Here is the object of the lesson in EQUES spontaneity. Last Wednesday I had a day like my sister. I wanted to go around Boulder, maybe find a chance, as per my habit, to surf the net and get the writing done. I was standing in my kitchen drinking coffee when my SIL walks in and asks me “Do you want to drive on Pikes Peak?” I couldn’t I just didn’t think about it for some reason, so I said, “Sure, let’s go.”
Pikes Peak is not the tallest mountain in Colorado; in fact it’s ranked #32. At 14,110 feet, one of the state’s 56 “fourteen” stands and only 323 shorter than #1, Mt Elbert. It is probably also the most famous mountain in the state and maybe Rocky Mountains and only one of two that you can drive to the top. The reason for Pikes’s reputation is a simple matter of geography. Living in Boulder, you can go outside every day and look out over the Great Plains, like a blanket of yellow grass stretching to the eastern horizon and like a calm sea at the foot of the Flint Hills, a solid wall of rock stretching like a mirror. dividing between east and west.
It is the plains of the plains that make them such a great place from which to gaze upon the mountains. Well, Pikes Peak is the highest eastern mountain in the world. Looking south from Denver or Boulder you can follow the line of mountains south to the horizon. On the left side of the vanishing point rises a hillock, standing in itself a serrated mountain. That’s Pikes.
The mountain has captured imaginations for centuries. No doubt the Native American region, the Ute and the Arapaho know it. The Spanish called it El Capitan. the slogan “Pikes Peak or Bust!” one of the great rallying cries was Old West. Settlers searching the Great Plains for land, gold, or a new start often spot Pikes Peak first from 50 or 60 miles to the west. To them the mountain signified the end of the interminable grasses, and it was as remarkable that it reached the West as the Archangel’s Gate of St. Louis is today. It was this magnificent symbol of American ruggedness that we set out to win from the comfortable leather seats of my Nissan Altima.
We brought a board, a small book on the floor, a few Nalgene water bottles, Cliff locks and warm clothing. We then gassed the car before heading south. Pikes about ten miles southwest of Colorado-springs, drive straight south on Interstate 25. We hit heavy traffic. . in Denver but otherwise the road is flat, straight and direct with speed limits 75 mph. Once Denver passed the scenery changes somewhat from the Alpine, the deciduous Northern Colorado sense prep school much drier, redder. and it is more dusty, evocative of the skies of the southwest. North of Colorado Springs lies the US Air Force Academy, which can be seen from the tails of the airplanes from the screen trees and the football stadium in the distance. After passing through the city we headed west along state road 24 going up into the mountains. We drove past the Garden of the Gods, a park filled with artificial creations red eroded by the wind. The road wound around and through rocks remarkable for the geological layers of red and criss-crossed their faces. The gate closes the access to the mountain at 3:00; but we did it at 2:30. While paying our $24 entrance fee, we noticed the weather at the top of the mountain was 29 degrees. At that moment the thermometer in the car read 68.
The Pike’s Peak Road climbs 19 miles from the entrance gate to the summit. The toll gate stands at 7,750 feet and rises 6,360 feet in total (a vertical climb of about 1.2 miles). Most of the road is paved, except for the middle two miles which are filled with hard dirt. They mark milestones, transitions between climates and woods. After a six-mile drive down a curving slope into Crystal-lake, we reached a super-damned narrow finger of water. views of the mountains At 9,230 feet, the lake is still well below the summit and from that vantage point it seems absolutely impossible that you will ever make it to the top.
Entering the Alpine and Subalpine regions, the road began to swell more significantly with changing opportunities. The tall conifers at the base of the pines gave rise to the truncated and fleshy forms of the bristles, the hardest and oldest trees in the world. It was in the Alpine zone, 12 miles into the journey, we began to see snow on the ground. The temperature outside had dropped into the mid forties and the road became windier. At mile 13 we first look close to your rock. My sister-in-law commented that it looked like chocolate covered pretzels. I could cut the spot where the road led us and I could climb the back of the long mountain to the summit.
Above the tree line the bushes gave way to a tangle of small, reddish rocks. Snow somewhere deeper in the alluvium. The road became steep with nerve-wracking drops of several hundreds of feet. However, the road is lowered into the mountain and a few yards wide shoulder protection allows for an uncertain turn. We saw many cars coming down the hill. A few points were thrown around the threatened nation. This three miles straight, following the spine of the mountain to the top. The first looks to the south and west of the mountains. We were higher than the nearest ranges, but in the distance the whole mountain range is a wall stretching forever. Outside temperatures dipped into the 30’s. The air is visibly thin, making both slightly smooth. The sun was shining and it was a very beautiful day.
Reaching the summit we saw a small sign saying “You’ve done it! 14,110 feet”. Unusually, after climbing all the way, the summit itself is a rather prosaic dirt parking lot with a few dozen passenger cars enjoying the view. When I got out of the car, I got a bit of a headache and was struck with a cold that I haven’t felt since last winter. First we went to the observation tower on the south face. The views of the mountains and countryside are stunning. One map informed us that we could see for 100 miles on a clear day and that one inch on the horizon represented a real distance of 38 miles. Another record mentions the writing of “America the Beautiful” by Katherine Lee Bates, who was inspired to write the song after visiting Pikes Peak in 1893.
In a testament to the ubiquity of American capitalism, the visitor’s preferred center with gift shop, renovated dining and fully functional bathrooms is also located at the top . Both bought coffee>French vanilla. We also noticed that the bags of chips and candy were inflated almost by the pressure point difference. I also bought christmas ornaments a moose holding a little sign printed with “Pikes Peak” and elevation. We took several pictures, especially to the north where we looked down in Denver, Garden of the Gods and Colorado Springs. We also took a picture in front of the Pikes Peak commemorative sign. After about ten minutes we were very cold and decided to head down.
Riding down was naturally easier and faster. We took picnics in the middle of the country because the red fox red-fox was sitting on his haunches in the parking lot enjoying the sun. Before heading home we took some pictures.
Sources: “Pikes Peak Highway Map and Information”
