The Spirit of Adventure

My journey to Pikes Peak (and beyond) began in middle school while reading Huckleberry Finn. A broke teenager floating down the Mississippi River on a makeshift raft sounded like a good idea to me. So, I started to plan. That is, until I realized the Great Lakes watershed doesn't go anywhere near the Mississippi. At least I had enough sense not to make the same mistake Huck Finn did.

While the Mississippi trip was scrapped the concept of adventure persisted. The next idea was a long distance bicycle trip. It didn't take long however, to the realize my mechanical skills probably weren't up for that task. Camping on the side of the road with a broken bike and no idea how to fix it lacked the appeal I was looking for.

Then the idea came to me. Hitchhike.  It was cheap, required no mechanical skills and you could go where ever you wanted.  So, at age 17 I bought a backpack and a fiberfill sleeping bag and hit the road.  I spent the summer hitching rides and cowboy camping across America.  The trip provided many adventures and even some dangerous situations.  It was everything I had been looking for since reading Huckleberry Finn.

After that it was senior year, college, student loans, credit card bills, marriage, buying a house, parenting and of course work.  So here we are many years later and the spirit of adventure is calling again.  What could possibly be a better adventure then running up a mountain?