After yesterday’s long hike, we decided to take it easy today on the mileage. However we made up for the miles by climbing 3300′ elevation. We topped out at 10564′ which about sucked the oxygen out of me!

Early morning start is beginning to be our MO. At 4am, even the birds aren’t chirping yet. The benefits to getting up at this absurd hour is we can knocked out the miles before we 1) get baked, or 2) escape certain weather storms that come and 3) get to camp early so we can clean up, do laundry and maybe rest just a bit. I’m not used to the 4am wake up quite yet but I understand the benefits.

Today was picture perfect. God did another wonderful sunrise painting for us with pinks and oranges and there is something about walking in the early morning when no one else is in the trail. That’s because they are sleeping!

The climb started as soon as we crossed the river that we slept at the night before and didn’t stop until past noon. I must admit that I have done some climbing in the past like training hill in Auburn, but that’s at 1500′ and climbs only 1000 feet. This was a slow but steady climb until we hit 9500′ and then, it was granny gear for me all the way up.

What was surprising was the topography. Colorado has a way of manicuring their forest. As I was taking in the sights of these tall majestic pine trees, I noticed there is no undergrowth. It’s as if a gardener came and rack it all, remove any twig or branch and perfected the ground. It was parklike. Where I live, we have tons of underbrush, which is a tinder box waiting for a spark to ignite it.

Then you turn the next corner and there’s a forest of old growth Aspens that reach the heavens. It’s magnificent and helps me take my thought off the fact that I can’t breathe because I’m reaching 10,000′!

We had a lovely Creek to capture icy cold water from surrounded by purple and pink flowers. I don’t know what they were, but they were perfectly placed near the rocks that that water cascaded over. It boggles my mind when humans deny that there is a wonderful creator who designed this beauty for us to behold. It’s without a doubt only by creation that such plants, flowers, waters and insects can flourish in perfect harmony.

Once we made our peak, which was through the trees with no dramatic view, we started back down. It was an easy grade down. After two more miles, we came to this unexpected meadow that was the foreground for another unnamed peak. It’s hard to photograph this area. Nothing really gives you the dimension of the vastness of it.

We continued on to our home, a plateau above a creek that gives way to this scrub brush that animals must visit. It has everything that could desire. I’ll wait up for sunset and see if I can capture some deer grazing.