Day 7 - 7/6/2005 -  One more time...

I'm redoing this page due to a tech difficulty (ooopps - Anthropomorphal Interface Error), so I'm working from memory....

I awoke to the sound of a large, very squeaky wooden door closing quickly.  That is the only sound I can use to describe the large mule deer that was out side of our tent at sunrise.  Hunter was still asleep, because, well after all he's still a teenager.  I woke him just long enough to look at the deer and fall back asleep.  I guess he was mule deer'ed out.

After a little more rest, we awoke, ate some cereal, packed up and headed south toward Mt Elbert.  On the trip we drove through absolutely gorgeous mountains and passes.  We could tell the approximate altitude based on the amount of snow and trees.  The treeline is about 11,800'-12,000', and then the snow starts getting very heavy at 13,000'.  We continued south through Leadville and into the backcountry surrounding Mt. Elbert.  We found a beautiful campsite at Elbert Creek, which is next to the trailhead.

We setup for the night and cooked some Hamburger Helper with some fresh burger we picked up (along with fresh salad - just so Mom knows Hunter is eating well!)  We know we will need a good dinner for energy tomorrow.  After packing our gear for an early start (4:15 am wakeup), we hit the sack.  About 30 minutes after we went to bed, there was a growling outside the tent.  I wasn't quite asleep, and out of some sort of instinct I growled back, thinking it was a dog.   By this time, Hunter was awake and whatever it was growled again and sounded closer; maybe 20 feet away.  I wasn't about to go outside to see what it was, so I grabbed the biggest thing I could find - the van.  By that I mean I grabbed the remote key fob and repeatedly locked the car, which flashes the lights and honks the horn.  It worked.  What ever it was scurried off.  I went to sleep after a while, but kept the key fob handy.