Way back on our first big trip to Colorado, all Monte @Blackdawg could talk about was how we'd be able to drive to a parking area at 13,800 feet, and then hike less than a mile to reach the top of Mt. Antero at 14,275 feet above sea level. It sounded spectacular!
We never made it.
Just as we reached the base of the mountain, Mike @Digiratus had a catastrophic failure of his front passenger shock tower, rendering his truck undrivable. It was the end of our trip, as we scurried to get his rig on a trailer and toward a winter's worth of work back at home.
Undeterred, we set our sights on our unfinished business in Colorado the following summer. Again, we found ourselves at Mt. Antero, anticipation higher than it'd been the year before. This time - nearly two miles from the top - we were blocked by a snow drift across the road. Undeterred, we set out on foot, only to arrive at the upper parking area as the sun was setting. With another hour of scrambling over scree in order to reach the top, we made the call to turn around. Strike two.
And so, with our plan to run the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route, I hoped that a short detour for @mrs.turbodb and I would lead to vindication. That, or I'd strike out in my attempt to reach the top of Antero.
Slow down there, this content is coming soon 😉...