Simply said, life is about pushing yourself. It is. We are only able to on this earth for so long and while we are all here, we might as well push ourselves mentally, physically, spiritually and in every other facet to never stop changing, learning and evolving. I had an extraordinary weekend starting with dinner and Pearl Street with my friend Amy on Friday, taking first year students on a sunrise hike on Saturday morning (which is my job…amazing that I get paid to do what I love), getting a ticket to see the Dalai Lama and an amazing evening in Macky Auditorium at the Tedx Talk Boulder. The Ted Talk was one of the most inspiring events I have ever been to and one day here’s hoping that I will be giving one! Big shoutout to Trace Bundy who performed at the event and absolutely blew me away. Youtube him. He is a musical genius and I felt so emotionally connected to his performance; nothing short of earth shattering.

But this post is mostly about my Sunday, which was spent climbing Mt. Bierstadt and witnessing the amazing changing of leaves up in the mountains. I love nature.

My friend Evan and me woke up at three in the morning on Sunday and drove to the base of Mt. Bierstadt, arriving at about 5 am. This was Evan’s first Fourteener and my second (for the second weekend in a row) and we couldn’t have been more excited. Mt. Bierstadt is a fourteener that many guides recommend is the best one to do your first time and it is relatively easy compared to others. It is also closest to Denver and Boulder. We started on the trail which is really easy for the first hour, with little elevation gain. The sunrise started as we started the real elevation hiking and it blew me away; it was incredible! I have never been so close to the sun rising with such tremendous colors.

This is the view from the opposite side of the sun rise. Stunning how the sun lights up the other mountains.

After a lot of huffing and puffing, we finally made it to the top of the mountain and it did not disappoint! The last hour of hiking, particularly the last thirty minutes was brutal! The wind was so strong and I thought I was going to freeze into a popsicle! But, you just don’t stop and keep going, taking one step and a time because you know it will be worth it at the top.

Views from the top.

Evan cracks me up! He brought a button down shirt and blazer to the top of the mountain to change into because it’s Evan. But it did make for nice photos….

We found this sign at the top of the mountain in a canister. The day was off by one, but whose to complain! We did it!

Yoga is always a good idea anywhere.

The best part of coming down the mountain was that we could actually see the stunning nature around us, while in the morning it was pitch black most of the way. The leaves are changing, and I was in awe the whole time 360 degrees around. This is the best spot to see all the beautiful leaves changing.

Beautiful.

On the way down the pass, we stopped approximately 9938394 times so I could take photos and just stare at how crazy the changing colors were. We made it back to Boulder by noon and spent the rest of the day studying like the maniacs we are for midterm madness. But all I can say is that there is always time to get outside, push yourself to your limits and eventually learn that life is pretty much limitless.

Can’t wait for the next hike, fourteener, adventure in nature with friends!