Shoshoni Peak
Steven Snowden
About this work:
In June of 2007, some friends of mine invited me to join them in a trek to the summit of Shoshoni Peak in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Though I had lived in Colorado for nearly two years at that time, I had yet to attempt what locals would deem a legitimate climb. At nearly 13,000 feet, Shoshoni Peak is a formidable mountain for an inexperienced climber, but I decided that I should take advantage of the opportunity. Mist still shrouded most of Shoshoni when we arrived at Lake Isabelle, though its jagged peak had begun to gleam in the early morning sun. We spent the next four hours traversing vast snow fields that still covered much of the trail that early in the season. Most of the final 500 feet of vertical ascent consisted of loose boulders spotted with splashes of bright green lichen. I still don’t know how I survived the last part of the climb, but when I finally arrived at the summit, I knew it was worth the pain of pushing my body farther than it wanted to go. Perhaps it was the somewhat hallucinogenic effect of the altitude, but looking across the continental divide from that unique perspective was a truly overwhelming experience.
Year composed: 2009
Duration: 00:06:00
Ensemble type: Orchestra:String Orchestra
Instrumentation:
Instrumentation notes: Harp part is optional