|
Aug 17
2008
|
The End of Summer and the Start of LifePosted by Aneal Roney in Untagged   |
 |
I hope everyone is enjoying the waning summer. I thought I would share with you a little about what I have tagged as the official end of my summer. With Colorado Antelope season in full swing, I don't pay attention to the calendar - I believe it is Fall all the way around!
I mentioned on an episode (Can't remember which one) that when my oldest daughter was 2 years old I carried her on my back up Mount Bierstadt here in Colorado. Mount Bierstadt is probably the easiest of all 14ers (Mountain Peaks that are 14,000 feet above sea level). And with carrying a 2 year old on your back up to 14,000 feet, easy is exactly what you are after. To be sure, when I say easy in relation to climbing a 14er, it is VERY relative indeed.
So my second daughter turned two this past April. To ensure there were no debates among my daughters about "favoritism" when they were adults, I commited in early spring to carry my second daughter, Ela, up to her first 14er - just like I did her older sister, Maya.
Throughout the spring and early summer, I kept tabs on her weight. On average, she was about 6 lbs heavier than my first daughter when I took her up to Mount Bierstand in 2006. That was bad news for Daddy as when you add in pull-ups (diapers), water, goldfish snacks, extra clotehs and other essentials, I was going to be hauling almost 40 lbs of cargo for 3 miles up, and 2300 vertical feet. That is not even considering the descent back down.
But I was commited. Not just to introduce my daughter to the purple mountains majesty, but also as a side goal of not only ensuring I was ready to climb a well groomed trail up to a 14er, but to ensure I did what needed to be done over the last year to get up and down the hills to chase both Elk and Mule deer in September. It was a side goal that played nicely with my overall goal. I kept the legs in shape to get my daughter up the mountain and that hike for me was the official end of summer - and the start of my yearly "life"....the fall and chasing big game with my bow.
I hope you all look back on the year and are proud of what you have dedicated to our sport and your personal goals. I wish you all the best of luck as the big game seasons start coming up on the calendar. I have shared some of the pictures from Daddy and Ela's hike below, enjoy!
On the way up
Last False Peak before the Summit
On Top of the World
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by aroney, August 18, 2008
Yes, it was VERY ironic that we listened to the episode recorded with the boys from Global Rescue on the drive to the trailhead. Just goes to show that as I mentioned on that episode, that service has much more value to individuals and families than just getting us out of the hunting woods. Tom, I hope you realize that if you had broken your ankle and COULD NOT descend back down the mountain, you would have been left with a pretty hefty rescue bill for rescue services and a chopper. I bet the $300 Global Rescue service would have saved you a TON of money in the end.
Also - great job in hobbling the 2300 feet back down the mountain. I know from your grunts and growls that it was not fun at all. Glad you're home safe and have a "lesson learned" story to share with your students when class is back in session.
Peace,
Aneal
written by jamaro, August 21, 2008
J
Show/Hide comment form
Hey Aneal...how about mentioning how your buddy Tom who was with you got to the top of the mountain and destroyed his ankle jumping off a boulder? You know...the guy who then had to hike down 3 -4 hours with a wrecked ankle and is now sitting here typing this with a pair of crutches and a boot on?
Man...I took some good pictures!!!
On a serious note, it was ironic how Aneal and I were talking about Global Rescue on the way to the mountain and then when we got to the top, I probably could have used it! I was lucky that I was able to get down the mountain the way my ankle was. If it was completely broken, I don't know what I would have done.
It was a good lesson for me and probably all of the other hunters out there. I read an article in this month's National Geographic Adventurer when I was waiting to get my ankle x-rayed in the doctor's office and I found an interesting article about survival in it. It said that people who are out in the wilderness or climbing mountains should wait to "celebrate" until after they have decended the mountain. It turns out too many people let their guard down after they have reached the top because the majority of injuries take place on DECENT. That is definitley what happened to me. Careful going up, care-free coming down. And because of it I was very lucky to get off the mountain period!