Solo climbing

#8. Do a solo ascent of a 14er.

This next one dovetails nicely with my overall goal of climbing at least 30 14ers before I'm 30. I got this idea because I started noticing that while climbing, I rely a LOT on my climbing partners for motivation and perseverance to keep climbing upward when sometimes all I want to do is to go back to bed. Climbing mountains is hard, y'all. It takes grit, mettle, focus, determination, and the ability to ignore pain and the lack of oxygen. I thought it would be a good test of myself to see if I could climb one on my own. And, for those of you who know me, I'm stubborn as all get out, and so anything on that above list that I lack, I make up for by being incredibly headstrong. This was my opportunity to prove that to myself.

At this point you might be saying, "Oh my goodness! By yourself? This sounds so dangerous! What if you  ____  (insert any number of things here: get lost, fall, get attacked by a mountain lion, etc.)???" 
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT MY PARENTS SAID. And I know why they said it. They love me! And sometimes I do things (like this) that scare them. But I feel very confident that especially in the last couple of summers, I've grown to respect the mountains even more. Which means knowing that they will a) always win, and b) always be there. This has allowed me to make better decisions that ultimately determine my safety.

SO. I decided this summer was going to be the summer that I climbed a 14er on my own. After some research, I decided on Mt. Bross. Close to Fairplay and Alma, I chose Mt. Bross for a few different reasons:
1) I didn't have to drive more than 2.5 hours to get to it
2) I had already been around the area last summer climbing Mts. Democrat, Lincoln and Cameron (and since I hadn't gotten Bross, that was all the more reason I wanted to grab it)
3) I knew that if I got seriously injured, the peaks would be popular enough that I could get help
4) There was a trail all the way to the top, so no route-finding was necessary
5) The road leading to it wasn't terrible...or so I thought

So, on the night of August 15, I drove out to Alma and turned onto the road that would lead me towards the Kite Lake TH. This road was worse than I remembered, but nothing more than some deep potholes and washboarding. The hard part was the next road, the turnoff from Kite Lake. Aside from it being unmarked (I went solely by mileage), it was ROUGH: big potholes, tons of rocks, and some dips and puddles that I wasn't completely sure I could get over. But, Helene the Subaru proved her mountain worth yet again, and we made it to the "parking lot" around 9:20pm. 

Some pictures of the road

It was eerie, being up that high and all alone with NO light. I was feeling a little uncomfortable while I was reading Hemingway by headlamp, but as soon as I turned it off and the moonlight was the only source of light, it was so incredible and peaceful that I forgot all discomfort from just a moment ago.

The next morning, I had planned on starting around 4am. But honestly, the dark creeped me out so much that I wanted to wait a little longer. I ended up starting at 5am, and it was still plenty dark. I spent the first mile alternately convincing myself that no mountain lions were around, and that every mountain lion around was watching me. An interesting exercise in mind over matter...

Clouds to the north of me, as the first light started coming over the peaks

The first colors of the sunrise. Pictures do not do this justice!

Hello Mr. Sun!

Parts of Mt. Bross are actually owned by private landowners, and this has created a lot of problems for the accessibility to the mountain. There used to be a huge mining operation on the slopes, but now there are so many abandoned mines and mining buildings that no one really wants to take complete ownership of it and open it up to the public, for fear that they will be responsible for any lawsuits should something happen. However, climbing to the top is sort of a "don't ask, don't tell" thing...except that I'm telling about it now. Oops. Oh well. I wasn't the first and I certainly won't be the last!
As someone who is FASCINATED with old, decrepit, almost-unidentifiable buildings, this route was basically heaven for me. Check out some of the things that I passed on the way up and down!

Any takers?? You could own part of a mountain!

This old mining building was filled with snow!

A definite fixer-upper.

I summitted at 8:20am, just under 3.5 hours after starting. Because of the old mining operations, there are lots of old mining roads on the mountain. They basically all end up in the same place, but I didn't want to risk it and on at least two occasions, turned back and took the other road. I think that delayed me a bit. I met 4 very nice young men from UNC on the summit, and they were kind enough to take my summit picture for me!

Overall, this was a great experience for me. Yes, I got scared (multiple times). Yes, I slipped and fell 100' from my car on the way down (don't worry, just a scraped knee). Yes, I had moments where I wasn't sure if I'd be adding mileage to my hike because of the road. No, I didn't have any big epiphanies about life or myself. But, I learned things, some of which I knew all along. I could do this on my own. I didn't need a climbing partner to help me make it to the top. (Having said that, I also learned that I much prefer hiking 14ers with other people.) My gut feelings were almost always right, and I should pay attention to that more often. I know when I get tired, and I know when to stop and rest, and when to keep pushing through. I also know how to train better for next season. 

5 down. 25 to go!

Random acts of coffee kindness

#7. Pay for a stranger's coffee at Starbucks once a month for six months. **EDIT: I only did it for 4 months. See note at bottom.**

I've always been inspired by random acts of kindness. When I was making this list I knew I wanted to add something like that to it. Since grad school is not a lucrative employment position, I can't donate large amounts to charity (yet!). But, I've found that little gestures that are more personal make me feel better than donating a lump sum anyway, because I can see the reaction immediately.

12/19/15, Colorado Springs: My mom and I were downtown, doing a bit of shopping. There were two men sitting on benches across the street from Starbucks, looking like they were a bit down on their luck. One was playing the harmonica next to a handmade cardboard sign. The sign didn't ask for money or beg for anything; it simply said "Coffee?" It was so simple that it really touched me. I went to Starbucks and asked for a coffee, then went back outside and gave it to the man. They seemed a bit surprised but appreciative, and it gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings. 

1/23/16, Austin: I was meeting Marisa at the Starbucks on 25th Street, basically on the UT campus. I have to admit that part of the reason I wanted to go to Starbucks was to fulfill this, because the last 4-ish times I've been to a coffee shop I was the only one in line (and January is coming to an end)! And then it happened again! It's way easier to tell the cashier that you'll be buying the person behind you's order than to go up to a random person and ask if you can buy them their coffee. But that's exactly what ended up happening.
As Marisa and I were getting ready to leave Starbucks to go shopping, there were three people in line. This was my last chance (for the day). So, I went up to the guy who was last in line and said, "Hi, can I buy your coffee for you?" He looked and me and went, "Uh...sure?" 
I explained to him that I was on a mission to do random acts of kindness for strangers (which is mostly true. I didn't want to get into the whole 30-before-30 thing, it felt too formal at the time.), and then he asked me what else I had done. I told him that I'd bought coffee for a homeless man. He said that was a nice thing to do, and after I bought his drink, he held out his hand and introduced himself. Nice to meet you, Neil!
This was all very awkward and honestly I think he was shocked. It was a little uncomfortable for me too, but I'm glad I did it. The only thing is that I wish I had asked him to simply pay it forward: not even the buying part, just the kindness part. If it brought a smile to his face or inspired anyone around us to be more kind, then my job was done.

2/29/16, Austin: Tim was in town. It was 4pm. I had just had a meeting with a student and her dad that was uncomfortable and anxiety producing. Tim and I needed caffeine, badly. The Starbucks at the stadium was closed, so we went to the one at the SAC. As we walked in, I realized it was the last day of February, and thus the last chance I had for this month!
I let Tim go ahead of me and then turned around to the girl behind me, gently interrupted her story to her friend and asked, "Hey, can I buy you your drink?" She looked doubtful and asked if I was sure, and I said, "Yes, absolutely!" She was very grateful and kept thanking me, and then asked if I did this a lot. So, I explained that I had this 30 before 30 list, and that one thing on it was to buy someone coffee once a month for six months. I asked her to simply pass on the kindness to someone else. I think she bought her friend his coffee after that :)
While waiting for our drinks, I found out Camille is an architecture major. She was really nice and appreciative, and all the anxiety I had felt from everything that had happened earlier in the day melted away when I saw how something that little could brighten someone's day that much.

3/29/16, Austin: After our quartet coaching, Marisa and I went to get coffee before going on with our day. We went to the Starbucks at the stadium, and a woman got in line right behind me. Excellent. I turned around and asked her if I could buy her drink. She looked quite dubious, so I hurriedly explained that I was trying to do acts of kindness for strangers. Her face softened and she said, "You are so sweet! I'm also buying a drink for my boyfriend, so I'll buy that one." I really appreciated that!
She asked me if I was a student, and I told her yes, I was a music student at UT. She said she was there looking at the school with her sister-in-law. I never got her name, but she seemed very touched.

I decided to cut this one short because honestly, this was TOTALLY AWKWARD. I really like the idea behind it, but the execution needs to be improved. Regardless, I pat myself on the back for trying, and am still thinking of ways to be kinder to everyone I meet.

4 down. 26 to go!

A little something extra...

I bet y'all thought you weren't going to hear from me for a while, huh? HA! I fooled ya!

Last year when I was just starting this endeavor, I checked my mail one day and this was there! Tim's sister was such a sweetheart to give this to me! It came blank and you're supposed to fill in the states you've visited. Sarah had read my blog and when she saw not only my quest of cross stitching but also seeing the US, she sent this to me in Boston. Obviously it's not done yet but I did a bit of work on it over break and wanted to share! I can't wait to make this a permanent part of my apartment decor.

Thank you, Sarah!