More from The Climb

I left out the best part of our big climb while in Colorado . . . .

Once at the top we ate our sandwiches and looked at the view for a bit but as the clouds began to roll in we thought it would be best to start heading down. Going down may sound easier but it is tough on the legs and the steep part was pretty slow . . . . Once we got back on the jeep road we began to move a little faster especially as the thunder started. Coming up the road was a family on Quads.

Let me stop and get on my soap box about motorized vehicles in the great outdoors. I am from Louisiana and certainly see the value of having an ATV of some sort to get to the duck blind or do some work around your property, BUT can it really be that much fun to just ride around on dirt road? Okay, yes I do remember having fun when I was younger goofing off on them but for me it was more the chance to drive; I didn't really care what I was driving.

Here's the deal, to really enjoy the outdoors shouldn't you be quiet? How can you hear the waterfalls and river, or the bugling of an elk, or the weird sound a marmot makes, or get to enjoy the company of your friends and family when you are revving up your engine? Park your noise maker and try walking in the woods for once.

Okay, now back to my story . . . . So as we are coming down the road a family led by Gunnin' It Granny was going up to the saddle. Dad (or so we assumed) stopped and said: "Y'all hiking?" I was so dumbfounded by the question that all I could say was "yes." It was one of those moments where we thought of plenty of things to say once we started to walk on. Did he think we parachuted in? Were we dropped off by our space ship? Did we look like we were grocery shopping (Warren's suggestion). Amazing . . . he had probably been breathing too many of the ATV fumes.

It was pretty much just a nice walk in the woods after that except for the hail, but we survived.