Myself with David Marooney and Jon Regner on our first climb of the winter season in Colorado! We set out to climb four 14ers in one day (Mt. Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bros) but only ended up being able to conquer 2. The summit of Bros was "closed" and in order to summit Lincoln from where we approached we would have had to traverse 1/4 mile long ridge that was only about 6ft wide in snow and 60-70 mile and hour winds.
All in all it was a great hike and we had a great time. It was Jon's first two 14ers but we all felt that great feeling when you summit a mountain and see that incredible view! About 15minutes into the trip I took ill with nausea and headache. After puking and then downing some Gatorade I felt much better but had to heave once again when we got back down to the truck. I hate being sick as much as the next guy but there are few things as helpful as puking when you feel like that.
Once again I felt that I did not have quite the right gear and was not prepared for what the mountain had to offer. Next time I am going to remember the hood to my coat and bring an extra fleece. All that wind started to get to me after a while and it really cooled me off. There were a few times that I felt I was approaching the too cold mark.
It was the first time I got to use my "Flip" camera for what I bought it for... I hope you enjoy the clip.
The summit of Mt. Democrat!
