Cosmic Insignificance
September 11, 2026
Last Wednesday, Bridger ditched school so we could go climb Longs Peak. Longs has been on our checklist for a few years, but life, weather, and my old, bad back kept getting in the way. After missing the last few years, we decided that it was finally time to make it happen, especially with Bridger entering a busy senior year at Boulder High, and leaving for college in the Fall.
Bridger has spent most of her summers at a pretty rustic month-long camp in Estes Park, where they sleep in covered wagons. They wake up at 3am to go climb big peaks around Rocky Mountain National Park, watching the sunrise from above tree line as they make their way to various hard to reach summits. Over years of this, Bridger has fallen in love with hiking, and with the feeling of being in the mountains.
However, because she’s usually at camp in June, when there’s more snow up high, she hadn’t yet been to the top of Longs, which is at 14,259’. It’s a peak that we can see from many places in Boulder, which is always a decent reason to climb it. After following the weather, it was looking like Wednesday 9/9 was going to be a perfect day with clear skies and mild temps.
We drove up to a campsite near the trailhead the night before, slept in the van for a few hours, then woke up at 2:45 am to have coffee and breakfast before hitting the trail at 4:00 am under an intensely clear, star-filled sky. The first few hours we hiked with headlamps, and broke tree line just as the sun was coming up. There was a lot of bear poop on the trail to remind us that we weren’t alone.
Being up high for sunrise is a good way to access something called “cosmic insignificance therapy,” where one’s worries, ambitions, fears, failures, and self consciousness are put into perspective. It’s a version of what astronauts experience when they look back on Earth from space. Recognizing the sheer scale of the universe, and accepting our insignificance can make our lives feel more significant, not less.
Our first proper view of Longs came shortly after sunrise, the warm glow on the peak bisected by a crisp shadow. From there, we crossed the Boulder Field and made our way up through the Keyhole, where we were transported into another universe. After following painted red and yellow markers along a traverse for a while, we made our way up the Trough, then through the Narrows (acrophobics beware), then finally up the Home Stretch to the summit, which is a huge flat area the size of a football field. The sun was out, the weather was perfect, and there were a few other groups of happy people scattered around, snacking, laughing, and enjoying this magical spot.
We met a 72-year old guy that has been on the summit of Longs 25 times. We met a retired ranger that has been on the summit 158 times. I’ve been to the top of a few other 14ers, but this one felt different, more spiritual.
We lounged on the summit, took a few photos with Bridger’s homemade cardboard sign, then started down the Home Stretch. Back at the Boulder Field, we stopped to drink from the cold, clear creek. Lying there in the sun, heads propped on our packs, munching on yogurt covered pretzels, looking back up at the summit and listening to the burbling water was just so good. I could have stayed there for a long time. Eventually, we got up and made our way back down to the car. The last few miles down were a relentless grind. Round trip time, almost 11 hours. Which makes Kyle Richardson’s Fastest Known (round trip) Time of 1:55 almost impossible to comprehend.
Climbing big mountains is hard, but it’s worth the trade. Making and selling art (and clocks) is hard too. Also worth the trade.
So much of finding fulfillment in life comes from staying with something even when it’s hard, and continually finding creative new ways to keep going. Over time, you learn to embrace and even enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to continue. On long journeys that sometimes feel endless, solving the problem of what comes next becomes its own source of joy and fulfillment. Because as long as you don’t stop, you haven’t failed.
I feel super fortunate to have shared this day with Bridger. I also feel super fortunate that she enjoys these kinds of experiences and will likely continue to seek them out in her life. Not because climbing mountains is particularly important, but because learning to choose hard things, stay curious when they get difficult, and find a way forward is.
