Climbing The Peak

By

Alan L. Bryant

     It was late summer of the bicentennial year (1976).  My mother had signed me up through the Y.W.C.A. to climb Pikes Peak.  I had grown up next to the Rocky Mountains, and my earliest memories were of fishing for trout and climbing around on rocks.  At fourteen years of age, I felt at home in the high altitudes of the wilderness and was looking forward to the new adventure. 

     We started off from the parking lot at the base of the mountain; the area was known by the name of Manitou Springs.  The sun was bright and the sky was clear blue.  There wasn’t a cloud to be found anywhere.  It truly was a beautiful day. 

      Our group consisted of approximately twenty people.  Six of the hikers were elderly women without backpacks, and they were placed up front, setting the pace for the rest of us.  Luckily, they were only hiking to Barr Camp which was not very far away.  The first three miles were a little steep and then it leveled off.  The leader of our group was a beautiful young blond woman in her late twenties.  I had been on several hikes with her before, and she was a knowledgeable and competent guide.  Her boyfriend always came along, however, he stayed a couple of miles behind, joining her in her tent late at night and leaving before dawn.  We would laugh whenever we heard the rustling of leaves or the snapping of twigs somewhere in our rear.

     We were starting off at a snail’s pace when I spotted a few wild strawberries and onions.  Munching on the wild snacks provided by nature, I noticed the abundance of aspen, ponderosa pine and blue spruce.  Some wild flowers were still in bloom, and the fragrance of the flowers added to the ambiance of the meadow.  It was a perfect day.

     The old ladies at the front of the group were moving so slow that many of us decided to sit down and wait for them to extend their lead.  Some were questioning whether we would ever make it to the summit.  After strolling along for six miles, we finally arrived at Barr Camp.  It was around 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon, and we had plenty of daylight still left.