TO CLIMB OR NOT TO CLIMB...

Believe it or not, for the last couple of months our family has been in training for hiking up a high mountain. You see, my husband had this dream of climbing a 14,000-foot peak before his 50th birthday. He can never find anyone who wants to go with him. Time was running out, but I didn’t want him going alone either. So I thought, let’s all go and this way the whole family can share in his triumph.

I researched all of the 14,000 foot peaks that are closest to Arizona and actually found one in Southwestern Colorado where the trailhead starts out pretty high up. On some other peaks you have to hike 6-11 miles one way! This one was a short distance of only about 2 miles. Thus, our destination would be Handies Peak in the San Juan Mountains, part of the Rocky Mountain range.

The San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado contain some of the state's most wild and rugged mountains, as well as some of the finest old mining towns in the West. The San Juan range is part of the Colorado Mineral Belt and featured prominently in the early days of gold and silver mining. Major towns in the area, all old mining camps, include Telluride, Silverton, Ouray, and Lake City. This was going to be a real adventure because none of us had ever been to the Rockies before.

To begin preparing for the trip, my husband and our 17-year-old son hiked up Humphrey’s Peak, the tallest mountain in Arizona at 12,633 feet. A few weeks after Rich and Pete climbed Humphrey's Peak, the rest of us went up there. Joshua (7) and I actually made it halfway to the top! Then Josh got tired and couldn’t go any further. I carried him all the way back down on my back - kind of like carrying a 50-pound pack!

The purpose of this climb was to see how far everyone could get, and we made it to the 2-mile mark which is the distance to the top of Handies Peak, so we were fairly hopeful. Every night after that, we ate a light dinner and then went walking up a steep hill near our house to get in shape. We were all pretty psyched about doing this. The only uncertainty was how we would fare at the much higher altitude in Colorado.

Humphrey's Peak Climb

My husband's annual hike to the highest point in Arizona (12,633 ft.) had dwindled this year from 5 to 2 hikers, but both Rich and Peter made it to the top and back down again on Saturday, June 30. It was a 10-hour round trip, taking just as long coming down as it did going up. The weather can be quite changeable up there, but this time it was nice and sunny although windy near the top as usual. There is an interesting story to tell about this particular hike. A couple of weeks earlier, a group of intercessors from Arizona Call to Prayer and Bridge Builders had joined together to climb Humphreys Peak. At the summit, this group lifted the banner of the Lord and prayed over the state. They also erected a 7’ wooden cross on top of the peak, which they had carried up from the timberline. Later, the prayer team heard that someone had knocked down the cross and they were planning on sending a person from their group to raise it again on another day. In the meantime, Rich and Peter arrived and discovered the cross lying on the ground near the summit so they put it up. Rich e-mailed the organization to let them know, and the leader was very grateful. Perhaps this will start a new tradition of Christian climbers raising the cross on the mountain! (Click here to see pictures and a full report of the first cross-raising.) See below for pictures of the ascent up Humphrey’s Peak:

Humphrey 1.jpg – The San Francisco Peaks used to be one giant volcano that blew its top. You can imagine how high it once was by following the sides up until they meet at a point. Scientists estimate the original height was 16,000 ft.

Humphrey 2.jpg – Trail through the alpine forest.

Humphrey 3.jpg – Pine trees and tundra.

Humphrey 4.jpg – The trail is getting higher.

Humphrey 5.jpg – View of the San Francisco cinder cone field.

Humphrey 6.jpg – Ridge line facing Mt. Agassiz.

Humphrey 7.jpg – Approaching the summit.

Humphrey 8.jpg – Fallen cross.

Humphrey 9.jpg – Putting the cross back up.

Humphrey's Peak Hike ~ July 29, 2006

My husband likes to hike Humphrey’s Peak at least once a year, either with our boys or with a couple of friends. I’ve never attempted it myself. Here is what Rich had to say about this trek:

"The sky was overcast all day. It was windy and cold above the timber line. The clouds kept being blown down on the ridge, sometimes limiting visibility to 100 feet or so. I made it to the top, but the hike taxed my strength far beyond what I thought possible. Also it threatened rain all day but it waited until we got back down to the car, then it broke with fury. Praise God, who made all things, and cares for us in ways both great and small."

Take a virtual tour! Each of the following photos will open in a new window. Be sure to watch the cool video that Rich took near the top!

Hart's Prairie
The Goal
Wet Leaf Litter
Butterfly on Daisy
Alpine Forest
Humphrey's Peak in Cloud
The Last Tree
Where's the Peak
The Other Side
Alpine Tundra
The Peak
Local Resident
View From the Top
Hart's Prairie Return
Movie taken at 12,000 ft. - Turn on the sound!
*Large File will need ~20 minute download time for dial-up.