Three years ago I took the boys up to Mt Huron by myself, and carried Emerson up while Bodie and Jasper walked. This summer we went up again as a full family, to the same fantastic campsite as last time. We were joined by another intrepid family, so we had a six-boy camp up at 11,500 ft in a beautiful Colorado alpine meadow with a stream though it, tucked into the edge of the forest for shade, with great views of 13ers across the meadows.
It was a fantastic trip. Karen got a day to herself in camp while I hiked with the boys. Sometimes I find it more effective to take the boys all by myself. It seems to be better motivation for Emerson, to remove the option to descend with the “backup” adult. That way all us boys are in it together, and either we all get to the top or none of us do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m never dead-set on reaching the summit to the exclusion of more important concerns—like having a good time. We go as far as we can, and we’re happy about however far we get, because it really is about the journey. That said, at this point I know the capabilities of my kids, so I knew that this was no big deal for them. Bodie and Jasper did it at age 5 and 6; age 8 and 9 has doubled the physical ability. There’s no physical limitation, just the usual mental one.
The boys were incredible. Emerson got tired and had a rough few minutes half-way up, but that was it, and it couldn’t even really be considered whining so much as a brief period of self-doubt (we’ve all been there). Not a single word of complaint out of Bodie or Jasper during the entire 7 mile, 3500 ft vertical hike. It was fun and even a relaxing parenting adventure in comparison to all other 14ers I’ve done so far with the boys.
Another milestone: the boys slept in a tent by themselves, leaving Karen and I in our own tent (first time in the past 9 years). Even better, they rose to the occasion, all cuddling together in the middle of the tent, the two older brothers sandwiching Emerson “in case he got scared.” Karen and I marveled at the display of increased responsibility. We gaped on the final day as the boys spear-headed the stowing of their own tent without prompting.
On the drive home, they started asking about what other 14er we were going to do this summer, because they didn’t want to wait until next summer. Say what? I had to do a double-take. I’ve had plenty of incredibly challenging, even disastrous camping outings with the boys before, so I’m well positioned to appreciate how exceptionally pleasant and successful this one was.
Another thing: it was great to have good friends along on this trip. We usually have to do our adventures alone, because it’s hard to get full families to align, given the reduced overlap in the ven diagram for availability and compatibility. Gratitude to good friends!
I love camping in the woods at 11,500 ft. I love Colorado alpine meadows with streams running through them. I love requiring a sleeping bag to stay warm in the middle of the summer. I love being above treeline with my boys, looking down on a hell-of-a-long trail that we started at 5 AM. I feel incredibly fortunate for all of this.
