Today we decided to climb what is known as a "fourteener", ie, one of about 53 mountains that peak at an altitude of more than 14,000 feet above sea level. Not all summits over 14,000 feet qualify as fourteeners -- mountains that qualify are generally those considered by mountaineers to be independent. Climbing all the fourteeners in this area is a popular Summit County pastime, and there are blogs upon blogs about it if you might be interested in more. For us, coming from Chicago and staying in Frisco at at altitude of about 9000 feet, the altitude gain at Quandary is fairly significant (ie, we knew there would be lots of huffing and puffing).Lola chose to spend the morning with Nana and Papa, so it was Roc, Stella (almost 8), Isabel (11) and myself who headed to the trailhead at around 8:00AM - a little late by most guidelines, but we were giving ourselves a little slack as we weren't entirely optimistic about summitting with two little ones in tow anyway. The day was crisp, cool and clear -- as every day in Colorado seems to dawn in the summer months. We struck out cheerfully, even though I had spent a good portion of the night searching the internet for assurances (to no avail) that we weren't insane to take young children on this "advanced" and "strenuous" trail. As it turned out, Stella was especially tenacious - perhaps because this was her first time on this particular mountain. Roc and I have climbed it once before without kids, and last year Roc and Isabel went up about two-thirds before turning back (too cold!) Stella raced up the steep inclines, pausing only to sip water and peel off layers -- which she threw to me to carry (of course).
At around 12,500 feet, far about the tree line and with spectacular views of two alpine lakes and a couple of other fourteeners in the distance, Isabel complained of a headache and shortness of breath. Both she and Roc have occasional bouts of mild asthma -- usually altitude-induced -- and unfortunately, Roc had forgotten an inhaler. I was feeling good as I spent last week hiking around Beaver Creek (up and down the mountain), but Roc was tired (he only arrived 2 days ago), and with Isabel slowing down, I thought it best to call it a day and head back down.
Ohhhh, not so fast. Stella had the summit in her line of sight, and there was no way she was going back down without achieving her "goal". We agreed that Isabel and I would wait and enjoy the spectacular scenery while Roc and Stella continued to the next ridge -- about 500 feet higher. Much to our surprise, we were treated to a great sighting of two wooly mountain goats clambering toward us up the steep mountainside -- followed by two more a few minutes later. Meanwhile, Roc and Stella had reached the next ridge and we could see them in an animated discussion (lots of gesticulations!) which ended with them turning around and heading back toward us. (We later discovered that this conversation was not about the mountain at all, but about which kind of beef jerky tasted better.)
I was relieved to see them coming back, even though I suspected that Stella would be sorely disappointed. She often sets very high (sometimes unrealistic) goals for herself and can be harsh with self-criticism if it doesn't work out. We hear this a lot from her teachers, and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with keeping up with her older sisters. Also, it was just a little over a year ago that she underwent a procedure to close an atrial septal defect (a hole in her heart) and we are currently overdue for her 1-year follow-up appointment. As we went up Quandary I couldn't help from repeatedly asking her if she could hear her heart pounding and she would answer me with exasperation, "YES! It means I'm alive!"
Anyway, they came back down and Stella was surprisingly not fazed by missing the summit this time. Instead, we started the long descent in high spirits, feeling that we had accomplished quite a lot. There were no other hikers nearly as young as Stella or even Isabel, and some who passed us (both going up and going down) made comments about how "tough" they were.
Maybe a half mile from the bottom Stella finally faltered and began to cry -- she was tired. Isabel, on the other hand, had gotten a second wind and sped away from us -- nowhere to be seen. We regaled Stella with stories of Tom Sawyer and continued down the mountain. After 30 minutes or so I began to wonder if we should be concerned about Isabel (where was she?) I made some cuckoo noises to which there was no response (nobody can ever hear me) but we did hear a faint response to Stella's "IZZY!!!!!" As it turned out, she had indeed gone off the trail, but had righted herself and was waiting near the trailhead when we came down.
So -- why this long (okay, boring) story? I guess it's my pride at what they accomplished, and with so little fanfare or drama. I love that when we say that they can do something, they actually trust us and believe in themselves enough to believe that it's true. It's something my parents did for me (telling me I could do/be anything) and I think it really impacted how I move through life. No problem is really insurmountable. Nothing is really that bad. There is so much that children pick up from our cues. Hint that they can't do it, and they can't. Tell them that they can and they will.
No comments:
Post a Comment