It has rained everyday the last two weeks. E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y. The trees, flowers, and grass are relishing in the daily soaking that hits Summit County like clockwork, everyday between 1:00 and 6:00pm. The blues, the greens, the pinks and purples; they pop against the steely gray of the majestic peaks that give Summit County its name. And if that’s not enough for you, if we’re being really greedy here; the first signs of Fall have started to make themselves known. Fiery orange and sunny yellow leaves are starting to light up among thick Aspen groves, shading the hillsides in a rainbow of colors. It’s an amazing time to be in the mountains.
Today was a day off. A day away from the Lodge and grumpy conference goers. We had planned to take the day to hike up to Upper Cataract Lake, an 11 mile out and back stroll to an opulent high alpine lake. I awoke promptly at 8:00am, peered out my window, and was greeted by thick gray clouds oppressively hanging, just waiting for the right moment to burst, drowning all those unlucky enough to be outdoors at the very moment, in a deluge of icy cold water. And while the colors are enough to draw even the most sedentary person out, I was wary of hiking 11 miles in the rain.
“Webster Pass!”, he said, his eyes lighting up with the thought of “jeeping” the day away. “Lady Liberty is made for the climb. Let’s put her to the test.”
So Webster Pass it was. And you know what? If it weren’t for the daily torrent of rain which has eroded the trails and allowed large boulders to poke through the soft mud, Lady Liberty would have done it. Alas, about a mile from the summit (we saw the sign!) we were almost high-centered on one of the aforementioned boulders and decided that if we wanted Lady Liberty to live to tell the tale, we should turn around. Better luck next time…perhaps from the Montezuma side?
The City Girl's Guide to the Wild West 