Casually Climbing a Mountain

I never thought I would find myself casually climbing a mountain, but my trip to Boulder, Colorado in October 2021 certainly proved me wrong. To preface, “mountain” is probably a too generous term for the relatively small portion I walked up, and “climb” may also be taking it a step too far. But, as I trekked up the steep incline of one of the Flatiron Mountains, I felt like a true adventurer. The crispy sand-colored grasses that had wilted ahead of an early winter surrounded the well-worn dirt path; a path that was obviously trodden-on by families with small children, hard-core hikers, many four-legged friends, and unassuming college students desperately seeking fleeting moments of fresh air like myself. The first part of our journey was an open field of these grasses, but, as we journeyed upwards, evergreen trees started populating our surroundings until we were immersed in a forest characteristic of Taylor Swift’s Folklore album cover. The sky was a striking blue that was a completely disparate shade to the Ohio skies I had become accustomed to. And the sun peeked out behind the mountains–providing pure light to the first part of our unobstructed path, and making me wish I had brought my sunglasses with me.

My cousin Kate, her boyfriend Mike, and their cheerful Australian Cattle Dog mix, Stella–Colorado natives at that point and well accustomed to difficult hikes–led in the front, my grandma and mom behind me, and my sister and I somewhere in the middle space between them. When we booked our trip to visit my cousin who was attending the University of Denver Law School, I did not fully understand what I was getting myself into. This trip was one of those crammed into a weekend in the middle of the semester trips, so I didn’t have the amount of time and research I would normally like to prepare before visiting a new place. And, since we were being hosted by my generous cousin, we let her and her boyfriend take the reins on the itinerary: a true local’s guide to the Denver area essentials in just 72 hours. Naturally, with my lack of research and preparation, I brought thin leggings, graphic t-shirts, and one pair of fashionable-but-not-functional white Adidas tennis shoes. Not exactly what one would recommend for climbing said mountain. Surrounded by people clad in expensive-looking activewear with functional accessories, I felt a little bit out of place—but, I didn’t care, because when else would I have this opportunity again? Our group made it about an hour before turning back around to check out the gift shop—with a tight schedule, a partially climbed mountain is still a win in my books.

Flatiron Mountains