Pikes Peak or Bust!

We were inspired today to head "down South" and visit Pikes Peak. Hailey has a thing about patriotic songs so she has been asking and asking to go visit the "birthplace" of 'America the Beautiful'. We are only about 45 minutes from Manitou Springs so it was a quick jaunt. We decided to make a day of it and instead of drive up Pikes Peak, we opted for the Cog Railway. There aren't that many of these in the world and this one happens to be the highest. Now, ultimately, Gary and I would much rather HIKE a 14n'r if given the option. I have summited 5 such mountains and attempted 6. Gary has summited 2 and attempted 3. (Together, we were deterred by snow on Mt. Wilson near Telluride in 1999). That aside, there is just something so satisfying about being above 14,000 ft. Even though we didn't work for it today, it was still impressive, breathtaking, and inspiring to see the world from that perspective. The girls? Well, they were excited about the train and very engaged for about 20 minutes of the hour and a half trip up the mountain. Then, it was wiggles and giggles until timberline. When we arrived at the top it was cold. They reminded us of this rather frequently. Who needs an internal thermostat when you have children to give you play by plays on the weather? The top of Pikes Peak is unlike any other 14n'r I have ever summited. There is a parking lot, a gift shop, and observation deck, and a snack bar. Quite impressive. I remember summiting Mt. Massive with my cousin Allison and we were so cold because it was starting to rain and there was so much electricity in the air that we could feel the shocks coming up through our hiking boots. After hiking for 6 hours, we spent a grand total of 7 minutes at the top, and then high tailed it down the trail. And so it goes. In retrospect, I would honestly rather walk up and down the mountain. After nachos at the train station, doughnuts and cappuccino at the top, and vanilla wafers in between; my waistline needs the hike in the worst way!