This is part 1 of my 2011 vacation (see parts , , and ). I left my home on Wednesday morning, July 27, and spent the night in Kearney, Nebreaska. The next morning I drove to Leadville, Colorado, elevation 10,200. I spent the night there, then got up early on the morning of the 29th to drive the short distance to the trailhead. I then climbed Mt. Elbert. This is the highest (but certainly not hardest) peak in Colorado, and the second highest in the lower 48 states. This was all part of my training for my upcoming hike of the High Sierra trail: I wanted to make sure I was ready for Mt. Whitney.
This was my second attempt at Elbert. I had tried it previously in 2005, but had to quit because of threatening weather. See a report of that hike here.
Mt. Elbert is 14,433 feet high. My hike began just 48 hours after leaving Chicago. So how did I fare in the altitude? A story...I had a clear cell signal on the peak, so I called my mom to let her know I was safe. I told her, "This is to make sure I am ready for Mt. Whitney. Whitney is 14,495 and this is 14,433, so the difference is only..." and I couldn't do the math! 95 minus 33. I have a Masters in Math and I couldn't do it! That is when I knew that the altitude was affecting me more than I thought. I got quite a laugh out of that. I hope you do too.
Copyright © 2011 by Bill Qualls. Last updated August 3, 2011.