My Extended Experience

I took advantage of the two measly days offered for Fall Break and escaped to Green Mountain Falls, Colorado. Green Mountain Falls is a small and incredibly welcoming mountain town near Colorado Springs. After making the never-ending ten hour drive on Wednesday, we finally arrived at 2am. On our second full day, our group decided to follow a random trail near our cabin and see where it led. Along the way, we passed a pretty sizable waterfall and a tremendous amount of deer. As we progressed further along the trail, it was obvious that the path was heading towards the top of a mountain. We hiked nearly constant switchbacks for about an hour, however, the switchbacks were short in distance and relatively easy to manage. In retrospect, it could have been far more challenging. The first half of the trail was fairly unremarkable; there were pipes scattered throughout the trail, which I am guessing helps with directing snow melt in the winter and spring months. As we neared the top, picturesque aspen trees began to dominate the forest. Every time I hike through an aspen forest I feel as if I am in a magical woodland fairy tale; to me, aspens are so extraordinarily beautiful, it is unimaginable that they could exist naturally. The golden yellow against the bright white bark stands in sharp contrast, unlike any tree I ever seen before. It sounds bizarre but these trees truly make me reexamine my spiritual beliefs. Why were are these trees yellow and white, while others are green and dark brown? What or who decides the color of each individual flower and why? Although many of these introspective thoughts crossed my mind as I walked through the trees, I also wanted to stay immersed and appreciative of the world around me.

This deer was extremely docile and barely moved as we walked past. Most of the deer we encountered seemed very comfortable around humans.

Crystal Falls
We came back later on in the evening and walked in the water without our shoes on; it was freezing and refreshing.

Once we reached the relative top of the mountain, the trail seemed to disappear. Using natural features, such as cracks and overhangs, to scramble up and over multiple boulders to reach the point of highest elevation. Once we reached this point that we perceived as the end of trail, we took an extended break to take photos and eat lunch. We had mini bagel pizzas, which are exactly what they sound like and were surprisingly good. At the top of the mountain we could clearly see the top of the cloud cover. The clouds seemed to surround the mountain in a thick band, enveloping every crack and crevice. This was my favorite part of the trail because we took a solid amount of time to sit and just look around. With the clouds blocking our view of the town below, I felt like I was completely separate from the rest of civilization. We could see nothing but mountains, clouds, and sky. In comparison, on our journey coming up the trail it seemed like we were in a foot race, never taking more than one minute to catch our breath. I hated it. I have discovered that my style of hiking is slow and steady, with lots of snack and water breaks scattered throughout.

I took this picture of my friend, Joey, on the top of this boulder. I tried to make the boulder the center of focus by placing it near the middle; however, I made it slightly off center so I could capture more of the bright yellow aspen trees. I love how this photo conveys the brightness of the aspen forest, with spots of green scattered throughout. I also made a point to take the photo from a somewhat large distance so that the scenery was the main focus of the picture and not the person.

Although I do not feel like I had a magical epiphany on this trip, I had a lovely time exploring and spending quality time with my close friends. Writing this post, the one thing I remember is how still the forest felt as we walked along the trail. It felt as if we were visitors in a untouched area of natural beauty that had escaped the destructive influences of society. The forest was quiet; the loudest disturbance was the sound of our laboring breaths as we climbed and climbed. I still do not think that I can easily acclimate to high elevations, but judging by how much I have visited Colorado in the past few months, that day may not be far off. I cannot wait to return.