A Birthday Hike to Remember

Besides enjoying a delicious slice of key lime pie, I wanted to celebrate my 31st birthday by doing a more challenging hike. My brother-in-law Michael is an avid hiker so he was happy to be my hiking partner for a more difficult trail. Bear Peak is one of Boulder's most prominent mountains. The steep and unrelenting Fern Canyon trail leading to its 8,461 foot summit is strenuous, but so rewarding and satisfying when it is accomplished. 

We began at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). When we arrived around 9:45 a.m. the parking lot was already filling up. As we were getting our packs out of the car and tightening up our shoe laces the guy parked next to us asked us for directions to the trailhead. He shared that he was also planning to hike to Bear Peak. He looked like he was an experienced hiker as he was in good shape and was carrying trekking poles. We told him the way we were planning to go and he thanked us and we told him to enjoy the hike. Little did we know at this point that we would cross paths with him many times again.

Michael and I made a quick stop in the NCAR lobby to use the restroom before heading out on the trail. I include this bit of information for 2 reasons. First, because it is always nice to know that there is a bathroom at a trailhead that you can use! Second, this was the first time both Michael and I had ever been inside the NCAR building. There are definitely some cool weather exhibits to see- you can even touch a cloud! However, we both found it humorous that our first time inside this architecturally beautiful and educational building was for the purpose of answering the call of nature. :) 

From NCAR we took the Walter Orr Roberts Trail west to the Dakota Trail. From the start, we saw large patches of yellow and purple wildflowers growing in the meadow. The combination of those colors with the bright green grass was so pretty. 

There was a pack of people moving slowly in front of us  so we politely made our way past them. We saw our friend from the parking lot doing the same. It was clear that the 3 of us were going to be keeping a good pace on the trail.  We climbed a ridge to a water tank before hiking into the valley and joining the Mesa Trail, turning left toward Fern Canyon. We walked southward and then west to begin an intense rock-stepping climb. This is when Michael turned to me and said "and now the fun begins."

We gained about 2000 feet for the next 1.3 miles. It was definitely an athletic challenge! Not only that, but the temperature was close to 90°F which made it even more of a battle. Luckily, most of the trail is shaded by trees. We drank a lot of water and stopped to catch our breath when it was necessary. Controlling your breathing is an important skill when hiking at higher elevations or on trails with steep inclines because it helps you conserve your energy. When I felt my heart racing and my breath going all over the place I would stop and take deep breaths through my nose and exhale through my mouth until I felt my heart rate slow down. Michael taught me this technique and it was very helpful. This is why I have been trying to do yoga too because it helps train me to be aware of my breath and how to control it.
 

About 2/3 of the way up we reached a spacious saddle which was a good resting area. We saw our friend from the parking lot again. Turns out he was visiting on business from New York and using his free time to enjoy the great outdoors, a luxury he does not have in the big city. He had a hiked a 13er (a mountain between 13,000 and 13,999 feet in height) the day before. Michael and I were impressed that he tackled another strenuous peak the very next day! We shared this with him and he laughed and said his legs were killing him. We told him he helped us set a good pace on the trail and he said we did the same for him. He headed onward toward the summit and we told him we would see him again at the top. It is always nice to meet and talk to fellow hikers on the trails. 

Michael said for the last leg of the hike before the summit we should try not to stop and just keep a slow, steady pace until the end. It sounded like a good idea to me. Then he took out a bottle of water from his bag, shook it,  and handed it to me. This bottle contained a packet of electrolytes. I took big gulps of this water and felt energized in a way I imagined similar to Popeye after he slammed his can of spinach! This little boost was much needed at this point.

We slowly made our ascent. Along the way we saw damage caused by the wildfires that took place last summer.  It was haunting and kind of scary to think we were in the very place I watched burning on the news.

Damage from the wildfires last summer

We continued on, following the sharp incline through the forest. I couldn't believe how many beautiful butterflies were flying around. In fact, I  got a little distracted by them.

Old World Swallowtail

I realized Michael got further ahead of me and I could not see him. I called out his name a couple of times before he heard me and said "over here." A small moment of panic passed me quickly. He waited until I caught up to him and we continued on. It was so steep in spots that I had to put my hands down to get up some of the more abrupt sections. After a grove of aspens, the trail winds its way to the western side of the summit ridge and pops out of the trees. The end was in sight! The last part of the hike was a steep scramble to the top. At this point I felt like Michael and I might as well have been Frodo and Sam making our way up Mt. Doom.

This was my first scramble and I am not going to lie- I was scared. One false step could be fatal mistake. I slowly and carefully made my way to the very top. My knees were shaking but I did it and was rewarded with amazing 360 degree views. To the east I could see NCAR and the High Plains, Denver to the south, Mount Audubon to the west, and the many peaks of  Rocky Mountain National Park to the north.

There were many other hikers at the summit, including our friend from New York. I smiled and waved as he and Michael had climbed their way even further across the peak. I, however, felt like I could not go any further from the happy rock I was standing on as my knees were shaking so badly. Michael realized this and made his way back to me. We high-fived, snapped some pictures, sat down, and enjoyed a well deserved rest and snack at 8, 461 ft. It was beautiful.

After about 20 minutes of hanging out at the summit, we decided to make our way back down. I was dreading this part. The whole way up the scramble I kept thinking, this is going to be fun coming down. The rock plates were so smooth and there were lots of places you could slip or lose your footing. Michael was a great confidence booster and coach. He told me to always have 3 points of contact with the mountain- meaning 2 hands and 1 foot or 1 hand and 2 feet. This was helpful.  It was a very slow and methodical descent. My brain and my body were so focused on each and every step. Michael was there holding his hand out for me if I needed it the whole way like a great big brother. When we finally reached the trail Michael went to give me a high-five but I went in for a big bear hug instead because that is what that moment called for! He laughed and I took a mental picture because this was a memorable moment of the hike that I know I will never forget.

From this point on we moved at a pretty decent pace, but there is no rushing this kind of descent. It is very steep and rocky so you have to be mindful of your footing at all times. Hiking is by no means just walking. It is both mentally and physically challenging. I did note on this trail that it seemed whenever I needed a rock or a tree limb for balance there was one there! It was kind of miraculous really and I was grateful for every little branch that was there to offer me assistance. It took us 2 hours to reach the summit and 1.5 hours to come back. We were very happy with our pace and time, especially considering the extreme heat!  My pedometer told me we hiked 7.22 miles round-trip and took 17,604 steps! Phew! 

Our feet were sore and exhausted. Michael offered that we dunk them in the Boulder Creek before we headed back home and I thought that sounded like a fabulous idea.

Boulder Creek

We drove to the Creek and the path was jammed with people sun-bathing, walking, biking, and tubing. We found a spot along the creek side near some rapids and plunged our aching feet inside the icy water. I could not believe people were tubing and swimming in the creek as the temperature was so cold! We could only keep our feet in for a few minutes before they felt numb! If felt great though and it was fun watching people come down and position themselves in their tubes for the upcoming rapids. We saw it all: panic, excitement, joy, people getting separated from their tubes, falling, flipping, and some glided by with ease. As we sat there ,we reminisced about our great journey up Bear Peak and made plans for future hiking adventures. It was a great birthday hike and one I will always remember with a smile.