Devil's Playground

Have you ever woken up at 4:15am and thought, "Oh crap, I'm late!" Well that's how my Fourth of July began. Mike, Rae, Rae's father Jeff, and myself - were about to spend our last day off of the summer hiking Pike's Peak. This mountain is a "fourteener," named so because the summit is over 14,000 feet. During the drive over to the base, and at the beginning of the climb, I felt as nervous and doubtful as the first day of riding on Bike & Build. The locals of Colorado Springs have been telling me horror stories and stern advice: "Bring at least a gallon of water," "Buy oxygen at the base of the mountain," "You're climbing the west side? That's steeper than the eastern side."

The best way I can describe the challenge of hiking Pike's Peak is through comparison:

• Distance: The ascent was 8 miles, and the descent was 5 miles (we hitch hiked the first 3 miles of the descent). So the distance was 13 miles, equivalent to a half marathon.
• Elevation: 14,110 feet. This is half the altitude of Mount Everest. The air was thin, and my fingers were so swollen I couldn't make a fist.
• Intensity: Climbing Pike's Peak was 4 hours of difficult exercise with a pounding heart rate. Jeff, an experienced runner who's completed ultra-marathons, explained that this hike's intensity was similar to running a marathon. 

When Rae invited me to this hike, I just said sure, why not. But once I was there I thought, "Did I seriously just throw myself into a half marathon that's as intense as a full marathon that's half of Mount Everest?"

The path we chose to take was named the Devil's Playground because during thunderstorms the lightning jumps from rock to rock. Oblivious Laini couldn't figure out from the name that the Devil's Playground is the most challenging trail at Pike's Peak. The path starts with switchbacks through a forest of pines and aspens, and as the treeline approaches at about 12,000 feet, the environment transforms into a mountain meadow. As the rest of the plant life recedes there is only ice, dirt, and rocks around. The last mile of the climb is known as the Sixteen Golden Stairs, in which each stair is a set of 2 switchbacks to the top of the peak, consisting of only rocks.

Mike, Rae, and Jeff are all runners, so they had an advantage over me. But they're all from the south, whereas the cold 30 degree temperatures of the dark side of the mountain at 6am was nothing uncomfortable to me. None of us are totally acclimated to the elevation of Colorado Springs, so our heart rates picked up very quickly on the climb. However, a sign that we're all in pretty good shape is that our heart rates dropped easily when we paused for breaks. Compared to a marathon runner like Jeff, I was pretty sluggish going up the mountain, but we were still passing other hikers. However, I found the Sixteen Golden Stairs to be the most challenging part of the ascent, simply because I have no experience with climbing on rocks and was totally uncomfortable. 

3 hours and 45 minutes later, the view and the homemade donuts from the summit's restaurant made the climb worth it. My first fourteener.

But now the logistical question was, how do we get down from here? The trolley would bring us to the east side of the mountain, which was 20 miles from where Jeff's car was parked on the west side. Mike and Rae met an elderly couple in the parking who was on their way down, so they agreed to give us a ride 3 miles from the peak. In their car, we all kept our eyes peeled for other Bike & Builders - Dan, Marcus, and Kevin were biking up Pike's Peak during that time. Unfortunately we didn't pass them, and we didn't wait because we still had 5 miles of descending to do. We regretted not bringing chalk and writing an inspirational message for them on the road.

100 ounces of water, 1 energy gel, and 2 protein bars later, we reached the parking lot at the trail head. My calves will hurt tomorrow. We then drove through the Garden of the Gods, which is a majestic series of natural rock formations. Jeff bought us lunch at Panera, and I cherished every bite of my pre-Bike & Build usual order because Bike & Build has that effect on people. I'm feeling sore and accomplished, and also proud of the riders who biked Pike's Peak!