West of the Mississippi

I discovered an amazing trail this weekend that will surely be a great spot to clear and calm my head throughout the coming months of a stressful new job. When we arrived at the trail head there were sure signs of a Denver summer thunderstorm. The clouds darkened and quickly covered any sunlight. Raindrops were light but were growing in size and force. Of course I don't have rain gear yet. Phoenix stores don't have ponchos and water-resistant clothing. I asked Meg if she still wanted to head up the trail and she assured me we would continue on! Good! Our cotton would definitely keep us dry and warm in the event of rain (or hail) for 30 minutes.
Then there is also elevation to consider. Meg hails from the Windy City where water and land meet near sea level. Denver is a mile high but we had driven even higher to get to the trail head. Huffing and puffing a few minutes later, I asked her if she was good. In Meg's famous quote of the week, "it feels like breathing through a straw." I devised a thunderstorm plan - hang out under the tree cover until the storm passes. We never had to test out the safety of hiding under trees. We got to the glacier before the storm! The wind was strong but not enough to deter us off course. The trees and glacier lake were gorgeous even in the gray coloring from the storm clouds overhead. Colorado is beautiful. The hour drive outside of Denver allowed us to experience Colorado the way the settlers, trappers, and miners first saw the Rockies.
We hiked through the brush and along the glacial lake to reach the foot of the ice. People were actually skiing and boarding from the top of the ice field - in July. One man had his dog running along side him as he skied down. So cool! Maybe I will snowboard down with a dog, err hot dog is all I've got. St. Mary's Glacier is a far cry away from the urban hiking in Phoenix. I think I may like living in Denver.
And by the time we left - we were watching the storm roll across the rest of the Rockies as the lake glistened under the sunny skies.