more walkabout

More walking around today--and more sunshine and light winds. This is making me think that the weather here must be perfect! We took an easy walk around Lily Lake, about 1 mile on a very level graveled path for wheelchair accessibility. This makes it very nice to walk on and gaze around at the scenery instead of eyes on the ground to keep from stumbling on rocks and roots. Then we drove up to the Longs Peak trailhead and did a 3 mile hike to the site of an abandoned mine:

The first part of the trail, about .5 mile, is steep uphill and then continues way up to the top of the peak. We, however, took the road less travelled to Eugenia Mine. Much less climbing, hardly any people. I love the way that the aspen leaves change from shades of green to gold before they are blown off and drift down to earth.

We also did a lot of reminiscing about earlier trips to the top of Longs Peak--my parents went up together 55 years ago, when the trail up went in a route that involved hanging onto a steel cable bolted into the rocks on the steepest section. What were they thinking???

About 10 years ago my husband, Bob, went up with my dad and they made it to the top, a special bonding experience for them. As I recall, they ended up doing the last part in the dark. Then a couple years ago daughter Brita and Bob were here and made it up as far as they could go before the weather stopped them, it quickly gets dangerous with rain and wind at those altitudes. That trip also lead to one of those funny stories that you wonder if this really happens: Brita and Bob took shelter in a little stone hut on the side of the mountain and there were only 2 other hikers still at that level. They wanted a picture of themselves to mark the occasion of their climb, so asked the guys to take a picture. They said "No", not what you would expect! Turns out they were Amish so do not believe in taking any images! What are the chances?

Last year Bob and son, Dan, made it to the summit, setting out from their campground in the dark of the morning so they could get down from the top before the afternoon storms blew in. As for me, you will not be seeing me on the summit, I can hardly stand to walk some trails along cliffs at much lower altitudes, so mountaintops are not the place for me!

So goes the family lore of trips up Longs Peak! It is a personal accomplishment for anyone who can make it, and I do wish I were one of them. But instead, I will be happy for their achievements and cheer them on from below!

Here's a couple of happy wanderers:

reaching the summit

I got a phone call this afternoon from Dan and Bob (DS and DH). They were on their way back to the campground after standing atop Long's Peak (pictured above) in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado this morning! I am so happy that they made it up and down safely and before the weather turned bad. They hit the trail at 1:15 AM and there were other hikers ahead of them. Seems a little extreme, but has proven to be the smart way to conquer this mountain. It is a strenuous climb, with some treacherous paths, and a milestone to complete. Bob has done it before, a few years ago with my dad (who must have been in his 70's at the time) and then another attempt with Brita (DD) a couple years ago. That trip resulted in turning back due to bad weather, and there's an interesting story that goes along with it. Bob and Brita had gone a major portion of the way and were resting in a little hikers' hut, taking shelter out of the cold wind. No hikers were going beyond that point, and other people that had reached the top had descended below them. There were 2 other guys in the shelter, and Bob and Brita wanted to record their own accomplishment on film for posterity, so they asked the guys to please take their picture together with the peak in the background. Imagine their surprise when they declined! Turns out they were Amish and their religion forbids taking pictures (something to do with false images, I guess). What a weird moment--the only people on the mountain to snap the picture and they couldn't!

I had totally planned to spend the day sewing and quilting, but instead have been cooking. Zucchini bread because we have a bunch from the garden but it only used up 1 zuke. Spaghetti sauce because I have a lot of basil in the garden but it only used up 1/10th of what's out there. Meatballs to go with the spaghetti. Chicken stuffing hotdish. Beef roast in the crock pot. Lots of dirty dishes! Some of this is going into the freezer, some going to friends. Since I'm home alone for a few days there's not a lot that will get eaten here. But it's fun to indulge in a cooking fest once in a while.

Now maybe I can sneak in a bit of quilting before it's too late to focus!