Mt. Princeton has always held a special place in my heart, so it was only fitting that this was my
second 14er to climb. A camp called Spring Canyon, associated with my dad's
organization - Officer's Christian Fellowship, is on the north side of the mountain. I spent many
summer weeks and the occasional winter week there when I was young while my dad worked
as a program director. After my freshman year of college, I spent the summer as a backpacking
guide for their outdoor program. Mt. Princeton is the first thing you see as you come out of the hills
and into the valley. As a child, seeing that peak always meant we were going to Spring Canyon.
Now, it brings back wonderful memories of my childhood and the hiking adventures I had as a
young adult in the area around the town of Buena Vista.
In the picture below, Eleanor and I look out over the Arkansas valley and Buena Vista, CO in 2005.
Approaching the peak from the east. My dad and I had just turned off of the dirt road that leads
up much of the mountain, and onto the faint trail that would lead us on through the boulders.
For some reason, I thought it would be funny to be the first to summit so I could take a picture
of my dad taking the final steps. I think it had something to do with proving my youth.
