When you commit to a high altitude trip life changes. There’s new equipment, new knowledge, complex arrangements, and a sense of purpose for training. I’ll be attempting to climb Cotopaxi, an almost 20k ft volcano in Ecuador, this January.
Another thing changes too…this unsettled feeling starts growing in your gut and feeds on the realization that you grasp the scope of what’s ahead, but you’re behind, in everything. It’s a feeling belied by your big smiles and saying how excited you are. This is a mountaineering trip…ropes, crampons, ice ax, ice and snow. A first for me. Time to get moving.
A cold front passed through here Friday night bringing with it the first hint of fall. Saturday morning was cool and gorgeous and I was out early for Bull Run Mountain along with a lot of other people with the same idea. Except that I had 40 pounds of water in my pack and I was wearing ankle weights. It went pretty well and this was my reward at the top:
The view from Bull Run Mountain