There are some pivotal moments in your life that stick with you. Sure, there are some that are very significant at the time but then as time passes on their importance seems to fade. Stepping on the top of Pikes's Peak was a very significant moment in my life. It was a moment filled with relief, joy, elation and triumph. It was an affirmation of all the time and effort I had put into losing 120#'s. It was realizing that I was skinny enough, and in good enough health to walk up a 14,000 foot mountain. It was amazing.The previous Saturdays during our practice hikes Andy & I would break into a jog as we came back near the parking lot. Kind of a "manly man" thing. So as we topped the mountain it just seemed natural to break into an jog for the last little bit. I'm sure that convinced the tourists that had driven up or rode the train up that we were indeed crazy. Looking back, I agree - we were a little crazy! Blame it on a lack of oxygen.There was a family there that took our picture, they were adequately impresses that we had actually hiked up the mountain. We smiled, and then weariness took over. Joann had pushed hard on the last part of the 16 Golden Steps. (She later said that her motivation was twofold: #1 - She didn't want to have to walk back down all the way; #2 - She was not going to pay the $500 fee for Search & Rescue to get her off the mountain. It took some time, water, and Pike's Peak Donuts to get her back to "normal". As her fellow team members we bear the blame for not seeing the signs and helping her more. We'll do better.The train came up the hill and we went ahead and boarded the train as we had already seen the scenery first hand and were more interested in resting than anything else. Shortly after we got on the train we were joined by two ladies in their 50's to 60's range that had ridden the train up halfway, then hiked to the top. It was one of them's 37th 14er! We told her what we had done and after listening to the story she said, "Let me get this straight, on July 1st you were a flatlander couch potato and now you're a 14er?". Yep, you got it. "That's pretty amazing" she said. I agree. Pretty amazing.
So, some thanks are in order.
To Jim, thanks for taking the lead and losing weight, convincing me that if Jim could lose weight - anybody could! (I've eaten with the guy and know...).
To Joann, thanks for supporting me and loving me when I didn't lose weight and for supporting me and loving me when I did. And thanks for loving me enough to go on the crazy adventure of climbing a mountain.
To Andy & Kim, for the bold idea and all the pelim advance work that made it doable on such short notice. Thanks for letting us in on your fun!
To the guy at REI for convincing me to get synthetic underwear. Cotton kills.
To Phil for the hiking poles (invaluable), the water filter (life saving - hydrate or die!), and the bug repellent electronic thing (technology vs. Bugs - way cool).
To Brock and David for covering my duties at Heritage.
To God for giving me the strength and ability to make it up the hill.
In closing:
To my friends and family that are now trying to get in better shape/health. Way to go! I can't express what a tremendous difference it is in my life. EVERY ASPECT of my life is better. I know it's not easy to get there, but the end destination is amazing. Go for it!What's next? We're thinking about doing it again next year. Come go with us. You'll love it. I did my first 5k a week ago Saturday - turned in a 37:20 time. I didn't run the whole thing, this next Saturday I have another 5k and my goal is to run it completely. After that, who knows?I know that I am now a 14er and that accomplishment has been etched in my brain and body and will be significant for the rest of my life.
