Preparation for hike started early July 2010.
Dwight (age 53) asked me if I wanted to join him for hiking Pikes Peak in late August.... I had no clue where Pikes Peak was, how high was it, how difficult it was etc... I told him that I would think about it and get back to him in a week.
I researched on the Internet and the thing that struck a chord in me was the height of the Peak. Not because it is high.... but it is just about the same height that I had been to before. In 1979 I had hiked in the Himalayas (Valley of Flowers and Hemkund) which are about 14,200 feet. My uncle had taken me with him to this place in the Himalayas. And Pikes Peak is 14,110 feet. So I called Dwight and said YES.
Our training started second week of July 2010. Every Saturday and Sunday we hiked in Sharon Woods (a park in Columbus Ohio) with our back packs (30 lbs) for about 7-8 miles. First day we did only one round which was about 3.8 miles. After that we did two rounds every weekend. Our hiking speed was anywhere between 15-17 minutes per mile. We did this for about 6 weeks. Dwight used to drink a lot of water on our hikes and constantly told me to drink water. Every time we hiked here we would think - would we do it in the same time at Pikes Peak...and Dwight would remind me - Shake, there is less oxygen there and it is much more steep than here. And I would say... probably it will take us between 30-40 minutes per mile at Pikes Peak.
I also worked out 7 days a week on the treadmill and stepping machine. Total time in the gym at least one hour. Calories burned about 600-1000. I did that training because I was not sure that I was well prepared for the hike. Dwight is a 9 time triathlete. So, I thought he will not have a problem.
First two weeks in training I used a small backpack. Then I ordered a backpack online on ebay - "High Peak ALPINE 70+10 Internal Frame Backpack 6000 cui". Awesome backpack. Also, I am not much of a water person and I do not sweat... So, there never was a day that I drank water in out 8 mile practice hike. I did a lot of research though and everyone said that even if you do not feel thirsty, you should keep yourself hydrated... so, I ordered a hydration bladder that fit into my back pack. I bought it on amazon. The "Osprey Packs Hydraform Hydration Reservoir One Color, 3L". It has a capacity of 3 liters.
August 24:
Started not so good. My flight from Columbus to Denver (direct) was at 8am. Got cancelled... I was supposed to meet with Dwight at Denver airport at 9:30. Checked myself on another flight. Had to go via Chicago. Was on wait list in Chicago. Luckily got in. Arrived in Denver around 11:30. Met Dwight at Payless Rental pickup place. Hike was to start the next day early morning. We came in Denver early (a day) to get acclimatized. On our way to Colorado Springs (start of the hike), we stopped at an outlet mall and had lunch. Also picked up "majic socks". These are the ones that dry out fast. We then visited the US Airforce Academy (pictures on my picasa link). Then on the way we made a brief stop at Garden of Gods. Absolutely amazing. I would recommend that if you ever want to go hiking Pikes Peak, make it a point to spend some time in Garden of the Gods (see pictures on my picasa link).
Reached "Eagle Hotel" around 5pm. Drove to the base of the Barr Trail to check out where we start the next day. On the way, stopped at 'information' center to get some tips and advice on climbing Pikes Peak. Here is what they told us -
- This month (August) so far, I have given 40 IVs (Intra Veinous) to people who fell sick during the hike.
- Go to wallgreens down the street and get yourself some Bear Spray
- Carry more than 3-4 liters of water because you are going to finish at least 2-3 liters in the first two miles on the first day.
- First 2-3 miles of the first day (6 miles) are the most difficult.
- Drink as much water as you can
So, we went to wallgreens and debated if we should really get the Bear spray. We asked other people too. Some said that there are NO bears here. Others said that we see them often. Some others said that if you see any, make yourself big (like a blowfish) and scare away the bear. Yeah right!!! Anyway, we did not buy any Bear spray. Instead we bought a bunch of Gatorade and water. Also, a loaf of bread and a packet of cheeze.
Had filafeel for dinner. Awesome place close to Eagle Hotel. Then got back to the hotel and started packing - water in our hydration packs and Gatorade. So, I had my hydration bladder (3 L) full, and two bottles of water each of about 1.5 L.
Chuck (age 59) arrived late that evening. I was getting worried that Chuck did not have any time to acclimatize.
August 25th:
Woke up around 5am. Went to the Pancake House next door for breakfast. They said to stuff yourself before you start, no alcohol, no smoking and no coffee since that increases your chances of getting altitude sickness. So, we did not do any of that. But Chuck is a coffee addict. He had coffee. Worried me more.
Reached base of Barr Trail at 6:50. Saw many people running up the trail with just some water. Saw two ladies (ages about 55 and 65) starting the trail a few minutes before us. We asked them how far they were going. They said about a couple miles more than where the incline meets the trail. Which was about 4 miles up.
Started hiking at sharp 6:58am. First stop in about 20 minutes. The hike started with very steep and zig-zag trail....exactly as we were told. I was thinking, I hope it is not like this all the way to the top. Around 8:39 we were about 4 miles from Barr Camp (our resting place for the night). Frequently we saw people going down the trail with just water on their back or in their hands. They had climbed the "incline" and were going down. Now the climb was not as steep. I was forcing myself to drink water. Another stop at 9am. Had some bread/cheeze sandwich. We now saw the two ladies going down. They had climbed nearly 4 miles and were going back down. Amazing at that age.
10:33am - Reached Barr Camp (see link on picasa). No bears encountered. Total hiking time for day 1 was about 4 hours. So, we did about 40 minutes per mile....exactly as I had expected. Dwight...was being Dwight and did not want to strain his body. He wanted to rest his body for tomorrow. Me on the other hand was just gallivanting (with my camera) every-which-way trying to explore the place. Neil and Scott (the two gentlemen who managed the Barr Camp site) said that I should go to AdAmAn Rock and that would be a good place for some really good pictures. So, there I went. Chuck (though he was tired) joined me. Scott said that it would take about 15 minutes to reach AdAmAn Rock... you never know who to believe. We had good experience with the bear and water etc... By the way, I finished hardly a liter of water on the first day. So much so for carrying nearly 6 L on me.
I was also carrying flags of 5 countries with me to the summit. UK, USA, Australia, India and South Africa. These are the places that I have my family in and I was carrying the flags in their remembrance to show them my appreciation for supporting me for the hike. See the pictures.
So, where was I? Yes. AdAmAn Rock. Yes. It took us nearly an hour to reach the summit of the rocks. But it was worth it. Just amazing sight all around. Check my pictures on picasa link at the end of this blog. Came back in about a couple hours... Scott and Neil said that they were very very busy last week because of the Pikes Peak marathon run.... Yes. There are some crazy people who run all the way up to Pikes Peak and back down. A local boy did that in 3 hours 58 minutes. Ofcourse they do not have a 30lb back pack. In fact they do not have any weight on them since the trail is lined with volunteers carrying water and snacks and fruits. Yes. So, the left over grapes were all there at Barr Camp and Scott and Neil wanted to get rid of them.
We were feeding the grapes to the chipmunks and birds. They literally would come sit on our hand and eat the grapes. See the pictures. Later that day, I fell in love with this place and started singing the song "I want to break free" by Prince. That song stuck in my brain and just would not get out. The next day I would just burst out and sing "I want to break free".
As the sun started setting more people started arriving at the camp site. A couple guys and a lady arrived around 4pm and were debating if they should continue their hike up to Pikes Peak and if they would be able to be back by 6pm. That is because Neil and Scott served dinner at sharp 6pm. After that no dinner. So, the three of them dumped their back packs at the camp and started their hike up.
Later Justin showed up all by himself. He had got tired of waiting on his parents and grand parents and left them half way and arrived by himself at the camp. After a few hours his parents and grand parents arrived. Also, there were these four kids from Denmark with barely anything on them and just some small back pack. We started chatting at dinner and here is their story - Four of them, their ages between 20 and 21. They arrived in NewYork (from Denmark). Rented an RV and are planning on doing a cross-country drive. Their final stop was LosAngeles (after Las Vegas). And from there they fly off to Denmark. Amazing. They would have got so screwed if it had rained or if it snowed or if it got terribly cold during the hike. Lucky for them we had the most perfect weather for the two days.
Ok. So, here is the real story. I snore a lot when I sleep. Specially when I am tired. It sounds like a big massive diesel engine being fired. And I was supposed to sleep in a dorm like accommodation. I asked Neil if I could sleep outside in one of the open sheds and he said it was fine. But it was freezing cold. So I decided to stay in along with the others... I ended up not sleeping because I was so worried that I may wake up others.
August 26:
I did sleep a bit but not really. Was relieved when it was daylight. Scott made pancakes for breakfast. I did not want to eat any but forced myself to eat one. Had some hot chocolate too. Left Barr Camp at about 7:30am. In about 2 hours we were at an elevation of 11,500 feet and about 3 miles from the summit. Scott from Barr Camp had said that it would take us twice as much time it took us to come to Barr Camp. That means it would have taken us about 8 hours... then Neil said that it would take us 2 hours more than it took us to make Barr Camp. That means about 6 hours. As usual, never believe these stories since not all people are of the same physical fitness. But he did say that the last two miles are the most difficult in the full trail to Pikes Peak.
At 8:51am we reached timber line... This is the place from where up...the trees cease to exist. At this point we came across a plaque which was placed in memory of a lady who had died on her way to Pikes Peak. You may say... so, what is so special about this that they had to put a plaque? It is dedicated to this lady who was 88 years old and was climbing Pikes Peak for the 14th time. Yes. 88 years old. And here we were 50, 53 and 59...gasping for breath.
At 9:24 am we were at an elevation of about 12,700 feet and 2 miles from the summit. Anxiously waiting for the difficult part.... and it just started. Yes. For once what they had said was true. It really was the most difficult patch in the full trail. Made it worse with a 30 lb back pack.
At 10:09 am we were at 13,300 feet and about 1 mile from summit. Took us about 45 mins again for this mile. Now the last mile... we were stopping every 5-7 minutes for a break. And I was continuously telling Dwight and Chuck - Guys, you can do it. One step at a time. Every step counts. You are doing good. Lets keep moving. If we stop, it will get difficult to start again. Just keep moving even if every step is just 6 inches.....
At 10:44am reached the "16 Golden Steps"....not the summit yet. Tried to count 16 but because we were so tired, lost count just after about 3 or 4. And frankly speaking....there was nothing like "steps". Maybe there were....but not anymore.
Finally reached summit at 11:44 am. So, the last mile took us about 1 hour and 35 minutes. I thought that reaching the summit will be a very very happy moment....but the sight I saw at the summit flushed away all my achievement.... Interested in knowing what I saw?
About a hundred people...maybe more. Plenty of cars and suvs. And the COG train. All these people had either come up by the train or by the roadway. And I was like.... what the heck?
So, be prepared to see like really old people at the summit eating donuts and having coffee and relaxing and watching the view. And they look at you and think...are you crazy to climb all the way up here?
Dwight was planning on eating the donuts right from the day he decided that he is going to hike Pikes Peak ;-)
We met some people from OSU. This gentleman was playing the OSU fight song. We then took pictures with the couple and I made each of them hold the flags that I had brought with me. I had Chuck take a bunch of pictures of me holding the flags at the summit marker.
Finally we came down by the COG railway.
Overall, a great hike with two of the most humble and decent gentlemen I have ever met in my life. Now I am trying to convince them to go to Mt. Kilimanjaro with me in Jan/Feb 2011. This highest free standing mountain in the world and the highest in the African continent.
If all goes well in Kilimanjaro....and if I have all it takes (including funds), I may climb a "special" mountain in the Himalayas to honor my uncle and all he has done for our families.
Click here to see his achievements at the age of 90. He is my inspiration.
PS:
Click here for links to my pictures
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