Mount evans

September, 2003 My girlfriend and I completed our first summit this month. We wanted a peak close to where we live and a route that was supposed to be easy. After some research, both in books and online, we settled on Mount Evans (elevation 14264) via the Northeast Face. It’s a very short route, under 3 miles round trip from where we parked the car. I am out of shape, but was determined to make it to the top. My girlfriend is in good shape, but was not prepared mentally. On the day of our attempt the weather was beautiful. I had done much coercing to make this little trip happen and was not going to back out after we had made the drive. From the trailhead I looked up at Mount Evans with an enormous grin on my face, ready to tackle this peak. When I turned around to face my girlfriend, she was crying. This was the first of three cries she was to have. The second was about halfway up and the last was on the way down. After 90 minutes we made it to the top! I think we both now feel better, stronger (psychologically), and more confident...although it may be awhile before we do this again. The general feeling of the day can be summed up by this exchange we had just before beginning the hike: I said “Come on. Where’s your sense of adventure?” to which she replied , “Where’s your sense?”