Disclaimer: This is not a devotional. There’s no moral to the story, unless you wish to find one here. It’s simply a cautionary tale about middle age and a long trail.
The Lake of the Clouds Loop trail begins at the end of a road leading out of Westcliffe, Colorado. My husband and I arrived to hike it—or at least (we thought) the first few miles of it—on May 29. It was our 28th anniversary.
The full distance of the trail is about 12 miles. It reaches a series of three small lakes at about 11,500 feet. Ambitious, yes, but–
Believe me when I tell you that I did not expect to hike past the first 2 to 3 miles. There’d been snow recently, and I fully anticipated having to turn back early. This was the first of several poor judgments. I mean, really bad judgments. I underestimated my tenacity (or is that stubbornness?), and we ultimately traveled 11 miles of trail. It was awful. [Read more…]
