How A Hike in Colorado Transformed our Family

The day had finally come, our first trip! Our van was packed and we were, Colorado bound! But it wasn’t going to be easy. 

Within the first two hours of our drive we hit the biggest thunderstorm going through Omaha and Dean was as white knuckled like I have ever seen, so as you can image the first half of the road trip was a little tense to say the least. But 10 hours later we made it to Colorado!!! And what do you want do do the second you get to Colorado…yes, hit the mountains. 

There we were, day 2 with friends, in Fort Collins and we wanted a nice little family hike. So we packed a few waters, a snack or two put on our tennis shoes and set out! (and if you are an experienced hiker I bet you know where this is going….HA!) Yep! There we were about to take on Horsetooth Mountain with a backpack & high hopes. Our guides were experienced hikers and cross-fitters who said this would be a nice little hike we could manage. Side note: I do long walks and yoga:)

We parked, unloaded put on the sunscreen and hit the mountain. 20 minutes in Addison was complaining about being tired and Maxx needed his first snack! So you can tell we were trucking right along.…and all was smooth sailing.  We started hearing, “just another 10 minutes” from our trusted guide, that we were almost there. 2.5 hours later I was wondering if this was a good idea of jumping into this hike on day 2 of elevation acclimation….we we hot, tired and getting a little light headed! But damn it! We were getting to the top! 

We got up to 7,000 feet and could see the summit!!! But Maxx had a melt down fast approaching that set in the moment he realized he was basically on top of a mountain!!!! And by this point Addison was definitely not making it to the tippy top after making it this far. Our friends had to go back down the mountain to get back in time for their sitter to leave so we were a family on top of a mountain that we didn’t know what we were doing, so we did what any normal mom and dad would do, divide and conquer.

Dean took Addison up to the summit and I started to take Maxx down to the bottom of the mountain. We split up the last bottle of water and I shoved a blue berry bar into my bra in case he got hungry. And off I went with Maxx, down the mountain, this would be a breeze. 

It was not. The second we started off I realized I had no idea how to get down. I thought “down” was a direction and at the first fork in the road I quickly realized that I had not been paying attention to getting up the mountain but rather making sure my kids not falling off a mountain and bringing up rear. So at that first fork I made a decision, took a right and figured out a hundred yards later this was not right. So we turned around and went the other way. Then that feeling crept in and I looked around and noticed no one…it was during the week so there were not a lot of hikers out and I realized I may be out of my league in this situation. So I cast out a little prayer to the universe to help guide me, but what I didn’t know was that “the universe” was going to show up in Maxx. 

I flashed back to one landmark that we both remembered  coming up the mountain which was a burial site for “John” who had fallen off the side of the mountain and I was hoping we made it back to him and didn’t end up “Maxx & Kelli” next to him. So Maxx and I set out to find John! 

And as we were hiking down my little buddy quickly transformed. Something kicked in within Maxx and he just knew the way and then became my guide. At one point he held my hand and said, “Don’t worry Mom, we have each other and our love and that will get us through anything!” I don’t know many 7 year olds that speak like that but that is Maxx, and at that moment I knew we would be ok. 

And just like that, around the next bend we found “John”! I had never been happier to see a tombstone in my life and I can only image “John” smiling from above that he got to be a guide for our hike and may others I am sure! From here on out it all started to come together. The pressure lifted, a man we passed on the way up passed us and said hello and he said he saw Addison and Dean at the summit and they were on the way down! Whew!!!! I couldn’t be much longer from here! 

The mountain started to change from mountain rock to rolling hills and the bottom soon came into view and then we turned around and could see Addison and Dean making their way down!

5.5 hours later we were at the bottom! We had tackled a mountain as a family and this gave me the courage to trust our new journey as a family. If we could do this, I felt we could do anything! 

Funny thing was I was not even sad about making it to the top even though we were so close. I look back at these pictures often and smile. 

As we all know so well the lessons never show up at the end, they are within the journey. Sometimes it is better to not know exactly what you are getting into. But we know now that hiking shoes are your friend, you need them. Period. And pack snacks, more snacks and then go back and pack some more snacks! The next day we went out, bought 4 pairs of hiking shoes, a backpack and a water bladder! 

This ended up to be more than a hike. This adventure let our spirits soar and I saw moments within my children where their character and inner compass shined so bright that I know they will be able to get through anything. Because I saw them trust themselves, hear their inner voices and trust their gut. Those are the lessons, giving them the opportunity to arrive in those moments and experiences will help to shape them as humans. That is where I start to tear up…

Looking back, this was one of those moments I will cherish forever because the lesson was the journey. Not getting to the summit but exploring the summit within our own souls. 

Adventure awaits. Let it call you in and be brave enough to trust the journey. 

XOXO,

Kelli