For the past two years, I’ve been coming to Colorado this
same week in September for Education Abroad events….and for those past
trips….Colorado has tried to kick us out (or murder us) in any way possible.
For example:
2013: Floods that shut down Universities, took out towns and
closed down major highways.
2014: Frigid cold weather, a September snow storm and sock
gloves.
Well, apparently, third time was the charm, because for
once, Colorado was just gorgeous. I had to take a quick detour to Kansas for an
event earlier in the week, but ended up in Fort Collins on Wednesday evening
just in time for some fantastic sun and warm temps.
After my event on Thursday, I drove to the nearby Horsetooth
Mountain Park. It a beautiful area just outside of Fort Collins where there are
some great hiking trails. I ended up taking the Horsetooth Trail that ended up
at the top of the mountain, though I didn’t quite make it to the very top due
to time constraints.
The hike wasn’t too difficult, but it did definitely climb a
bit of elevation. I loved taking a few hours to be in the midst of nature, get
my sweat on and take in the stunning views. After last weekend’s half marathon,
this was the perfect way to get myself back into exercise mode.
I don’t usually mind hiking by myself and I actually quite
enjoy the alone time to think and ponder, but my imagination usually gets the
best of me and I begin to wonder about all the wildlife living within those
hills.
Of course, before I started the hike I had seen the bear
warning sign. I ignored it. I asked a lot of people about this park and no one
said anything about bears. Clearly just a sign to prevent lawsuits. No way were
there bears in the area.
Well, 10 minutes into the hike, I get this text from a
friend:
Fan-tastic. From that point on, all I could think of was how
I:
A)
Wished I had read that damn sign.
B)
Pondered whether climbing a tree or fainting
would be the best way to get away during an attack.
C)
Wondered if I could actually outrun a bear (Do
bears run?).
D)
Thought about how long it would take to find my
body (If I had one left).
E)
Pretended I was in Troop Beverly Hills, because
clearly film watching = wilderness survival skills. If Shelley Long could
survive, than so could I.
I was alone for most of the hike, so obviously, I had a lot
of time to think this all through. As soon as I got back down the mountain
(Spoiler Alert: I lived) I took a picture of said sign for future reference:
Whenever I wasn’t in panic mode, I just soaked in all that
was around me. There’s something so peaceful about going out in the woods
(minus the wildlife panic attacks).
Sometimes when I really think about all the
places I get to see and all the views that I’ve been blessed with experiencing,
I realize how lucky I am. Everything in life is not always in order, but for
these moments, I just feel right and sane and calm. You can’t deny the beauty
of this world when you’re surrounded by it.
By the time I got to the almost top, I felt so alive and
refreshed that I ended up running almost all the way back down. I’ve been
thinking of getting into trail running because I’ve heard it’s not as hard on
your legs as pavement. This little introduction was great. I don’t think I’d be
all that great at the going up parts…but coming back down----got that in the
bag.
Thank you Colorado for being such a wonderful host
(finally)….See you next week!
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