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12 February~2008
The south facing slope and rock formation I had a mind to backpack to was snow free, but getting to it was another matter. There had been heavy snow last week followed by strong winds, and the drifts that remained were several feet deep in the valleys, where the trail goes. It was more snow than I have ever encountered while backpacking there in February. Noone else had broken the trail yet, and snowshoes were a necessity. Even with them on I was sinking in eight inches in some areas.In February 2003, when my daughter Amy was in her senior year of high school, I convinced her to go backpacking with me at this spot. The night before she had second thoughts, but she went anyway, and it ended up being a very good trip. It helped that we went in during a dry winter, and hit calm weather just before a storm came in. We made a big fire and sat up talking until 9pm or so. I was proud of her for doing that - how many young people would go backpacking in Colorado in February?
Amy has gone backpacking with me two other times since then. (see links here and here). What I have decided though is that it is a bad idea to convince anyone to go backpacking with you. If they don't like every part of it, then you get an earful. I would be willing to take either one of my daughters any time they want, but it has to be their idea.
Backpacking is hard work and endurance when things get a little tough. I did it quietly yesterday going uphill with my very heavy backpack in deep snow. It was worth it when I got to my rock formation, and set up my tent up high on the absolute only level spot in the area. Me and Ben and Maggie could stand on the rocks and check things out down below. A couple of times they acted like they saw or heard something that was beyond my range.
It was tremendous up there - the light on those rocks, the color in the sky at evening and morning, the companionship of my two good friends. I think the highlight of the trip was when I got out of the tent a couple of hours after dark and looked at the constellations. The skies were windswept, and the view of the stars was not yet dimmed by frost in the air. Orion's belt had a background texture of thousands of stars. That alone was worth the wind and the cold and the heavy snow.
Does it seem like I seek out hardship, by going backpacking alone in February?
Maybe I do, but for good reason. Going up there puts me close to the elemental in nature, and in life. It makes me feel lean and simple, and very very rich.
I slept well, cozy warm even though the frigid wind was blowing outside. The first thing I did in the morning was make a fire. Ben came and sat beside me and enjoyed its warmth.
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