Mount Sherman - Ascent

     Today, I hiked the first 14er I have done in about 5 years. Since then, I have not had much desire, nor did I feel I was in good enough shape. Mount Sherman is known as one of the easier 14ers in the state. Located in the Mosquito Range, it stands at 14,036ft. The trail was about 5.5mi round trip with a 2000ft gain. Though the trail is not long, it is painfully steep 98% of the way.

     At 4:30am I walked over to my friend, Sean's, place, who lives close by. After his friend, Matt, arrived, we hit the road a little after 5am and headed towards Fairplay on 285. After some slow going on the rocky dirt road in Sean's Camry, we made it to the trailhead and started our ascent by 7:00am. As you can imagine, the trail wasted no time gaining elevation.

     The lack of oxygen was easy to feel. I have a history of altitude sickness, so I knew it was important to hydrate the day before, in the morning, and as I was going. Also, it was helpful for me to take frequent short breaks and eat plenty of carbohydrates along the way. Despite it being a little hard to breathe, I was doing great. My hiking buddies were practically running up the mountain. Sean has done three 14ers in the last three weeks and is in great shape. For Matt, this was his first 14er, but he is an extremely healthy and fit young man. They were both very polite and kind about waiting for me and allowing for adequate breaks.
     As we climbed the arduous path, the hillside was scattered with old mines and mining equipment. While it was quaint and picturesque, I could not help but think about how people have been destroying the earth since long before our time.

 After the mines, the trail got even more difficult. We hiked up a large snow field. The snow was very soft and easy to sink into, but we did pretty well following the footsteps of people before us. After the snow field, we reached the last flat area before the summit. This time of year 14ers can be rather crowded, especially the ones on the Front Range. However, Mount Sherman was not overcrowded. The sociability on these mountains is nothing like other hikes. People are extremely friendly, chatty, and are very quick to offer each other encouraging words.

      As we approached the summit not only did the trail get difficult, but it became increasingly more dangerous. The rest of the way we climbed over talus and often on the edge. As we approached 14,000ft, I became a bit light-headed and dizzy. I took my time and stopped about every ten feet. The dizziness coupled with the loose rocks was enough to make me wish there was a hand rail to the top. Not to mention, it was incredibly gusty. I was comforted in the fact that others were being just as slow and careful as I.

      Finally, after reaching the top of the last steep hill, there was a 50ft flat stretch leading to the summit. Admittedly, at times, I doubted whether I could make it. However, once I reached this point it was all worth it. I was overcome by feelings of pride and triumph. We reached the summit at 9:30am. There were several people hanging around. Together we celebrated, took pictures, shared snacks, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. There were a few gray clouds in the distance but none were headed our way. It was a picture perfect morning on what felt like the top of the world.