On July 4th, we decided to honor our country’s birthday by climbing a mountain. Our house was near the Collegiate Peaks, which include Mt. Yale, Mt. Princeton, and Mt. Harvard, among others. Derek and Parker decided to climb Harvard, which is the tallest and most difficult hike of the Collegiate Peaks.

Jim and I took the rest of the kids a little bit north to the highest peak in Colorado, as well as the second highest in the continental US, Mt. Elbert.

It was listed as a relatively easy hike among the 14ers in terms of technicality, though it was a hearty five-mile ascent to the top. We knew it would be challenging for Ruth, but wanted to give her a chance to do it. Ever since hiking Eagle’s Peak in 2016, she has been anti-hiking, so we hoped this would change her opinion.

The trek through the 2.5 miles of forest was fun and easy. As we rose above the treeline (around 11,000-12,000 ft), the view was spectacular. It reminded me of scenes from The Sound of Music!

Our pace slowed as we began feeling the effects of the low oxygen in the high altitude, but we pressed on.

The mountains will always hold a special place in our hearts.

It was at about this point when Ruth began complaining of dizziness and a headache. Unfortunately, altitude sickness had set in, so Jim accompanied her back down the long mountain.

They made the most of it when they finally got to the bottom.

Meanwhile, the two boys and I continued up. The higher we ascended, the less oxygen our lungs took in, and the slower our pace got. But our attitudes remained positive, and we were able to use the experience as a metaphor for life. Despite how difficult the trek was, we were determined not to give up–and we agreed that it’s no different in life.

We saw several unique sights along the way. Some were snapshots of beauty

while others–like the friendly, squeaking marmots romping around the rocks–were downright amusing.

We thought about Derek and Parker throughout the climb, knowing their hike was longer and much more difficult. We assumed they wouldn’t summit Harvard until we were well on our way back down Elbert. We were wrong. They reached the top while we were still early on in our own ascent.

Here’s what they saw on their adventure. Just beautiful.

After five hours (that’s averaging one mile per hour!), we made it to the summit. I was so proud of those two boys.

We really did feel like we were on top of the world, as we saw mountain peaks in every direction. I felt like it was more beauty than one pair of eyes can behold.

We did not linger long at the summit, as we could see storms developing around us and wanted to get below the treeline before they hit. The descent was nearly as difficult, and I felt like I was crawling at times. Peter, on the other hand, bounded down the mountain and then would stop and wait for Jeremy and me. This was a common scene as he waited.

We reached the base, exhausted, but feeling pretty good about our accomplishment. And I would do it again in a heartbeat! Speaking of heartbeat, I wore a fitbit during the hike, and at the end of the day looked at the stats. Only in Colorado.

By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation,
You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;
Who establishes the mountains by His strength,
Being girded with might (Psalm 65)