I'm a relatively new hiker, but since moving to Colorado a couple of months ago, my family and I have set our sites on getting a hike in every weekend. We got the appropriate gear and have set off on a variety of hikes.
Scenic shorter routes
Slight elevation gain
sMaintained trails
Waterfall hikes
Rocky Terrain
2 mile trails
6 mile trails
Each hike we've been on has challenged us in some form but the consensus is to always keep going, never give up.
Our hiking quote, compliments of my 10 year old:
If you believe you can do it, you can!
We set a lofty goal this weekend to summit a 14er, Mount Blue Sky, the mountain we can see from our front door. We knew we could park at a trailhead at 12,820ft. The total hike was 5.4 miles round trip. The longest hike to date was 6 miles, so it felt doable.
We knew it would be a challenge and a challenge it was. Bouldering, back tracking through snow after losing the trail, high altitude, the difficulty list could go on and go. ButWe saw Big Horn Sheep, Mountain Goats, a Frozen Lake, Marmots, Wildflowers, Beauty, and creation I can't explain.
We pushed on and summited Mount Spalding (13,859ft), we had another mile and terrain we aren't prepared for to summit Mount Blue Sky so we called it a day. But There was no failure on Saturday, only success.
We told our 13 and 10 year old how proud we were and how proud they should be at accomplishing such a feat. We set our goal high and even though we didn't accomplish it, we still completed an incredible accomplishment.
It's like that in life too, if you don't set big lofty goals you'll never achieve more than you thought possible.
Always aim for the highest possible goal and if you don't succeed look at how far you've come and be proud.
If you believe you can do it, you can!
*Pic from the Summit of Mount Spalding June 22, 2024
