My friends and I took on the challenge of hiking one of the paths on Horsetooth Mountain. The mountain is nestled in the foothills west of Fort Collins, Colorado. According to local legend, Horsetooth Rock is the remains of an evil giant's heart cut in two by the powerful Chief Maununmoku, thus protecting his people from the giant's wrath. There are 29 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The path we chose was a 2.4 mile round trip to the waterfall.
We began the hike energetic and ready to seize the day. It was noon, sunny and about 95 degrees. There were other hikers there as well.
After walking about 30 minutes, we began to wonder how much further was the waterfall. We were getting tired from the walking and the sun beating down on us. As other hikers passed us, we asked how much further and they said "they didn't know, this was their first time to hike this trail." We were all new in hiking this trail.
Like many goals in life, we took the challenge of "going and not knowing". We persevered through the path that at times was rugged and strenuous in areas.
About thirty minutes later, we finally reached the waterfall to see that it was only a dribble. Since it was the middle of July, the waterfall had dried up. We were disappointed, but excited that we had made the 1.2 hike through the mountain.
We took a break and enjoyed the shaded area. After resting, we were able to make the hike back to the parking lot.
This will be an experience that we will always remember and in years ahead, we will laugh about about the hike and the trickling waterfall.
Sometimes we just need to step out of our comfort zone and do something different. You will be surprised of how it can give you a better attitude in enjoying each day!
2 comments:
Waterfall or not, you accomplished your goal which is something to be proud of.
Who needs a stinking waterfall when you're out in the woods hiking with your buds?
R
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