat and spacious. A SAMS sister picture (Sarah, Anna, Mary).
Awesome picture of Jesse!
Dad and Mom summit!
Here’s a view back down to the valley we climbed out of. I circled where are vehicles parked.
Time on the summit is spent chatting with others, eating snacks, layering or de-layering depending on the temperature, texting friends and family pictures, and enjoying the views.
You want to know my favorite summit food? Junior Mints!
Dad and Mom
Anna found this wrench-shaped rock.
The views going down were gorgeous and the weather on the ridge pleasant compared to the way up.
But by the time we got to the bottom of the ridge, the weather changed
again, and it was time to layer up again!
Mary and Jesse
Another great rock shape
Hiking down (down to short sleeves!)
Jesse and Mary decided to do their hiker’s duty and build a cairn for the benefit of their fellow hikers. You need the perfect rocks, so they worked to select the right ones.
The finished cairn with its builders.
I’ll let you in on a little code word Anna has coined: recliner rock. Here Anna is enjoying a recliner rock–if you can really picture a rock being comfortable? It has to be the right smoothness and angle to be able to lay back on, and surprisingly enough, she finds herself quite a few recliner rocks on hikes.
Mount Sherman (we think) is about in the middle of this picture.
Enjoying a break at the stream.
A selfie at the end of our hike.
What could be better than to grab a coffee in Leadville? So perfect!
Mary enjoyed a birthday phone call AND a caramel latte 🙂
Jesse took the opportunity for good WiFi to plan Thursday’s hike, Mount of the Holy Cross, which just Mary, Anna, and he did. I can’t wait to share on that one!
Anna took a picture of Mary’s gifts.
We celebrated Mary’s birthday that evening.
“Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up
for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought
for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!”
Psalm 31:19
Nice to see y’all blogging after all these years. Many Christian religious blogs have fallen off the internet. Happy belated Birthday Mary!
If it wasn’t for Sarah and the time she invests in our blog, I doubt we would still have a blog. We are grateful for her self discipline to keep generating posts and investment in the blog.
Congratulations! Loved all the pics! Crazy with all the weather changes, but it looks like you were all well prepared for the different temperatures and conditions.
What is the recovery time like for a big hike like that? Are you pretty sore for a while, or is it relatively easy to bounce back from?
Yes, we bring our various layers in our backpacks for those changes in weather. Recovery depends on your age! Steve and I usually have calf stiffness the next day or two. The younger crew doesn’t have that problem. This year after Mt. Sherman, the shorter 14er for us, Steve and I had minimal stiffness. We had more after our longer Saturday 14er, but it doesn’t affect our ability to function. We just feel it going up or down stairs.
What an amazing hike. It’s wonderful that you all brought all the gear necessary to sustain safety and comfort in so many changing weather conditions. Pelted with ice? Well that may have been a deal breaker for me. I found a great recliner rock recently when we climbed a mountain. Some that were descending got leg cramps on the way down and the recliner rock was perfect for waiting for those who had to take it slower.
With my hood up, the ice didn’t bother me much. I think you would have pushed on, Kim, and you already know about and utilize rock recliners. You could probably enjoy one while I was catching up to you if we were hiking together!
Wow, these pictures are amazing! As I’m scrolling through, I can’t help but think of the psalm “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork”. Also, happy (late) birthday to Mary! 🙂
Absolutely! That verse is perfect for what we saw in Colorado.
Beautiful pictures! Happy birthday, Mary! We like Blue Bunny ice cream too; the Salted Caramel Craze is my favorite. Your family is inspiring, going on these long hikes. Thanks again for sharing all the beautiful pictures and scenery.
There are several in our family who really like the Salted Caramel Craze too.
I always love reading about your Colorado vacations! We live in the Caribbean, so trying to imagine ice pellets in summer 🙂
Did y’all forget sunscreen??
Thanks so much for capturing and sharing your hikes!!
It would be hard to imagine ice pellets when you are in the Caribbean. Kind of hard for us when we come from hot Kansas too. We carry sun screen. Some wear long sleeves. I wear a hat for sun protection for my face but like to use the sunscreen on my arms.
It is so nice to have family times such as these! It is something that more and more people are undervaluing nowadays.
I love spending time with my family, and can’t wait to plan the next adventure together!
Thanks for the beautiful post and breathtaking pictures 🙂
Many blessings,
Alice
I agree. Family time is wonderful!
Wow, these pictures put so many different thoughts in my head. I’m stuck somewhere between “wow!” and “that’s a little scary looking”, ha, ha. What great memories for your family!!
I think the scary-looking part goes away when you are there in person and have the full perspective.
I always love the yearly hiking pictures! It has inspired me to make it my goal to one day go hike mountains like that! You guys are amazing!
Hope, I hope you make your goal one day.
What kind of training do y’all do to prepare for those hikes? I suppose they are quite strenuous. It appears Mary, Anna, and Jesse do more hiking than Sarah and Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell?
Ps – can see that Mary likes icecream for her birthday. that is my fave dessert as well.
love Anna’s pink phone case!
Mr. Maxwell and I took two hour walks about 5 days a week through the summer in preparation for Colorado. You are right. We can’t keep up with the others on the mountain hikes. The girls did a little more running than is normal for their workouts this summer. Their workout time stayed about the same. Sarah was working on her book so she only did the one 14er. Yes, ice cream is Mary’s favorite dessert!