My First 13er- Mount Audubon

I went by myself on a trip to Brainard Lake Recreation Area. Why? Because if I keep waiting for other people to do what I want, I'm just going to watch my life pass by. A typical Indian Peaks Wilderness star to the trail: lots of rocks but still well-groomed. 

After a little while I caught a glimpse of what I was there to conquer: Mount Audubon (13,223 ft) on the right.

Up and up for about a mile and a half, and already I reached treeline. 

And then- hey there they are again!- Long's Peak and Mount Meeker off in the distance.

The going was tough, but not too bad. Lots of rocks but the incline wasn't too steep so it was bearable. 

By this point the wind was pretty high, what with being above treeline with zero cover. I found myself in a jacket at the end of July- it was pretty great. A nice relief from the 90+˚F weather in town. 


I could even see the Flatirons (farthest in the distance). As the crow flies I was immediately west of Boulder. It just so happens that the roads turn it into a big of a circle so that it takes an hour to get to the trailhead from town. 

The trial got really rocky the higher I got. The wind was blowing so hard that I didn't even hear this guy (below) until he was at my shoulder.
There went my idea that no one could sneak up on me in such an exposed area. 

Finally I got to the base of the summit...is that a real thing? I was approaching what would be the last few hundred feet. 

Then just up and up a huge pile of rocks. It was so tough, and being so high up it was hard to catch my breath. Every step was hard but I just kept going. I had to. Not making it to the top was never an option, despite how much my body wished it had been.

After a slightly nerve-wracking climb...I made. I made it to the top of Mount Audubon. I made it to the top of my FIRST 13er. 

And the view was SPECTACULAR.

The summit had a bunch of rock clusters that made nice wind shields to have lunch. These people did it, and I did too.

I could see Twin Sisters underneath some flat-bottomed clouds.

And when you eat lunch at the top of a 13er by yourself, you become quite fascinated with the clouds. Yay clouds!

This morning I found the pole adaptor to hold a camera and take self-portraits. I set it up and took a couple at the top.

It was exactly the adventure I needed. Every once in a while you need to push yourself past what you think you're capable of to remind yourself just how strong you are.  

Twin Sisters Peak

After a turn-around resulting from slightly less than accurate directions from Google Maps, we made it to the Twin Sisters trailhead, on the easternmost edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. 

The trail was rocky but very well-shaded in the morning, which made it a very pleasant uphill climb.

Eventually we reached treeline and neared the summit.

Finally at the summit (11,4xx ft), we got a perfect view of Long's Peak (14,259 ft) and Mount Meeker (13,911 ft). 

And others of course :)

We attempted a group shot...

And if we squinted we could see Estes Park!

7.2 miles roundtrip. Twin Sisters- conquered.