The Start
Today was my third attempt to tag the summit of Tabeguache Peak, our route was the western ridge of Tab, a mostly easy hike and climb...mostly is the operative word of that sentence. Caleb, Nic, and I hit the trail around 6:00am, it was a beautiful start of the day.
About two miles into the hike towards the trailhead, Caleb's Columbia Hiking Shoe (right foot) began to tear. We stopped to survey the damage and assess our potential progress. The shoe looked like the turkey from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, I have included a video for your pleasure. Watch the first 15 seconds:
Going Up
The 3 mile hike to the trailhead was very uneventful, not steep at all and a little boring. Once at the trailhead, Caleb and I decided to trade shoes. I thought I might be better able to monitor their condition and Caleb could enjoy the climb without worrying about footwear.
The trail became fairly steep as we quickly gained altitude through the trees - about 3/4 of the way through the treeline we reached the "Stairway to Heaven."
At the top of the Stairway to Heaven we stopped to drink in this view:
We are making decent time, the shoe is holding up and there is not a cloud in the sky...
