Badassery

So those of you who know me probably know that I hardly ever curse, but I think I can safely say that I'm a badass right now. Today, everyone on my team besides TK, Heather, and myself went down to Boulder to do our grocery shopping. We go every Sunday. Actually, I think some people went down just to use the phone. Anyway, TK, Heather and I went on a hike. A very long hike. Remember the Death Hike from like the second week I was in Denver? I think that should now be called the Baby Hike. (I might have to think about that name a little more.)

It started off being that TK wanted to get people together to go up to Solitude Point, which is only about 15 or 20 minutes from the lodge. And you get a little bit of cell phone service there. I had never been up there. There was a day when everyone was up there dismantling a high ropes course, but I was splitting wood that day so I didn't get to go. So I thought it would be nice to go see what it's like and maybe make a phone call or two. TK was also trying to get a group together to go on a much much longer hike up to the top of a mountain that had a big rocky ridge on it. The first plan was to go up to Solitude, then come back down and go up to those rocks. I decided to do the nice easy Solitude hike, then come back and let the hardcore hikers go up the mountain. Then the plan was changed to do the longer one first, while there was more daylight and warmth, since Solitude is so close. Then a few people who had wanted to go on the long hike decided to go to Boulder instead. So TK and Heather were going to leave soon on the long hike, and I decided to go with them. We made sandwiches, and away we went. Remember how AmeriCorps loves hiking?

There was a trail for a little bit of the way on the part toward Solitude, then we left to blaze our own trail that was more straight toward the rocks. There was a pretty steep snowy valley we didn't see at first, and we went down into it. Then back up. After coming to the top after the valley, we could see the rocks really well, but they looked really far away, and on the other side of a valley that went pretty much vertically down from where we were. We looked around a little, and TK saw a place that wasn't as steep. So off we went.

When we got to the rocks, it was much more rock climbing-esque than hiking. There was definitely a lot of climbing over boulders going on. On more than one occasion, I thought there was no way I could get past a certain spot, but then I did. There was a nice flat-ish place close to the top, where we ate and enjoyed the insane view. Don't worry, lots of pictures were taken. I just can't post them for another two and a half weeks.

Now it was time for back down. I think getting down the rocks was harder on the legs than getting up. I made good use of the squat-and-slide technique. Did I fall? No. Did I twist my ankle and get stranded on a mountain? Almost, but no. Did I even scrape my hands on the rocks I was supporting myself on while I found somewhere to put my foot? No. Basically, I'm really proud of myself right now. I am not a hardcore hiker. I don't even think I'm a mediumcore hiker. I'm from Illinois, where hills don't exist.

It took us a lot less time to get back than it did to get up there. There was a lot of stopping on the way there to take pictures and figure out which direction to go next. Also, instead of going up and over the mountain in the middle, we kind of just went around it to go back. So while everyone else went back down to Boulder yet again and got groceries, three of us made our own trail up two mountains.