False Summits

Flattop Mountain reaches an altitude of 12,326 feet. It can be accessed from the Bear Lake trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park and is a gorgeous four and a half mile hike to the top. From my house in the Denver area I can reach the trailhead in two hours, which includes a quick pass through the Estes Park McDonald’s for an Egg McGriddle.

I love getting on trail at sunrise. The hike up Flattop is one of the more difficult trails I do, but I  love the whole experience of it and try to hike it once a year. Conditions at its upmost heights can be severe — from difficult snowpack over a long winter season to routine afternoon thunderstorms in summer. Strong winds are common.

Several years ago, when the mountain was new to me, I was with my friend, Patrick, and Flattop was just the beginning of what we had planned to do that day. We started in heavy forest and as we gained altitude the trail brought us above tree line and into a world of rocks. Lots and lots of rocks.

I could see the top. We were almost there.

After getting to a higher viewpoint though, I could see another hiker way ahead on the trail and realized the top was still a ways up. This was my introduction to a phenomenon called a false summit. Patrick explained it’s when you think you’re near the top, but as you get closer, you see that you’re not. For me, this happened about three times on our hike. I would think we were at the top, but then would see we still had a ways to go. It was discouraging.

Writing this book has felt a lot like false summits. I would think that I’m getting to the end but realize that I still had a ways to go. I would finish a draft and feel I’m coming to an end, but then would see that I’m not. The book needed to go through numerous drafts. It was as though the book wasn’t ready to be done.

After close to four years from when I started this book, I happily, finally finished writing it. This was during the week of Thanksgiving 2023.

Yet. I still had a ways to go.

This book project has been an active learn-as-I-go process. Like getting a college degree, but without deadlines or requirements of any kind. I, myself, take on the burden of the work. I’ve discovered, too, that all the small tasks of bringing a book to completion take much longer than  I would have anticipated. Mind you, I do not sit at my laptop for eight hours a day. My process can be best described as nudging. The little things, all the little things that make up the big things, trickle along.

I have more hiking experience now and no longer put too much thought into when I’ll reach the summit. I’ll get there when I get there. When I finished the writing portion of this book, many months ago, I was ready for it to be done and I didn’t yet understand there were still many steps needed to get to the finish. Heck, I’m not even sure there is a finish. I trust this book will be ready when it’s ready.

I’ll just enjoy the journey.

Kerry McGlynn

www.KerryMcGlynn.com