Mt. Herman loop

Yesterday I went on the first training hike (15.5 miles) with my son - the Mt. Herman loop. It started at the Mt. Herman trailhead (elevation 7200), went around the south side of the mountain; over a saddle that required we climb up to 8400 feet, then dropped us into this gorgeous canyon. We then went north past Raspberry mountain, before dumping us onto a series of roads near Palmer lake. It was AWESOME.

The Promise.....

I remember the evening well. I had finished reading about a recent successful expedition to the summit of Manaslu by the crew of the Himalayan Experience. I've been following their expeditions to Everest, Lhotse, and Manaslu for years, and was more than a little inspired. I sent off a quick congratulatory email to Russell Brice, the legendary expedition leader and owner of Himalayan Experience.To my surprise, he responded, and this began an albeit brief email conversation where we discussed mountain climbing. This conversation planted the seed.

While I had never really been interested in mountain climbing before, I started reading everything I could about climbing some of Colorado's 14ers. I started spending time on 14ers.com. I read trip reports, trail conditions, etc.

About that same time, my son was beginning the process of preparing for college applications. He is a Junior, and was finishing up his Eagle Scout, and was preparing to apply to the Air Force Academy. According to the Liaison Officer, he's got a good shot at getting in. Thus this upcoming summer may well be his last at home. That's when the idea hit me: I would work to make this the best summer of his life.

During the Christmas break, I spoke to him, and told him if he would work hard, so would I. We would train to climb mountains, to ride bikes, and to hunt elk. We set as a goal that we would summit at least ten 14ers; would ride in the Elephant Rock bike race in June; and would hunt elk in the fall. It would be tough, but if he worked as hard as I was willing to do, it would be the most memorable summer of his life to date.