First winter ascent in Colorado. I am fascinated by the snow and ice and the climb is not difficult. My guide is telling me about the layers you need to put on or take off to regulate your sweat and about the importance of stopping in a sunny spot for taking a break.
Everything is new to me and I like it a lot. I feel like a kid in a candy shop, but I hide my excitement and try to focus as I know the climb will get more strenuous as we approach the peak.
My hint was right …in only few minutes everything changed: the wind became rather merciless, and the slopes way steeper. Not once I lost my breathing - not sure if because of the climb or because of being afraid of failing to do it, not once I lost my balance, not once I lost my hope. But same as during a bike run uphill when you keep looking at your front wheel as if all the secrets of the universe were written on that tire, when going up through the snow you need to look just one meter in front of you to figure out what’s going to happen in the next seconds and hope the following meter is going to be flatter than the one you’ve just slogged through. It is the science of one step at a time, over and over again.
After a fun rock scramble, we get to the top and I hear the magic and sweet words: “Summit”!! The views are awesome and I did it!
So much I like going down the hill after touching the peak! Even though tricky in the beginning as my feet were sliding as if on skis, the feeling all the way was like drinking champagne to celebrate an achievement. Maybe every time it gets crazy tough on the way up you just need to think how fun it is going to be on your way down.
Today was fun but tomorrow is the big test - Mount Yale.