Because They Are There…

"I think I climb mountains because I get a great deal of enjoyment out of it. I get satisfaction out of overcoming some challenge which is difficult… perhaps maybe a little dangerous." Edmund Hillary

Above the Trees

A few of the gang headed up to Molas Pass for a hike on the Colorado Trail—a 500 mile roughly north/south path from Denver to Durango that frequents the Continental Divide. We swung into Silverton on the way home to pick up some weed :).

Yankee Boy and the "Governor"

On a clouded day with rain threatening, two gals and a guide braved the road to Yankee Boy Basin to wander wildflowers and waterfalls. 

Above and Beyond Ice Lake… to Island Lake

Dear Lord, I've got turquoise jewelry less turquoise than Island Lake. It sure makes a Lovely Postcard with Bobbie grinning from ear to ear.

Getting High With The Gang

Well, it was a great hike, ten hikers in all, but the wildflowers were a bust... just in the early stages of bloom, if at all. I'm bummed because flowers are more than half the draw as far as I'm concerned. But the fellowship more than made up for that, and Ice Lake was in full glory…

A Preview of Today's Hike

So this is where the Gang is spending today, Ice Lake Basin. I've never seen a lake so deeply turquoise-blue as Ice Lake. Once you see it the bar is raised and the rest are ho-hum. Ice Lake is a visual/emotional paradox, affect and effect, stir and calm, imprint and erase. For better or worse, it is the measure by which all other bodies of water will be compared. Ice Lake, however, is not pictured in this teaser post. Some things should remain under wraps—chaste, until appropriately consummated. 

Attitude and Altitude Adjustments In Lovely Ouray…

Debbie, Suzanne, Jim, Gayle, Bobbie, and Your's Truly descended en masse for a little post-hike/bike/swim beverage and sustenance at the Ouray Brewery. Jim whined about the vertiginousness of Oak Creek Trail and lack of oxygen, while Suzanne and Your's Truly arm-wrestled for the "check" (regretfully, the incorrigible Winnie Wanderer remains undefeated in that department). And, as if that wasn't enough (ahem) intercourse, another get-together was had at the BCB Mine Shack a few hours later… a welcome party for other late arriving RV contingents, Chris and Mindy (Jeepers from Illinois), and another Chris, a Lazy Dazer who we had yet to meet, and Wildflower regular John Q. and wife Joalenn.

Wildflower Potpourri

"May your life be like a wildflower growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day." Native American Proverb

The Secret Garden

Local friends, Carla and Kathleen, invited us to a summer celebration at The Secret Garden, a fine dining catering service here in Lovely Ouray. The Secret Garden blends impeccable landscaping with delectable food offerings and makes for a truly magnificent dinning experience. In a day and age of instant meals and fast food, they are a breath of fresh air. Food preparation is an art form. It takes more than a culinary school diploma to do what they do; it's about creativity and instinct.

Blue Lakes Pass or Bust

Busted. Monsoon season feels different this year. Normally, we have clear skies in the mornings and clouds build shortly after noon, with thunderstorms erupting by 2 PM. Most of those storms pass quickly; you can wait them out under a rock and then continue hiking. But this year things have changed, the "weather" is getting an early start. Take a couple days ago...

A Loop Hike With Bobbie and My Favorite Son

Son Caleb was born, raised, and educated here in Southwest Colorado. But he's been around since graduating from Fort Lewis College in Durango, mostly Texas, from San Antonio to Austin to Dallas. After a few years in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he came "home" after finding gainful employment in Denver. He's just as far away in Denver as he was in Albuquerque, but somehow it feels closer.

Doing What We Love To Do

There are two kinds of pride… good and bad. 'Bad pride' is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance. (Maxwell)

The Wandrin Man moves on…

You might want to check Wandrin Lloyd's blog. His daughter, Vanita, let all of Lloyd's followers and friends know that he moved on yesterday. I can't really explain why, but this song is what came to mind while pondering the oppositional news of Lloyd's death, and the wonderful life he led. I think the Wandrin Man would approve...

Jim and Gayle's Little Adventure to Lovely Ouray

There they are, svelte Gayle and the always dapper Jim (aka, "Peterman"), gracing Main Street, Ouray… felicitously backdropped by the grand, meticulously restored Beaumont Hotel, not to mention, the local police. Now you know why I always feel underdressed in Jim's presence, and overweight in Gayle's…   

Days Spent In Wild Places Are Not Wasted

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." Annie Dillard

Peering into the bowl from an adjoining ridge, I found it near unfathomable that 400 hard-rock residents once called this unforgiving place "home." Over time, the crushing weight of winter snows and volatile avalanches have taken a destructive toll on all but a couple of buildings. Gravity, like rust and scheming women, never sleeps.