Last year was my first year dressing in black sparkles and going to a club to bring in the new year. This year, I decided to try another first- but one more up my alley. With my friend, Kevin, I hiked (and post-holed) 5.5 miles one way to an elevation of 11,080 feet and brought in the new year in a remote mountain hut.

It was probably THE hardest outdoor adventure I’ve completed yet. Harder, even, than the 14,000 ft peak I climbed this summer- but in a completely different way. For a good portion of the way, I was cussing to myself- struggling with every step I took. The snow was hip deep in some places, and knee deep in most. I was carrying 30 pounds or so on my back and my winter clothes and boots were heavy. All that being said, I pressed on without too much outward negativity- because on my first adventure out with my new adventure buddy I couldn’t exactly complain the whole way and expect him to want to keep adventurin’ with me in the future. It was definitely a lesson in self-restraint and focusing my mind on more positive things. That being said, I truly did enjoy the experience and arriving at the hut was the most spectacular feeling.

Eating nearly frozen bell peppers and almond cheese for a trail-side snack. We’re matching twinkies.

One of our hut mates brought this fancy little savory vegetarian “pie”. He was quite the backcountry cook!

After some spiked hot cocoa and story telling, we all hit the sack (literally!) at 10pm. So much for staying up until midnight!

My eyes opened to this on New Year’s day.

Tags: Colorado, hiking, mountains

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 27th, 2013 at 10:51 am and is filed under gallivanting the globe, learning my heart song. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.