Saturday was awesome.  It was maybe one of the best Colorado days I’ve had.  And I’ve had so many good days in this place.

Saturday was that good.

The day was practically perfect in every way.

Our alarm went off at three a.m.  C and I were well-rested (four hours) and raring to go (mountain time!)

Sandwiches for breakfast and lunch were packed.  Plenty of water.  Hiking boots.  Hats and gloves.

We got in the car and drove one block and picked up Katie and C3 and their friend, Jaleene.  I just love living one block away from Katie.  Heart it.

And then we drove into the darkness and into the great big wild.  Out of the city, down one of my favorite roads on the front range of Colorado, Route 285.

We pulled off near Fairplay and ended up trolling down a long, beautiful dirt road.  Cattle in pastures.  A moon in the sky above the muted landscape.

We parked, got dressed in our warm gear and started our ascent.  Mount Sherman – 14,036 feet.

We scrambled over piles of mine tailings.  We walked carefully across ridges as the wind blew so hard I could feel it whipping through my insides.  And at the top, once we high-fived each other  and other Mount Sherman climbers, we ate some really delicious sandwiches.  Katie promised that when we reached our destination and took that first bite of sandwich, it would definitely be the “best sandwich you’ve ever eaten.”  She was right.

I conquered my first 14-er.