kimbur96
Member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2015
- Messages
- 194
My employer gives you your birthday off with pay so I decided I needed to do something epic. I turned 49 today and couple months ago I was diagnosed with Lupus so I really wanted to do something BIG, something that says you can't hold me down, lol. The snow has not yet arrived here yet, so I set my sights on My Beirstadt. It's one of the "easiest" 14er's to do and about 2 1/2 drive from me. I was up at o dark thirty and on the road by 4:30 to make the TH by 7am, sunrise. I wanted the largest possible window to get this done. I had no idea how I would do, the lupus has made me anemic add in the altitude and it was anyones guess as to if I would make it. The weather called for clear and sunny, but windy. Like 30-35mph sustained winds with 50mph gusts! And they were right! I nearly got blown off the trail a couple of times. According to NOAA with the windchill it was about 18f at the summit. I believe them.
The trail is about 7 miles round trip with a gain of 2,850. The trail starts off at 11,200 and dips down several hundred feet to cross a small creek and then you start climbing, gently at first. It was windy at the bottom but not horrible. By two miles in it was getting wicked. My down jacket wasn't cutting it. I broke out my hard shell and put it over the down jacket and put on my heavier windproof gloves. Things were tolerable again. As you crested the summit the wind was relentless. No breaks. Stinging your face like a jilted girlfriend slapping you. I was tired. Proud that i had made it but tired. I broke out my cake, took my gloves off to take a selfie and in 30 seconds both hands were numb. That freaked me out a bit. So quickly? I clicked of a couple more summit pics, got my gloves back on my pretty much useless hands and decided i had better get my ass off the mountain. I could eat cake in the warmth of the car. Down was hard work and I ended up on my butt more than once. I slowly descended, watching the dot of my car become an actual visible object. And swore as i trudged UP the end of the trail. Why does almost every trail end with an uphill? You're already spent and now uphill to the car? I finally made it. started the car turned the seat heater on high and cranked the heater and enjoyed my cake with out the wind. Did I mention it was windy up there? Not ideal conditions for your first one, but I persevered and had cake.
Sorry for the long paragraph, I suck a english and never know where it make breaks. The pics aren't the best all off my phone. Didn't want to drag full size camera up there my first time.
The trail is about 7 miles round trip with a gain of 2,850. The trail starts off at 11,200 and dips down several hundred feet to cross a small creek and then you start climbing, gently at first. It was windy at the bottom but not horrible. By two miles in it was getting wicked. My down jacket wasn't cutting it. I broke out my hard shell and put it over the down jacket and put on my heavier windproof gloves. Things were tolerable again. As you crested the summit the wind was relentless. No breaks. Stinging your face like a jilted girlfriend slapping you. I was tired. Proud that i had made it but tired. I broke out my cake, took my gloves off to take a selfie and in 30 seconds both hands were numb. That freaked me out a bit. So quickly? I clicked of a couple more summit pics, got my gloves back on my pretty much useless hands and decided i had better get my ass off the mountain. I could eat cake in the warmth of the car. Down was hard work and I ended up on my butt more than once. I slowly descended, watching the dot of my car become an actual visible object. And swore as i trudged UP the end of the trail. Why does almost every trail end with an uphill? You're already spent and now uphill to the car? I finally made it. started the car turned the seat heater on high and cranked the heater and enjoyed my cake with out the wind. Did I mention it was windy up there? Not ideal conditions for your first one, but I persevered and had cake.
Sorry for the long paragraph, I suck a english and never know where it make breaks. The pics aren't the best all off my phone. Didn't want to drag full size camera up there my first time.
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