Summit Day

Summit day on Trek starts very early. Of course you don't know exactly how early because your wristwatch and all timekeeping devices have been confiscated before you left base camp. You mostly know that it's early because when they wake you for the day, there is absolutely no sign of the sun whatsoever. The other sign is that to wake us our guides 'sang' us awake and they felt it necessary to do so at the top of their lungs. The theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey will, in my mind, never be same. (Dave? What are you doing, Dave?)

The good thing about this day is that you don't have to carry all of you belongings, only your food for the day, clothes to keep you warm at an unnatural hour and maybe a camera to show what a goofy group you belong to. Yea Ian!

On normal hikes, you start out the day with a few extra layers and shed down to shorts and t-shirt by midday. On this hike, I found myself having to layer back up almost at the end of every stop. I also found that Andrew liked to explore while most of us were taking a rest. Come on already, Andrew. At least act tired!

Here's Emily wishing she had more of those Vienna Sausages. Should have let me know. I would have sneaked some in YOUR day pack!

The hike yields one fantastic scene after another. At one point, these mule deer paused perfectly atop this ridge and watched as we made our way their direction. Once they tired of witnessing our sluggish accent, they turned and descended the mountain face as though it were flat ground.

I took this picture of Jessy a few minutes later at just about the same spot where the deer had been.

The great thing is we all made it: the boys and their toys, the girls and their signs, the adults and their dignity (except for Rachael and that Dragon shirt! Boo!)


On the way down we had a bit of fun with a group that was about to summit the same peak we had just come down from. We got to see their ridge dance and then did the wave from our ridge.

After we made it all the way back to high camp, everyone was ready to relax. We had a great devo around the fire. The aspen trees here were magnificent.