Chicago Lakes Hike

 Twisty dead wood, vistas to take your breath away, bright shiny new leaves and a moose!

This hike had it all. Leaving from somewhere out back of Idaho Springs, it stepped down a mile or so before crossing a river and working up...up...up to the lakes. At 5 miles each way, it seemed perfectly doable for us and with nothing but blue sky and a perfect temperature to hike, off we went.

No doubt we got good training in; made some great pictures; enjoyed a picnic at the lakes.

Echo Lake (start point)

I'd say this was a harder one for me though. My pack felt heavy and my legs heavier.  Some days are just better than others. :-)

Here comes the surprise (not really, but a reminder of) lesson learned:

At one point, stepping over slippery rocks installed somewhat strategically among black mud puddles, I lost my footing and fell. "I'm down" I called to Sue ahead of me, as I felt the wetness go through to my right hip and left calf. 

She replied immediately with "I'm coming for you!" and 10 seconds later reached out for my muddy paw and pulled me up and out again. 

And that's it. Sue is simply the right person, the best person to be on this journey with. Smart, organized, motivated, positive and genuinely great friendship material! I have 100% confidence that no matter what happens, if we make it to the top of Kili or we have to amend the plan, it's going to be amazing. 

Who got lucky enough to run into this lady on a boat to Antarctica in 2022? I did!