there arrives on certain occasion days that present themselves with unheralded simplicity. after an historic may snowstorm that entwined us in winter's last farewell we were rewarded with the latent promise of the spring and summer to come. reminded that without the darkness we do not appreciate the light, that after the dormancy comes life and that there is indeed a grand plan and someone in charge. how else can you explain 5 inches of precipitation in the month in which it is most needed for the colorado earth to fulfill its promise to nourish and replenish all those whom it nurtures.
there lies but a short 1.5 mile drive to our west the world renowned eldorado state park. a refuge for rock climbers who come to challenge the towering rock walls.
it was not the rock walls that caught my fancy that day but the rattlesnake gorge trail that completes a 4 mile loop to the continental railroad along the divide and back down again. a mildly challenging vertical gain of about 1000 ft. passing through aspen and pine forests.
the azure sky had been cleansed of all the dust and smog and was brilliantly clear against the natural hues of the mountain. a colorado sky that is hard to find elsewhere on a colorado day that is difficult to duplicate.
we start by crossing the new bridge built after the floods of 2013 washed out the previous structure. flown in by helicopter it is a grand beginning beckoning one to the alpine splendour of the frosted firs, sentinals of the peaks.
it was spectacluar to be the first one up that morning following some hardy hiker's tracks to the midpoint of the hike, the old hotel site.
above is the south boulder peak and bear peak ridge line that extends north and south behind the city of boulder.
just prior to reaching the hotel site (which was serviced by a counter balancing water weighted funicular railroad) you can look down the valley to the great plains.
below you can see the snow level after 36 hours on the bench. 18/20 inches of thick heavy white stuff still remained.
this is about a mile into the loop with another mile of steep gradient to go.
it was at this stage that the stalwarts from the previous day had ended their journey. being semi prepared with waterproof hiking boots and snow gators i elected to carry on and complete the loop.
while the views were amazing the effort was taxing. the snow was thick and heavy and every step was an adventure up to your knees. 56 year old legs lag behind 56 year old will.
with a sunday school lesson on my mind however i did manage to extract a life lesson which i would like to relate below.
i tackle life like i tackle the mountain. i love the challenge, i love the adventure. i love being in front with no one ahead. i thrive on being strong and independent. self reliance is paramount. as i moved higher and higher and had to lift my legs in and out of the heavy virgin snow i could feel the drag increase and the labour intensify. i had made the choice however and was confident i would persevere and endure. the journey was amazing. the air crisp, the snow pristine, the colours vibrant. it was exactly as i had imagined and hoped it would be. i knew the price, accepted the challenge and was enjoying the reward. i could feel however the demands that were being made on my body were draining my reserves. it was not a dangerous situation but i could feel the energy level dropping. as i crested the top of the loop i could hear voices and i could see another hiking party coming up the opposite direction. they too were the first on their section of the trail. we exchanged greetings and passed each other.
from then my experience changed. i walked in their footsteps. i followed a path already tread. the amount of energy that i had to expend was siginificantly reduced and i walked where someone had tread before. i still had time to look around. the vista had not changed, the snow was still ethereal the canvas sublime and with the ability to travel an easier journey i was free to absorb and assimilate the beauty around me instead of fighting to stay on the path and make progress. as our paths crossed again on the way down we exchanged greetings and expressed gratitude to each other for blazing a trail that we could each follow.
why do we insist on trying to create our path in life when we have been invited to follow one who has gone before and descended below all things and risen to meet all challenges? on that day i learned that if i can trust and follow indeed my burdens will be light and my pathway easier to travel and my strength preserved.
i have come to love the mountains. you cannot fight them but give thanks to them for the lessons they impart.
- paul
