Trails are Overrated, IMHO

Yesterday one of my co-interns (with whom I also went to medical school) and I adventurously decided to go hiking near Mount Evans. Here is how it went:

First, admire Echo Lake and dutifully note the signs warning of black bears. Second, lose the trail after only five minutes but glimpse a lake in the distance. Vow to reach said lake. Find cool walking stick, poke hand with it, and later hurtle it off a steep cliff of boulders. Clamber down the steep cliff for an hour, maneuver down six-foot dropoffs, and come upon Idaho Springs Reservoir. Marvel at big trout. Sidestep horse poop left by a caravan of campers. Find trail again (marker 52), after missing intervening 50 markers. Continue leisurely for another hour, walking amongst wildflowers and pine trees, under the cloudless blue sky, with mountainous peaks surrounding us. Spot second lake up ahead but, alas, trail does not lead to it. No matter. Bushwack through a quarter-mile of prickly branches in running shorts, scratch up legs, ignore bleeding, accidently step in mudhole up to mid calves, note ground is growing progressively more swampy, press on, arrive at lake, and wade around in it to clean off mud-soaked shoes and socks. Eat lunch perched on a boulder. Realize need to bushwack back through bushes taller than our heads. Fashion mud-shoes by tying pine branches underneath shoes with long laces. This works for a while. Make it back to the trail and follow it back to the parking lot. Fortunately have not contracted a tick-borne illness or poison oak yet, but delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions require up to 72 hours to present themselves. Give it time.

Colorado is not for the faint-hearted. Tomorrow I'm going hiking at Eldorado Canyon. Four more days of vacation left!

Olympics in 7 days!!! Who's excited???