First Training Climb for Aconcagua!

Starting on the trail

Early this past Monday morning, two friends and I ventured into the Rocky Mountains.  We set out to climb two 14'ers, Grays Peak and Torrey's Peak.  We reached the trail head at about 6:20 A.M., threw on all our gear and started up the trail.  This would be my first cold weather 14'er.   A recent snowstorm here in Colorado left a coating of snow on most the trail and in some spots, snow drifts made travel a bit slower.  Most of the trail up Grays Peak was a gradual incline.  Watching the sunrise over the peaks was amazing and the cold air felt strangely uplifting.  This is exactly where I love to be.  It took us about 4 1/2 hours to reach the summit of Grays.  We probably could've climbed faster but the stunning views paused our ascent.  I could try and describe the incredible views from the summit but I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Sunrise on Grays Peak

We spent a few minutes on the summit of Grays Peak before continuing on to Torreys Peak.  Our descent towards the saddle between Grays and Torreys was a little hairy.  It looked like only one other person had gone this route since the snow storm and the snow completely hid the proper trail.  The rocks were icy and sometimes a step led to your foot disappearing into knee deep snow.  It difficult terrain but I was having a blast!  We made it down to the saddle between the peaks and began the trek up Torreys.


The trail up Torreys seemed short and easy but man was it steep!  To make matters even more difficult, deep snow covered most of the trail.  I had to kick in foot holds most of the way and it was exhausting but I was determined.  It only took us about 30 minutes to reach the summit of Torreys from the saddle but my legs shook from exhaustion at the summit.  The view once again was spectacular and I didn't want to leave and head down.  I could have sat there all day.  The descent was quick and easy to the saddle but then things got interesting.

Summit of Torreys Peak (14,267ft)

During the summers a skinny trail usually connects the saddle between the peaks back to the main trail.  Well...there was a problem, snow drifts hid the trail.  We began making our way through the drifts to where we believed the trail was only to find that the layer of snow made it very difficult to traverse across the mountain.  In some spots the snow was over knee deep while in others it was almost to thin to get a firm foot hold in place.  The thin spots were especially scary.  We were terrified that if we didn't have a good hold, our feet we slip and we would rocket down into the rocky mountain side below.  It took us 20 minutes to navigate this treacherous part but we made it without incident and the remainder of the decent was uneventful.  It took us two hours to reach our car, dragging our tired bodies the entire way.









It was an amazing day and we finished it off with trip to my favorite restaurant Chipotle for an awesome burrito.  Although the day was an resounding success and one of the best times I have ever experienced on a mountain, a thought about my hemophilia did pop into my mind.  Even though I am on prophy, what if I had twisted my ankle badly on the mountain?  Could I infuse with it being that cold outside.  I have now realized that my training cannot only be about physical conditioning but also my preparedness with my hemophilia.  In the upcoming months I will be attempting my infusions in cold environments to see the challenges in a more controlled situation before I leave for my trip.  I have infused outside in the mountains before but not in the frigid temperatures I may experience on some of my futures endeavors.  I will post about these experiences soon!

I hope you all enjoy the pictures of my trip here on my blog.  Check out my Facebook page for tons more!