14,000 feet of Clarity

By: justinsemerad

I stood at the base of the summit, the snow glaring in the late morning sun. I closed my eyes to give them some relief all the while thinking “only at 14,000 feet could my eyes sting from the glare of snow in early July.” Back home, in South West Missouri, the temperature was pushing beyond 90 degrees with a staggering humidly that can only be understood by those who live with it year after year. Yet here I am, just 200 feet from conquering Mt. Quandary near Breckenridge, Colorado. The temperatures somewhere in the mid 40’s with a wind making it feel much cooler and oddly refreshing.

More than a year ago I decided I wanted to climb one of Colorado’s fifty-three 14ers. At the time it just sounded fun and hiking to a peak of a tall mountain was one of those bucket list things. A little morbid for a man my age but having that mental checklist is something that most people have and climbing a mountain was on my list. As I rolled into my 10th year teaching in the fall of 2008 my co-worker, friend, and experienced conqueror of several the 14ers, Matt, began to finalize some plans for the summer of 2010. His good friend and fellow hiker Brett was getting married in August of ‘09 and Matt was trying to get me to narrow down a time that I would be able to go. As the school year continued I began to realize that both Matt and Brett were planning their trip loosely around me. They had chosen a time that fit my schedule and a peak that best suited my fitness level which sadly was not very good. Just saying I was going to make the trip wasn’t good enough any more, I actually had to make a decision on the trip.

Something else was going on in my life at this time.  My 10th year of teaching was going very poorly I was becoming one of those grumpy, caustic teachers that I used look at with both pity and scorn. I would swear that if I ever started to act like that I would get out of teaching and here I was. It carried into my home life. My wife and I had just added are third child in October which provides its own set of stresses in the home and now I was bring work baggage into the home. As the year went on the baggage got heavier and heavier and my (and my loved ones) happiness suffered for it. By Mid-June I had come very close to quitting my job and for the first time since in 10 years nearly brought to tears over my job. I was frustrated and I was pissed. A specific incident occurred which I will not go into but it was festering in me and try as I might I could not douse its fire.

Before I new it July rolled around it was time to go to Colorado. I had come to a quite resolve that I would continue teaching but would do as little as possible without losing my job. I had to become one of those teachers. Maybe my wife knew something I didn’t but she was oddly supportive of my going away for 5 days while leaving her with 3 children under the age of 7. Swim Team, Baseball practice, swim practice, and baby aquatics were all on the schedule not to mention the million of things that mothers do to maintain the home.

That brings me to the Final Push-what mountain hikers call the final ascent to the peak of the mountain.

 Part 2 will be posted soon.

 

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Justin Semerad is a sad little man who uses fantasy football to find some relevance in his life. Consequently has found some success and hope to spread his knowledge with fellow FFB'ers.

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