Summit

In an effort to break up the grueling trip home, the initial plan was to drive to Denver today, spend a day there, and head home the following day. Although it was a very reasonable and logical idea, not a single person wanted it to happen when the time came. So it was decided that we could stay one more day, with the understanding that two consecutive days of long driving lay ahead. The long drive home was well worth it!

Heather and I took the morning to ourselves and set off on a quest to reach the summit. We started at 6,311 feet and ascended over 3 hours, covering approximately 7.4 miles to 9,045 feet. It was a sorely needed time alone together to talk about life, faith, goals, joys and concerns and simply relax, enjoying the beauty and enjoying each other's company without distraction. Our legs grew tired and our thirst grew as we gulped through many bottles of water necessitated by the dry air.

We stopped just short of one of the peaks and considered the undoubtedly miserable experience of descent with limited water reserves. About that time I noticed that, although they weren't scheduled until much later in the day, the gondolas were running to a spot about a hundred feet higher than our position. Still irritated by the morning's failed run, I lobbied for permission to scout ahead and had a nice uphill run. Good fortune shined on us as the operator offered a free gondola ride down the mountain.

We returned to the lodge, checked on the kids, grabbed some water, and told everyone about our victorious adventure as we showed them pictures from the summit. As everyone chatted, I grabbed a micro-brew and a sketchbook and ventured out to the balcony. Heather brought out her cross stitch and joined me as we sat listening to live music from the finish line pavilion behind us, where an insane multi-day cross country relay post-race party was held. We both felt great satisfaction gazing up at the mountain, visually retracing our steps as the kids took turns popping outside to ask questions and sit with us.

Norah and Justin were patient all day despite being cooped up. We took them to their favorite feature of the lodge. They loved the spray fountain and playground area and raced back and forth making friends everywhere along the way. We will never know how they endured the bone chillingly cold water. Eventually they dried off and ran all over the playground. I complied after they begged me to "be a monster" and chased them around. Their happy screams were soon joined by many of their new little friends, which hastened my exhaustion while seemingly having no negative effect on their energy level, in fact it only seemed to amplify them. The exertion was well worth it as it was a joyful experience to share the moment with them and see their glowing smiles and hear their shrieks and giggles. As the sun set, the temperature dropped quickly and sadly brought playtime to an end amid impassioned, but short lived protests.