Sometimes, when I go hiking in the Colorado Rockies, I feel as though I’ve been transported to another planet- the surroundings are so beautiful they almost assume a surreal quality to them. A Lord of the Rings style otherworldliness, if you will.
Never has this been more true than this past Friday when I ventured to the Sangre de Cristos wilderness in southern Colorado for a planned backpacking trip and 14er expedition with my friend (and future med school classmate!) Susan.
The original plan was to drive 4.5 hrs down to the trailhead, backpack up to to a high camp at Willow Lake, and then try to climb two nearby 14ers early the next morning.
Welllllll….as it turned out, that didn’t exactly happen.
Fun fact: going to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter, arriving several hours late to the trailhead, schlepping 30 pounds of crap on up 3000 vertical feet of trail, and then not setting up camp till 1AM does not make for very motivating conditions to attempt a 14er climb.
As a result, Susan and I bailed on the whole getting up at 5AM and climbing 14ers thing and instead chose the sleeping in thing. Sometimes, you just have listen to what your body is saying, and my body was BEGGING me for some more sleep.
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t really mind bailing on the 14ers climb. By getting to the trailhead so late and backpacking up to the lake during the midnight hour, I was able to experience the amazing, mystical beauty of a full moon hike. Imagine this scenery illuminated by the otherworldly glow of the moon….
It was mindblowing. I really wish I could have taken a picture of it because my words do such an awe-inspiring sight absolutely no justice whatsoever. Just know that the beauty of these sheer cliffs glowing by the light of the moon was enough to take my breath away (what little of it was left anyway after all the huffing and puffing we did while we hauled our gear to the lake). 100% phenomenal.
The staggering sight of the sheer glowing mountain cliffs made me feel very small and simultaneously overwhelmingly happy that I am able to experience such things, that I’m able to bear witness to such beauty in this world of ours. Being alive is such a rich privilege sometimes, you know? I often forget that amidst the hustle and bustle of daily living, but it really is…and this full moon hike reminded me of that.
The next morning, we were both tired and sore from the hike to the lake, so we decided to enjoy a leisurely morning frolicking around this beautiful alpine lake area and just savoring our time in this outstanding corner of Colorado.
We dipped our feet into the freezing waters of Willow Lake while gawking at its 200 ft cliffs and waterfalls.
We admired the clusters of Columbines (the CO state flower) growing in the area.
We gaped at the sheer power of a rushing river.
We scooted around rocks and bushes as we attempted to view the lake from every possible vantage point.
We basked in the loveliness of the sun and the way it illuminated the lake from within.
And we took an immense amount of nerdy hiking pictures, of course!
This trip will have a special place in my heart in spite of the deviations from our original plans. It taught me that time spent in nature is meant to be ENJOYED. We’re only on this earth for so long….if we’re always running around focusing on the summit, how can we possibly slow down enough to appreciate the beauty of the journey?
And trust me, there is so much beauty during our journey. Sometimes, you just have to slow down for a second and deviate from your original plans to realize it.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I just went on my first hike this past weekend at the Flat Irons! Are there any other hikes you recommend near Denver? This one looks gorgeous!!!
Oh gosh…there are a zillion hikes around the foothills of Denver. It just depends on what length/difficulty of hike you’re looking for. The Flatirons are a great place to start exploring…anything around Rocky Mtn National Park is also fantastic (if a bit further from Denver than you may have been looking for). I think if I were you, I would start by searching online for hikes around the Denver foothills area that are of the length/difficulty you’re looking for and go from there. Wish I could be a bit more specific, but honestly, any hike around this area will probably be a good one.
A full moon hike sounds absolutely breath-taking. “Being alive is such a privilege sometimes, ya know?” — oh I definitely know
Glad to hear you enjoyed the hike, despite it not adhering to your original plans.
It’s always nice to realize that things will be just fine (better than fine even) if they don’t go according to plan. I can be very type-A at times, so these types of revelations sometimes surprise me. Lol. But yes, it was most definitely a very enjoyable outing in the mountains.
I’m so enjoying my state thu your photos, just incredible scenery!!
Oh, I’m sooooooo jealous! London doesn’t have any hiking. I’m sort of missing it. And the Sangre de Cristo mountains are phenomenal. When I worked in northern New Mexico, we would go hiking there often. It’s just magical.
Agreed. The Sangre de Cristo mountains are magical…but then again, so is London. Just in different, but equally awesome ways.
I love that you followed how you felt, rather than forcing the 14ers. I would have had a hard time backing down from such a great idea, but I’m sure you had a lot more fun enjoying the lake than you would have if you had the mountains on limited energy.
Love all the photos – absolutely gorgeous!
I want to go here. And I think its great what you did. It wouldn’t have even been fun! Chances are they’ll still be there for next time.