Today we looked for a good hike to do. We eventually settled on Mount Sniktau. This would represent the alpine hike that we would be doing this trip. To get there we had to drive over a Loveland Pass which represented the continental divide. So, before we even started we were at significant altitude: 3646 meters.
The trail was very vertical. It took exactly one hour to go the first mile. And then we rested to have a lunch. From there we got to see marmots. I also saw a bird (grouse?) that was camouflaged to look exactly like the rocks in the area.
The trail was mostly along a ridge of several peaks, all leading up to the final top peak. The path was rocky and it was easy to get winded. I’ve been living at sea level for a long time so it was rough on me. The tiredness reminded me of when I used to climb Mount Temple.
Near the summit, half of our group decided to stay behind; they were getting too tired to attempt more altitude. Catalina and I continued up to Mount Sniktau. It was around this time that I started getting a headache. It may have been from altitude, or I hadn’t been drinking enough water, or a combination of the two. I was beginning to have a poor attitude because of that.
The view from the top was great. I discovered that on American mountains, some government service will put a medallion plug into the summit to indicate the top. Or maybe it gives the elevation? I don’t know. The brass plaque was too weathered to read. Conveniently, someone had placed under a rock a piece of paper with the name of the mountain, the declaration of 13,234 feet elevation and today’s date. (My Garmin thought it was 4026 meters.) It was ideal for picture taking of proof of accomplishment.
While we were up there, the other half of the group was practicing their yodeling. The highlight of their whole trip happened: He got a response to his Sasquatch call. He was very convinced it wasn’t human and he kept talking about it for hours. He was very happy.
On the way down, we took a slightly different way. It kept us away from the very vertical trail we had come up, and gave us a more gradual descent. But because it was on a south face, it was very green and covered in wildflowers. I took a lot of pictures.
At the end of everything, we got back to the car and drove home. This was a rough hike for me though. I think the 13km run in the morning may have made it too much for me. I was not feeling well. What did cure my malaise was when I was able to give myself a glass of electrolyte drink. I didn’t feel like I was craving it, but it made me feel much better.
2022–7-25 22:17 CDT