I stood atop Pikes Peak Summit (14,115 feet / 4,302.31 meters), a feral king next to that stone wall, my Miami beach-bum vibe erupting—shirt shredding in the mid-summer breeze, no jacket, just a sun hat blazing with unhinged swagger against the storm brewing overhead. Mother Nature, a drop-dead gorgeous temptress with her sun-kissed peaks and misty allure, locked eyes with me, her warm...