We began our adventure at 3am! You may think that this means that we went to bed early, on the contrary we went to bed at midnight and got up at 2:30. All this to say that we began our adventure of 14,110 feet on 2 and a half hours of sleep. When we got there the sky was beautiful and though you can't tell in this picture there were stars everywhere!
This is the trail head in the dark! We got lost on the way there so between the hour trip and the detour that we took we got here at about 5am.
This is our hiking group! There were about 15 of us and all of us made it up! (Sorry to give away the ending :()
Off we go! There were a couple of us hanging back so that we could get some good pictures. ;)
The view right from the beginning was amazing. It wasn't bright but it was so cool to watch our environment come alive as the light filtered through the trees.
The group that I was hiking with decided early on that we were going to take more frequent breaks, and we were very glad that we did so. We took our time and had such a beautiful experience. We would stop and be amazed by the beauty that was around us. We sat and read Psalms and the end of Job on the side of the mountain!The hike was both beautiful and painful. The elevation increase is faster than your body can adjust to and the most discouraging thing is to feel like you can't breath. Having said that you know that turning around is not an option. None of us are really sure if sense or stubbornness won out here.:)
As you move up the mountain the landscape changes drastically. Trees can not grow above 1100 feet and so once above the tree line the terrain becomes very rocky.
These piles of rocks marked the trail all along the way. It is such an interesting concept because the trail is really hard to see at times, because of this you easily get off of the beaten path. Thanks to these stacks of rocks this is not alarming. When you find yourself a little off you stop, and look for one of these, and then move towards it. As I think about it I realize the irony that men often use methods that mirror the grace of God without even knowing it. God knows all that we need and he has prepared the way, in fact he goes before us in order to do so. This alone is enough to reveal that he is good, but in his mercy he goes beyond this so that when we get off course we can stop, look to him, and he will gently and faithfully reroute us.
This spot had the most spectacular view, we just didn't know what to think about the fact that there were about 3 feet keeping us from becoming part of that view.
The clouds were so close at times you could watch wisps of cloud move past your face! What a cool experience.
Though this does not capture the vastness of the view from the top, I love this picture! We decided that the views along the way were more beautiful than the view from the top but they did not come close to the sense of vastness that you got from the top. It was amazing that in the midst of this great accomplishment there was a profound sense of smallness in comparison to all that was around us.
This is me and Laura at the top of all 14,110 feet! We had such a wonderful time getting there. Laura is great fun and she forged ahead of us. Often I found myself going "if I can just make it to Laura..." She was our driving force!
Although we did not all summit together, we reunited at the top for about 2 minutes to take a group picture.
This picture is of the actual group that I hiked the whole trail with. Gary was our guide and though he could have gone much faster stayed back to take care of us.
This is us one more time!
And this is us at the end! We climbed Pike's Peak in 12 hours including coming down. It was awesome!
As you move up the mountain the landscape changes drastically. Trees can not grow above 1100 feet and so once above the tree line the terrain becomes very rocky.
These piles of rocks marked the trail all along the way. It is such an interesting concept because the trail is really hard to see at times, because of this you easily get off of the beaten path. Thanks to these stacks of rocks this is not alarming. When you find yourself a little off you stop, and look for one of these, and then move towards it. As I think about it I realize the irony that men often use methods that mirror the grace of God without even knowing it. God knows all that we need and he has prepared the way, in fact he goes before us in order to do so. This alone is enough to reveal that he is good, but in his mercy he goes beyond this so that when we get off course we can stop, look to him, and he will gently and faithfully reroute us.
This spot had the most spectacular view, we just didn't know what to think about the fact that there were about 3 feet keeping us from becoming part of that view.
The clouds were so close at times you could watch wisps of cloud move past your face! What a cool experience. 
Though this does not capture the vastness of the view from the top, I love this picture! We decided that the views along the way were more beautiful than the view from the top but they did not come close to the sense of vastness that you got from the top. It was amazing that in the midst of this great accomplishment there was a profound sense of smallness in comparison to all that was around us.
This is me and Laura at the top of all 14,110 feet! We had such a wonderful time getting there. Laura is great fun and she forged ahead of us. Often I found myself going "if I can just make it to Laura..." She was our driving force!
Although we did not all summit together, we reunited at the top for about 2 minutes to take a group picture.
This picture is of the actual group that I hiked the whole trail with. Gary was our guide and though he could have gone much faster stayed back to take care of us.
This is us one more time!
And this is us at the end! We climbed Pike's Peak in 12 hours including coming down. It was awesome!
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