A Routine Courthouse Climb

"If you never test your limits, how will you know what they are?"  Lene Gammelgaard, A Woman's Account Of Surviving The Everest Tragedy.


"I hoped to inspire people to take a closer look at their own lives, to consider whether they are living their dreams or postponing them. ...life is meant to be lived fully, explored twenty-four hours a day...pursue your goal and have the courage to persevere, even in the face of failure...a necessary part of any endeavor, no matter what your dream."  Lene Gammelgaard  

Aside from autumn, it isn't often that we hike below timberline. But Courthouse Mountain is a worthy exception.

So on the heels of a Duco Mountain summit the day before, we make another exception...to drive well over an hour and fifteen minutes on the rough, rocky road over Owl Creek Pass in order to stand atop Courthouse Mountain. 

At only five miles roundtrip, our legs should be able to handle back-to-back steep climbs. Won't know if we don't try...  

One compelling reason to climb Courthouse is the eye-to-eye views it affords of Chimney Rock, and the ragged knife-edge ridge that separates the two mountains. 

The sky is hazy from distant fires. This, it seems, is the "new normal" out west so we better get used to it. 

Toward the summit we meet a couple with two children from Albuquerque.  The guy asks if we have any food we could spare as they didn't realize just how steep and taxing this little two mile hike would be. I forked over two Chocolate Mint Cliff Bars and wished them a good descent.

It was a routine climb; nothing exceptional to report other than our legs were up to the challenge and we had the summit all to ourselves. Well, except for brazen beggar chipmunks that now prefer Cheetos over pine nuts and grass. People, don't feed wildlife.  

It is an honor and, hopefully, an honorable deed, to share our passion for outdoor endeavors, be it photographs or stories or both.
Thanks for checking in,
mark and bobbie