Did you know that you can sunburn your eyes? I didn't; at least not until last Monday, when a friend from Lake City and I scaled Uncompahgre Peak. The mountain is the sixth highest in Colorado, soaring 14,309 feet above the level of the sea. The snow was patchy--nothing really to contend with--but enough angel dust had fallen on the surrounding mountain ranges to make their crowns picturesque against the azure sky. However, at 14,309 feet above sea level, we were about 12,000 feet closer to the sun than where I grew up. And there's significantly less air (and no cloud) to buffer the rays of that burning orb at such an altitude.
It's October, and we're in the Rocky Mountains. I'm wearing three layers of clothing and heavy boots. Who thinks about sunscreen while sporting such apparel? I should have. When I came back from the hike, my face and neck were lobster-red, and I even had horizontal bands of red on my eyeballs the width of a tight squint. Sigh. Tomorrow, when another friend and I hike Handies Peak (a mere 14, 048 feet), I will slather my peeling face and neck with a sunscreen that would make NASA proud, and I'll wear a hat and sunglasses. More pictures and less pain to follow.
~ emrys
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