Back from Colorado: Continued

Seeing so many relatives in one place was the main reason for my trip to Colorado. The reunion was organized to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday. When my aunt's and uncles heard that one of my friends from Fort Collins was going to be arriving later in the evening so we could get an early start on a climb the next day the scheming started. Rumors that Jason, my friend from Colorado, was actually a male stripper or a long lost illegitimate grandchild were spread. There was a momentary look of surprise on my grandmother's face when Jason knocked on the door, but the buildup was a bit much for his arrival.
Our plans were to attack a route up the Crestone Needle called the Ellingwood Arete. Thousands of feet of class five scrambling with a three pitch technical climb right at the top. All of this set in the middle of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The next day was more of a struggle for the truck then for us. Even with improvements the road out of Westcliffe should only be tackled with a 4x4. We were fortunate enough to push Jason's rear wheel Sonoma to the first big creek crossing. After that we walked the next five miles up to South Colony Lakes.
During the walk Jason started to feel worse due to a developing cold. I felt bad pushing on, but the beauty of our surroundings made the hike seem short. Upon reaching our destination doubt started to creep into our minds as to whether the climb would be possible. Snow from a harsh winter still encrusted much of the peak. I wasn't too concerned about the climb so much as the descent. At 4:30am when Jason announced that he hadn't slept, probably a combination of the cold and the altitude, I was still ready to try. Yet that early in the morning I was soon convinced that we could wait. In place of the Needle I summited Humbolt Peak. Jason accompanying me to the high saddle and no further. A few days after our trip a 49-year-old woman out a party of six was killed trying to climb the route that we would have descended. I think I'll try again maybe in the early Autumn.
This summer is starting to look very much like the last one. I'm back in the same house I lived in last summer and kicking things off I took a brief sabbatical to Colorado like last year. Upon my return I started working for the same kids camp in the same fashion. Hopefully I can break the cycle and make some more money this go around.