Road trip Part 6: Backpacking in Colorado

It was time once again for the annual backpacking trip in Colorado.  This year we decided to climb up a "fourtneener" - a 14,336 ft. mountain called La Plata.  It is the 5th highest peak in Colorado....could we do it?  We packed in a short ways with all our gear. 

Keyan was keeping his eye on this river....prime fly fishing waters!



Notice who is in Mara's backpack....Squeaky has been on every backpacking trip Mara has gone on!



Can she do it?  Can she cross this mighty stream?

Heading up the trail in the early morning.  We had to get an early start to beat the storms that always seem to roll in around noon.

Keyan - our trail guide.

Nice foot work, Mara!

What is that thing on your head, Mara?  Keyan always has time for teasing.

 Yes, we do have to hike up that mountain!

Taking a break....unfortunately, we were no where near the top of LaPlata!



I've decided, trails that are nothing but a pile of rocks are really no fun to climb!

Yes, we finally made it to the top of LaPlata!  Way to go, guys!

I'm not sure how inspired Mara was by the beauty - she was completely worn out.

It's just beautiful in the mountains.

Notice the dark clouds rolling in...yes, we were so close to the clouds it seemed like they could just reach down and suck us up.  I have a fear of lightning...so we didn't spend much time sightseeing.

So, Keyan was not feeling the hottest on the way down from the top...he actually threw up a couple of times.  I was really worried that he was going to pass out or get so sick that I started asking "the doctor" what to do if that happened.   Was it altitude sickness?  Was it dehydration?  Was it exhaustion?  I don't know.

Mara and Keyan were both tuckered out.

There is nothing better than taking your boots off after a day of hiking!

So, when we got back to camp, Mara started feeling sick and ended up throwing up, too.   After a little thought, Keyan and I decided we needed to pack up camp and get down to a lower altitude.  It would be a miserable night in a tiny tent with 2 people sick.  So, we hiked out and found a hotel to stay in and a nice big juicy hamburger to eat.  Amazingly, everyone started feeling better.  Maybe we just aren't used to the high altitude anymore.  Maybe we should actually spend a little time getting ready to hike up a fourteener instead of just showing up and doing it!

The next day we found a river for Keyan to go spend a couple of hours fishing in.

He was very successful...caught about 15 little fish.