Mt Yale

Recently, I had the opportunity to hike Mt Yale with a group of co-workers. The manager of the facility where I work has made this a yearly tradition and most everyone looks forward to it all year. It's a great time to leave the stress and busyness of work behind and enter nature with people you mostly see across a conference room table. I heard a phrase while in Peru recently and have caught myself using it numerous times.....digital detox. For those of you that make computers, blackberry's, and the like, a major part of your daily routine, whether welcomed or forced, I think you can relate to the need to detox from your digital self. It's also a time to connect with people on a different level. Often times, I can get wrapped up in work and the goals we're trying to achieve and I can sometimes miss truly getting to know the people I interact with each day. Times like these allow for a different side to come out and, all of a sudden, you see people in a completely different light. I'm thankful to have a manager that sees the importance of building relationships and also connecting with something other than your laptop.

It's also easy to work late when your office looks like this:



















View from the summit of 14,196 ft Mt Yale


















High alpine fauna....a marmot just enjoying a little sunshine


















My summit picture thanks to Steve. What a windy day. You can tell by my choice of gear that it wasn't a summer hike. By treeline, the wind was blowing at least 35 mph and it made for a cold climb on the windward side of the mountain. I took refuge behind some rocks just below the summit, enjoying a finely packed trail-mix and apple, thanks to my lovely wife. Once everyone assembled and recovered from the wind, we summited together and took in the views.


















Another view from the summit. I doesn't really matter what the conditions are, the geography or the prominence, blue skies or a socked in fog, any day in the mountains is a good day.