“Is that why you love it—the natural beauty?”
“That’s part of it.” How could he explain it? “I love the exertion and the physical challenge. I love the fresh air and wide-open spaces.”
“I bet that reminds you of homesteading with your dad.”
“Could be.” He hadn’t thought of that. “Up here, everything is simple like it must have been at the beginning. This is my church—all of this.”
Until he’d met Kenzie, this had been his entire life.
They stopped for lunch in the shade of a large boulder at Lavender Col—roast beef sandwiches, carrot sticks, and apples for them and water for the dogs. From here, the climb got more challenging, and Conrad wanted Kenzie to be rested.
She ate with enthusiasm. “Why does food always taste better when you’ve been outdoors all day?”
Conrad had to laugh. “That rule doesn’t apply to the freeze-dried shit we take on big expeditions.”
After they’d eaten, he talked her through the rest of the climb.
“We’re going to let the dogs off their leashes here. I don’t want them pulling you off balance, and they’ll do better on their own. We’ll head up through this col and then head a little to our left over the talus. There are some big rocks. They can flip under your foot or roll on you and break bones. So watch your step, and watch for falling rock, too. We’ll go through the V-Notch at the top of the talus, which takes us to another, steeper col with big cliffs on either side. If there’s snow, I’ll break out the ice axes and help you with that. After that, there’s an area with a lot of exposure.”
Kenzie looked like she wasn’t sure this was a good idea after all. “Like that knife’s edge leading to the Hastings mine?”
“Nothing like that, but it is exposed with some big drop-offs. I’m going to create an anchor for you so you can belay yourself up that area. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t know that you can handle it.”
He could tell she was nervous, but she nodded.
“Before we reach the summit, we’ll have to do some scrambling—climbing with your hands. The dogs might need a little help. I’ll be right there to talk you through it.”
She stood. “I’m ready.”
It meant a lot to him that she trusted him enough to keep going.
“Hey, I’m with one of the world’s greatest mountain climbers. I have nothing to be afraid of, right?”
* * *
Kenzie reachedthe summit of Mt. Sneffels, Gizmo at her side, just after two in the afternoon. “I did it! I can’t believe I did it!”
That last part had been physically tough and more than a little scary, but Harrison had been right behind her, guiding her all the way.
Harrison grinned down at her from behind his mirrored sunglasses, Gabby beside him. “I knew you could handle it.”
A handful of people, other climbers, sat around on the small summit, eating, hydrating, taking photographs. Some of them smiled and waved. Others stared.
“That’s Harrison Conrad.”
“The dude is a badass.”
Kenzie barely heard them, her attention on the amazing view. High peaks dotted with snow reached for the sky in every direction. There were lakes and valleys below, rivers and streams, meadows and forest. It took her breath away.
“It’s beautiful, truly, Harrison.”
He came up beside her, took her hand. “Everest is more than twice this high in elevation. You stand there on the summit, freezing your ass off and looking down on the entire world. You can feel eternity up there.”
“How about here?” She knew this posed no challenge for him.
“Here, too. These mountains were formed eighty million years ago. It’s hard to wrap your mind around that. I’m going to find the summit registry.”
While he did that, she took out her cellphone and took photos, wanting to remember this place. It was her first fourteener with Harrison, after all.
