The mountains were calling today, and we had no choice but to answer. A trip wasn't in the plan for this weekend, at least not as far as I knew, but it was a perfect chance for an impromptu drive. The Mr had a couple of tasks to accomplish at higher altitudes, and when offered the opportunity for a ride-along, I said yes. He will be taking a group of kids he volunteers for up for an afternoon in one of the canyons, and took today to go check out the site. After a brutal, snowy week, he needed to make sure they'd be able to get to their chosen location. The road was paved most of the way, but that last little bit was slick and scary. Hopefully all of the adult chaperones have vehicles equipped with four-wheel drive and high clearances. This next week will be beautiful and sunny to melt some of the snow, but the road might still be dicey next weekend.
While we were up that high already, we swung past Rocky Mountain National Park to get his parks pass updated. Most of the really cool roads are already closed for the season, like Fall River and Trail Ridge. The trip through was really just a glancing blow, and we zipped back out the southern route to get back downhill. It's weird being at the Park when it's this quiet. There were cars full of tourists, yes, just not that many of them.
I was a little distracted by the crochet I brought along in the car, and when we went past Mary's Lake, I looked up and didn't recognize where we were. It wasn't until a little farther along the road that I even remembered I'd been there before. It seemed so unfamiliar at first. It got a little better, but as we drove past road signs that pointed toward peaks and trails that I have heard people discuss for years but never visited myself, it hit home how long it has taken me to grasp the intricacies of these mountains. I still struggle. When my friends talk about hiking trails where I've never been, they might as well be describing the moon. It has taken me years longer than it ought to build a reliable map in my head. I am getting up there as often as I can, and eventually these places will be more real to me. I just have to jump on every chance I get to go up, no matter how last minute, like today.
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