A Wheelchair Can Be Too Light

Last weekend I went for a drive with two friends. I had been told repeatedly that the drive to the Mount Evans Summit was nothing short of spectacular. The Mount Evans road is certainly not for the faint of heart--it is the highest paved road in North America. There are no guard rails and the road is very narrow with multiple hair pin turns. I would venture to say it is the most challenging road I have ever driven. The best section of the road and most challenging is the 28 mile segment from Idaho Springs to just below the summit of Mount Evans. In that distance one goes from 7,540 feet to 14,130 feet. The views from the summit are nothing short of breathtaking. According to the National Park Service, traveling to the Mount Evans summit is akin to driving through Canada to Nome, Alaska. Every 1,000 feet gained in the mountains is the equivalent to traveling 600 miles in latitude.

I did not take any photographs on the drive. The drive required 100% concentration and once pass Summit Lake there is virtually no safe place to pull over. When we left Denver it was warm and sunny--mid to upper 80s. In the West however weather can change fast. In addition, we were going to gain 7,000 feet in elevation. By the time we got to the Mount Evans road clouds had moved in and it was raining. The temperatures dropped rapidly--more than the average drop of 3.5 to 5 f. per 1,000 feet of elevation gained. Half way up to the summit it was 42 f. and windy--a drop of over 40 f. At the summit parking lot the temperature was 37 f. with sustained wind gusts at 40 to 50 mph. The wind chill made it feel like it was in the low teens. I was thrilled! I love the cold. I wanted to explore as I knew the hike to the summit itself was wheelchair accessible and a mere 1/4 mile. We never got out of the parking lot. Once in my wheelchair the wind was so strong it was almost impossible for me to independently control my wheelchair. I have felt strong wind gusts before. Sitting in my new light weight wheelchair is almost like being a sail. To date, this has been great fun or great work. The fun is allowing the wind to move me at break new speeds. The work is going against the wind. Wind in a wheelchair as light as mine is major variable and something I have never thought about.

The powerful wind at the top of Mount Evans moved me in ways I have never felt before. I was on the verge of being completely out of control and unable to stop my wheelchair. At over 14,000 ft. I was winded from transferring from the car to my wheelchair and moving across a small parking lot. I was also chilled to the bone. In a visceral way Mother Nature demonstrated her power and my hubris. I was not prepared for the weather or wind. In more ways than one I was blown away. From the summit one can see most of the Continental Divide in Colorado. One can also see Longs Peak, Denver, Pikes Peak, and Mount Bierstadt. The drive and summit views were incredible experiences. Better yet I learned a basic fact without injury. My wheelchair is too light in sustained high winds. I never thought I would live long enough to write that statement. I look forward to going back on a day when I am well prepared for the weather and altitude. It looks like I will need to dust off my ancient back up wheelchair and refurbish it if I am going to hike around the top of Mount Evans. Simply put, I need a far heavier wheelchair if I am going to make the short hike to the summit. Amazing.