Let's go climb Ball Mountain.

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Sweet!

Would you just look at those incredibly scenic vistas that you'd normally be able to see from here if not for this one incredibly dumb snowstorm!!

We're at about 11,800 feet above sea level right here. Wind isn't too bad, probably only about 20mph, but the temps are quite low so it doesn't take much wind to make you want to just curl up and die. Let's not do that, okay? Great! Oh and you should probably put your goggles on now unless you want to get slapped in the face by snowflakes flinging themselves horizontally at you at 20mph. It won't blind you but it will make it impossible to open your eyes for more than half a second at a time, which will make navigation very difficult, which will likely result in you getting lost and then having to curl up and die somewhere in these parts.

Great!

The scenically Colorado mountain vistascape views from here would be simply unmatched,

if not for this snowstorm.

From here you'd be able to see Ball right off there in the distance.

You'd be able to easily recognize it by its rounded shape.

It's not very far away, but unfortunately due to the foot of snow on the ground, it is going to take us a while to get there.

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Okay, great,

we've made a couple hundred feet of progress and we haven't died. That only took half an hour,

nice work!

And oh, you can just barely make out Ball's slopes now! Smashingly scenic Colorado vistaness, is what we'd be seeing right now if not for this snowstorm!

We'll get up there soon enough, don't worry!

We just have to keep moving, and not curl up and die, and not fall into any of the open mineshafts.

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Oh,

I forgot to tell you about the open mineshafts, didn't I?

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Sorry, it must have slipped my mind.

I was probably distracted by all the beautiful Coloradoness vistascape unmatchery that we'd normally be able to see right now, but for this silly ol' snowstorm we seem to be stuck in the middle of.

But anyway, yeah, there's open mineshafts all over the place around here.

Don't worry, I know where all of them are. Scout's honor.

We'll just make sure to walk around them, and eventually, as long as we keep moving through this wind and snow, instead of curling up and dying, we'll make it to the

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summit!

We're at about 12,280 feet above sea level right here, right in the middle of a dumb ol' snowstorm.

Wind's pretty bad. This is bad. This is a high wind situation. This is definitely not the kind of wind you want to be skipping around in right now. Pretty sure I just saw a mountain goat get picked up by this wind and tossed off the mountain like so much chaff.

RIP Kevin.

Temps are colder than frozen nuts up here,

which if you didn't already know,

is very very cold.

We are probably going to die up here.

Okay, great!

If not for this dumb ol' snowstorm that will probably blow itself out like 10 minutes after we descend, you'd be able to see a healthy mix of beautiferously incredible High Rockies Mosquito Range peaks including Sheridan, West Sheridan, Horseshoe, and Finnback Knob.

You'd also be able to see way south into the Arkansas River Valley from here.

You'd be able to see all the way down to Mount Princeton, which looms above Buena Vista like a… very tall mountain.

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Then,

you could turn 90 degrees and look east over at the likes of East Ball, Sherman, and Dyer.

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And finally,

You'd be able to look back west whence you came,

down across Breece Hill and over a little ghost town where I live called Leadville.

The scenic scenery vista views would have been unmatched and incredibly and very much Coloradoness.

But the dumb snowstorm got in the way.

And also,

We curled up and died up here.

Oh, I forgot to tell you about how one dumb snowstorm is all it takes to get yourself killed out in these parts, didn't I?

Sorry,

it must have slipped my mind,

but we are dead.

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Hello from the high Rockies of Colorado. My name is Brandt, pleased to meet you. I’m a writer but I probably shouldn’t be. I live in a little ghost town called Leadville. If you like mountains, snow, mountains obscured by snowstorms, jokes, running, hiking, breathing, not working, etc., then you and I have a lot in common. Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day!