Yipee....Number Three!

This weekend featured our planned second 14er ascent of the summer. James, Jim (his 1st 14er!), Zac & I banded together and made our way up La Plata Peak on Saturday morning. With a 3:30am departure, we hit the trail around 6am. We were treated to one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever been on. Wildflowers were everywhere...even on the rocky summit! We hiked through a forest...along a rushing river & through a peaceful meadow. We summited this 5th tallest 14er around 10am.


With all that said...La Plata was probably the most challenging of the three 14ers I've climbed. It was 9 miles round-trip with a 4500 ft elevation gain. As difficult as it was, everything about this climb made it worth it.


So I have one slight problem. Last summer I got these cool hiking pants. As you can see, the legs zipper off if you want to convert to shorts. In the store, I tried them on and they fit great. My problem is that when I zipper the legs off, the shorts are way too short! James is a little bit taller than me. Notice where his shorts end...then shift your eyes to the right. That is just way too much thigh showing! I think this was the last time I do the shorts conversion thing.


How about the sweet shot of Mt Elbert on the right in the background!