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Halloween in the Mountains!

Friday, 18 October 2019

My Mountain Town

Mountain Living

As new homeowners (or new parents), many of us look forward to participating in those annual holiday traditions - decorating for Christmas, passing out candy at Halloween, etc. When we bought our first house in Conifer, we were so excited to welcome Trick or Treaters to our door that we rushed to Costco to buy the giant bag of candy to be sure we'd have enough. We decorated our house, made sure our porch light was turned on, and sat in eager anticipation of little voices yelling "Trick or Treat!"

That first Halloween, we quickly realized things are done a little differently here from where we'd grown up when we had not a single goblin, ghost, Spiderman, or princess warrior grace our door. With houses spaced out further, and a lack of streetlights, going door-to-door in the neighborhood isn't really an option for kids in the mountains. After polishing off that giant bowl of candy ourselves (ouch), we discovered the fabulous world of Trunk or Treats at local schools, activities at libraries, and Trick or Treating at area businesses!

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We could see the parking lot now, we were almost laughing with excitement as we took our last steps and arrived at the southern terminus. We took off our packs and just deflated, as if on cue, in an emotional end to an incredible journey.

We crossed through treeline and across the open tundra where we were greeted by a spectacular array of mountain peaks and ridgelines. Back in the alpine we were.

Our pace was quick, our focus acute, we were only 53 miles away from the southern terminus of the Colorado Trail.

There was a sense of harmony in this place. We needed to pass through it, but didn't want to disturb the energy. Peacefully we made our way across, absorbing it's beauty and leaving no trace of ourselves.

If the avalanche debris we were finding off on the side of the road was any determination to what we were bypassing in Elk Creek, we were assured of our decision to take the detour.

Traveling in the alpine region for this long was a special treat for us that we will cherish for a long time to come. Sunsets, sunrises, extreme views and starlit skies beyond imagination made for great moments and everlasting memories.

We found an inviting saddle to camp in that would offer, not only a great sunset in the coming minutes, an incredible sunrise the next morning, but also a starlit sky that night like nothing we had ever seen before.

We neared a known avalanche debris field and began a tedious game of "where is the trail" in the dark. Our headlamps allowed us to see only so far.

We paused, looking forward into segment 21 and were in awe of the trail as it climbed straight up the other side of the valley as if a stairway to heaven. We had arrived, we were in the San Juan Mountains. We pushed on in silence.

The bridge crossing, more like log crossing, had been washed out earlier in the season, so we took off our shoes and waded through the cold waters to the other side. It was invigorating.

It was just a quiet stroll through a place lost in time. Nothing out here spoke of modern man. It was just earth, sky and far off mountains as far as the eye could see.

The thunder cracked, the rain began to increase and we found ourselves pitching our tent on an awkward hillside trying to take shelter.

In the middle of the night we heard what sounded like a pack of wild hyenas coming up from the valley below in search of a late night snack. Coyotes.

We were in a happy place. Good vibes just seemed to wrap around us. We hiked, we talked and we shared our stories. It was a day of recognizing all the good that exists.