Kit Carson Hike

So what do you say when someone asks you to drive for four hours to carry 35 pounds across 5 miles and up 3,000 feet to eat food suitable for cats to get restless sleep for a few hours to wake up long before dawn to climb 2,500 feet in the dark with a helmet in case rocks fall on you to descend several hundred feet on steep ledges just so you can climb back up a few hundred more feet...and then climb down without dying?

...Well, YES, obviously!!

And this is why:

coming up on the mountain

trailhead with peak in the distance

the "...why am I doing this again..." moment

good to celebrate early on in case you don't have energy at the top

the campsite

Willow Lake

trailhead for day 2 (don't be fooled, this started about 3 am)

the brutal climb (it's worse than it looks, especially since this part was done in the dark)

early crack of dawn, partway up the brutal climb

about dawn, we reached the ridge, Challenger and Kit Carson peaks in the distance

ready for what's ahead

and finally the sun comes up

the climbing pose

the proof for Challenger

the proof the previous picture isn't a fake or stolen from someone else

the climb ahead-yes, after reaching 14,000 you now have to go back down just to go back up again

the perilous ledge to cross (it's actually not that bad, but this picture makes it look perilous for more effect)

the further descent-why am I going down just to go back up again...

the final ascent

THE TOP! - 14,171 ft

Enjoy the panorama...

the proof of Kit Carson (you'll just have to trust me on this one)

you can't really appreciate this view until you've been to the top and back again