Wisdom for Trecking Across Mountains

Four days after my wife and I were married, we almost died on the side of a mountain. We weren't planning on anything like this happening, then again we weren't really planning from the get go. Many valuable lessons were learned hiking that day, and hopefully the following lessons learned will be wisdom for others.

The view behind our cabin.
Our adventure occured on the snow peaks to the left.

Lesson 1 ‑ Hike early

Amy and I woke up late. We slept in, ate a hardy breakfast, and took our time.

This was unwise.

Pike's Peak is over 14,000 feet tall. Departing the Devil's Playground trailhead (already at an elevation of 9,000 feet) at 11:00am, we didn't make Devil's Playground until 3 hours later...We still had 3 hours to the summit. We decided to turn around so as to make it back before dark. This was wise.

Lesson 2 ‑ Dress appropriately

A Missouri native, I vastly underestimated Colorado's climate in October. At 9,000 feet, it was a typical autumn day. Tons of trees, sturdy ground, and fresh breeze. Pants, athletic shoes, thermal underwear, and a hoodie seemed to do the trick. At 13,000 feet, the mountain is a terrifying snowy moon-scape. I can't adequately stress the contrast. Above treeline, the snow piled up to four feet deep. Traversing a rock-field, (we weren't aware there was rock until my foot sank into a white void, almost snapping my ankle) I realized more robust clothing was needed. And by "more robust", I mean snow leopard hide.

Looking west from the treeline summit. Our cabin is somewhere out yonder.

Lesson 3 ‑ Think about wildlife defense

I wasn't even thinking about bears. At least, not until we saw bear tracks. I had no firearm, no hatchet, no bear spray (that term sounds insane), no knife, no club.

All I had were my bear hands (zing!), and my wits (which were already on the fritz...see Lessons 1 and 2 above).

Men, it's your duty to protect your wife. Think about bears when planning to hike with her.

Me no doubt pointing in the direction of a bear. Notice the absence of any fur-lined coat or weapon or chain mail.

Lesson 4 ‑ Know how to get back

At 2pm, having ascended to Devil's Playground, we decided to throw in the towel and call it quits...the summit wouldn't be made this day. That's when some very visceral terror set in. Turning around and following our footprints across a sea of white, we came upon a crest which framed our vantage point for the way down the monolith. Up to this point, we'd been following another hiker's footprints. Amy and I had not seen this hiker all day, but we found our way up the mountain side using their path. These footprints (and ours) were now gone.

Vanished.

"Finito"
as our Italian compadres say.

We peered down and saw only miles of treeline a long, frigid distance away. The trail back was gone, hidden beneath the quiet whiteness that had once before been so beautiful. Our hearts had become like our limbs, frozen, bloodless, and numb. We had no idea which iota of treeline to head for. Amy and I started bustling down, half-way panicking, and for 20 minutes prayed Jesus would help us. I spotted some craigs to our right that looked familiar and we headed towards them. After trudging back across the snow-covered rock-field I mentioned earlier, we noticed a thin, band of darkness 200 yards away. It was the trail. Our hope landed. We frantically bounded towards it and began our swift, knee-pounding, 2 hour descent.

ALWAYS BE AWARE WHERE YOU'RE GOING AND HOW TO GET BACK.

Looking west over Devil's Playground from the summit of Pike's Peak the next day. We cheated and took a train.

We eventually got home around 5 and enjoyed a hot meal. Our trip could have easily ended with newspaper headlines proclaiming "Newly-weds Dissapear in Colorado" or "Missouri Dolt Leads Wife to Her Death". However, me made it back safely and now have knowledge and wisdom to share with others.

Heed our advice. Plan well, stay aware, start early, fight bears.