Clarity In Hiking

Rolling back to Denver for a few days seems to have been the right thing to do. From Denver it's an easy drive to loads of good hikes so I've used my mothers home for a base and have headed up to the hills during the day. As of late the weather has been spectacular. Colorado is known for afternoon thunderstorms that often turn violent. It's one of the most likely places in America to get struck by lightning. The general rule is to be headed off mountain tops and high ridges by noon. Valleys offer a lot more protection and are relatively safe when lightnins in the air. Since my arrival in Colorado the mountain storms have been frequent and early but the past couple of days have been stellar. It's nice when you can stand atop a pass well into the afternoon under cobalt blue skies and nary a worry of a storm. It reminds me of my time in Sierras of California which boasts the most stable summer weather of all North American mountain ranges.

Having ascended all of Colorado's 54, 14,000 ft. peaks years ago I've since been chipping away at the remaining 100 highest peaks. While most of Colorado's mountains can be ascended via a relatively safe hike/scramble up talus and boulders a few are technical and downright dangerous. Not sure I'll get the 100 highest due to 3 or 4 that pose risks I'll not likely take.

A couple of days ago I climbed number 70 which turned out to be an exceptionally pleasant ascent past small lakes, tarns, and waterfalls. 13,951 ft Fletcher peak lies in the middle of the Ten Mile and Mosquito ranges near Breckenridge. At the beginning of the hike/climb I noticed a group of mountain goats high above upon a cliff ledge as you might expect. As I laced up my boots and adjusted my pack I was surprised to see three of the goats literally run down the cliffs to great me like cattle coming in for feed. I got really close to them and took a few photos but they didn't seem to be interested in food. They were just curious. There's no way I was going to feed them anyway. Human food is generally not good for wild animals and feeding them is in no way beneficial to their well being. I assume hikers or fisherman may have thrown a few granola bars their way and that's why they were so interested in me. However, I have come across Mtn goats in the past that are simply curious. I've just never gotten photos of such a nice group so close.

The hike up Fletcher was very pleasant and offered a nice variety of scenery. I had the area all to myself and only saw one set of boot prints that appeared to be from the day before. As often happens when I hike in the mountains thoughts flow freely and sometimes I'll even have a conversation with myself out loud. If someone were to see me talking to myself it might appear a bit odd but the exercise of doing so seems to help me be a little more objective when sorting out my thoughts. As I hiked down the peak I experienced a moment of clarity. A segment of time where everything feels peacefully clear and all seems right and perfectly situated in the scheme of things. Where is I've felt out of the flow for the past month I suddenly felt like I was back on track. Where I'm supposed to be. Time that may have felt squandered, wasted or not used efficiently may actually be a part of what I call the process. Life lessons are a process where timing and flow may not always be synchronized to ones desired rhythm. Knowing when to execute a move, make a decision, or initiate a change can be riddle.

Yesterday I joined a small group on a nice in the James Peak Wilderness up to Rodgers pass. There were 7 of us. It was organized through an informal outing club based out of Boulder that I used to hike and climb with on occasion when I lived there over eight years ago. Due to 5 star weather we stayed out all day. Ages varied from 20's to 40's and everyone swapped stories of hikes climbs and world travels. It kind of made me second guess why I live in Houston. When in Houston I'm and oddity of sorts but in Colorado not so much. However, I don't feel any kind of real pull to move back. Despite missing the skiing I really don't miss cold winters. Below are a few photos of my recent hikes. Tomorrow I'll roll on and make my way towards Montana.