A rocky start in the Rocky Mountains

Finally finally FINALLY got into the mountains today for the first time since moving to Colorado. The last time I hiked was over two weeks ago, which is RIDICULOUS AND UNACCEPTABLE. Oh, how I missed it! I hiked the Lily Mountain Trail at Rocky National Park. It was about an hour and a half away from Greeley, which sort of stinks, but it's a gorgeous drive, so I guess I can deal. I'll be blowing through a lot of gas, though :/ I left at 7am and started feeling sick on the way there. Stopped at the Visitor's Center in Estes Park to grab a map and may or may not have gotten sick in the bathroom, but DAMN IT I DROVE ALL THE WAY THERE AND I WASN'T JUST GONNA TURN AROUND.

The trailhead was basically invisible and I had to park on a blind curve in a tiny dirt pull-off that had enough space for about a car and a half. The first thing I saw at the base of the trail was a big sign about mountain lions-- it warned not to hike by yourself, not to wear headphones to stay alert, and to be a little noisy on the trail so that you would scare the cats away. Of COURSE, that freaked me out and I immediately started in on worst-case scenarios, but started the trail anyway (sans headphones, duh). I was in the middle of nowhere, hadn't seen signs of anyone else on the trail, and was scared out of my mind that I was going to be mauled to death by a mountain lion, so I started belting out the first thing that came to mind: Avril Lavigne. I sang Complicated the ENTIRE way up the mountain, the same stupid verses over and over again, which is so weird because I can't remember the last time I even heard that song. I sometimes switched back and forth between the Weird Al version, too. Definitely a memorable hike.

It was also memorable because I can't remember ever struggling so hard on a hike. First of all, I was still feeling sick (even though the little Visitor's Center event made things a little better), and then the altitude was my other big problem. I gave myself a week in Colorado to adjust to the high altitude before attempting a hike, but I should've given it a bit more time. I was winded so easily, and the singing didn't help much either. I kept having to stop and it was frustrating to be physically incapable of going my normal speed. I prevailed, despite taking twice as long as I normally would. Conquered 9,740 feet elevation!

Gorgeous wildflowers everywhere!

When I got to the top, I met a retired pilot named Kevin and we hit it off pretty well. He gave me the mountain lion low-down and apparently I sang Avril for nothing because he's been coming to the Rockies for years and never seen one. The view was 360 degrees and he reeled off all the names of the mountain ranges (which I now forget, but it was a lovely gesture. I repeated each of them after him in a real effort to memorize them, even though they all look fairly similar). He insisted on snapping a picture to commemorate my first Rocky hike, and then we hiked back down together.

On my way back to Greeley, I couldn't resist stopping at the Dam Store, a tiny little souvenir shop between Loveland and Estes Park. It had a huge sign advertising 99 cent bison jerky, so how could you NOT stop?! Not only did I purchase bison jerky, I also bought ostrich jerky and kangaroo jerky. I've been out of my comfort zone and trying new shit out the wazoo, so what's a few more questionable meat products in the grand scheme of things?!