Longs Peak

We did it!!! I felt like death but we actually made it to the summit and back home after 13/14 hours of climbing. It was definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done. But also very rewarding and beautiful. It wasn't at all what I was expecting. I didn't realize how intense the actual climb would be. We watched the sunrise as we got to the Boulder Field and the weather that morning turned out perfect. Once we reached the summit it was too cloudy to see off the top, but the views on the way up were incredible! The weather on the way down took a turn for the worse. It hailed on us all the way from the keyhole to treeline. Of course, once we hit treeline, the sun comes out. But I actually enjoyed hearing the thunder echo against the mountains. My whole body felt like jello by the trek down and the last 4 miles dragged forever. But overall it was an amazing experience! Much more impacting that I expected. I was super proud of my 52 year old Dad also. What a beeeast. He even had back surgery less than two months ago! Jennie and I were delirious on the way, laughing at practically everything and wondering why the heck we decided climbing 16 miles was a good idea. But we were both so happy we did it and had so much fun, despite the following soreness for the next few days. Here are some of the pics!! They don't even begin to capture how big everything is in front of your eyes.