Those who have hiked the Colorado Rockies know the terrain isn't gentle and meandering but steep and, well, rocky. To get to a high mountain lake takes a good two or so hours of steady uphill climbing and in my case, lots of chocolate.
The above photo was taken at the lower Lake of the Clouds. We lunched at the middle lake, and while Mitch went in search of the upper lake, I curled up with a magazine, the view and a hearty hunk of zucchini bread.
Overall, I was a good sport. The day was glorious, with a sky so blue to look at it made my teeth ache. The lakes sparkled; trout nipped at low-flying insects and the light danced off their blue-green waters like fireflies ready for love.
But my feet hurt on the way down (four miles) and I yearned for a proper bathroom. All I could think was, surely hiking boot technology has advanced to absorb the pummeling feet take from gravity, rocks and age? There's got to be an insert, padded footbed or wicking something-or-other to take the sting out of the descent?
Anyway, we saw these on the way down. The seasonal end of the alpine wildflowers. Pretty, no?
