Dreaming about Mountains

 This past summer, about two weeks before school resumed in August, I spent a weekend road-tripping to Alma, Colorado. On our initial drive up to Colorado, we stopped approximately seven hours into the trip in Trinidad, Colorado. Around noon the next day, we finally arrived at our destination, the Kite Lake Campground in Alma, Colorado. This campground was unique in that it was also the trailhead for a popular hike, known as The Decalibron. In our drive up to the campground, we were forced to engage in a "game" of pause-and-go for about thirty minutes. There was a line of cars for about 200 meters to the campground parking lot and trail head, however, the road could only accommodate one car at a time. The Decalibron trail spans over seven miles and includes four peaks, Mt. Democrat, Mt. Cameron, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Bross. All four peaks are privately owned. In April 2021, three of the four peaks were closed due to liability concerns; many of the landowners were concerned that they may be held responsible for any injury sustained from the dilapidated mining structures scattered throughout the peaks.  Of the four peaks, only one remains closed. This experience reminded me of a classroom debate over accessibility vs. conservation. Even with numerous signs that state "No Trespassing" and "Stay on Trail," many hikers decide to hike on the closed peak, Mt. Bross. Even if we did attempt to conserve a particularly vulnerable area, would people choose to ignore signage and continue hiking?

Kite Lake Campground in Alma, CO

The hike itself was beautiful. We started hiking at 4am in the pitch-black darkness of early morning. Although I felt frozen through as we started our ascent, I was still far too overdressed; I started sweating about five minutes in. One thing I did not expect was the constant scrambling over loose or large rocks. In retrospect, I understand that it would not be feasible to have an established path on the side of a mountain. Nevertheless, I must acknowledge that I enjoy walking on packed dirt or grass far more than hard rock. This picture captures my slow, timid journey down Mt. Democrat, walking on legs that started feeling like Jell-O two hours prior.

After three hours, we finally reached the summit of Mt. Democrat. While it was a celebratory moment, I felt like I was about to die of exhaustion. This was my first fourteener and I did not physically prepare my body for the uphill climb or difference in altitude. Because of my difficulty hiking up and down Mt. Democrat, we decided to cut the trail short after just one peak. I hope to return in the summer of 2023 and complete the entire Decalibron trail.

Summit of Mt. Democrat