Quandry's Peak
Years ago, I was visiting my son Logan in Denver, and we got the idea to climb a 14er. There are over 50 peaks in Colorado that exceed 14,000 ft, hence the name 14er. Josh Phillips had shared an experience he and his family had done before climbing a 14er, so we thought that would be fun.
Neither one of us had ever done anything like that before and didn’t know what to expect or prepare for, but we had a free day, so we went to REI and bought a backpack, some hiking shoes, and beef jerky and protein bars and felt like professionals. After Googling, which one would fit our time frame and driving distance, we settled on Quandry’s Peak. We got up early the next morning, drove the trailhead and got to hiking.
It was a beautiful cool June Colorado morning, and spring was kicking in nicely. We wore shorts but had an extra top, later on, to fight off the morning chill. After a while, we ran into some others on the trail, which made us comfortable as we had no idea where we were going. We just were following the trail.
After several hours we began to ascend above the tree line and discovered just how little a trail existed and just how much snow there was. We also found a little joke God plays on your breathing once you hit a certain altitude. I admit we were getting tired, and a bit nervous as things were becoming pretty difficult. An hour or so later, we were exhausted and way out of our comfort zone.
At this point, we were up to our knees in snow and rock, not knowing what we were going to hit on each step. Find some packed snow or rock, glide right on, find soft snow, and stagger to balance and scrape your leg. Things were also narrowing as we were getting closer to the top (so we thought). We’d look up ad see what we’d thought was the top and motivate each other to just get to that point only to find it was a false front. From where we were, it looked like the top, but once we got there, the mountain just kept going, and we’d see another peak. It was very discouraging and physically and emotionally exhausting. We carried ourselves through 2 or 3 false fronts, each one steeper than the last, and finally came to a spot where we could actually see the top. We knew that as there was a group coming down and told us we were close. They were walking on some hikers version of snowshoes, using sticks that looked like ski poles and had all the gear we didn’t think we’d need at REI. Just passing them and knowing we were close gave us the encouragement we needed to not turn back and keep going.
At this point, however, things were very steep, our breathing was being tested, and quite frankly, I was scared as the path was quite narrow and a little stumble in the wrong direction wouldn’t have ended well.
We hiked the next 45 minutes or so ten steps at a time. We didn’t know if we could make it, but we knew we could take ten steps. Step, breathe, step, breathe, rest. So on and so forth. Small victories, rest, encourage each other, and do it again.
Well, we made it to the top and oh my how beautiful it was! I was so proud of Logan for making the hike and amazed at just how beautiful (and cold) it was! We took a few pictures and headed down so we could get to the car before dark. Down was worse.....took less time, but destroyed our legs and knees. I wish I could have just stayed at the top and avoided this part altogether. The right gear would have helped a lot, but we made it and felt so good about what we’d accomplished.
Sometimes in life, we take on things without a roadmap on how or if we can accomplish them. That’s where faith comes in. Faith is a powerful force of “yes” and perseverance.
Often we run into false fronts. Times when we feel like we’d put in the energy and effort and think we’ve got to be about there, we must be about done. Only to find a mountain of work is still in front of us. Don’t quit, don’t get discouraged, you can do it! God promises that you will walk and not stumble; you will run and not grow weary. He gives you what you need to get through!
When you have a mountain to climb, and it seems insurmountable, take it one step at a time. Take a few steps, breathe, and take a few more. And find someone to climb it with, encourage each other. We need others in our life to make it through.
When you are climbing to great heights, yes, it takes time and hard work, but take joy in that, the fall is much faster and more painful.
I know many of you are dealing with a mountain of work today. One family at a time, don’t quit, you got this. The peak is close, more resources are on the way, and the right gear is being assembled. Just keep climbing.