Above St. Elmo. Photographed by everyone that comes near.
I went on a hike 8 years ago. This is where I started. This is the large burned out area near Denver that was burned by a distraught woman forest service employee. She was burning letters and pictures of an ex. There was a burn ban in effect.
My 18 year old niece went with me for the 1st 42 miles. She had never hiked (neither had I) before and had never slept in a tent until the night before when we slept in a Forest Service campground.
This is the 2 of us after walking 8 miles. My wife found a jeep road and followed it until it intersected the Colorado Trail. She thought Carol might want to quit. She didn't. 4 days later we met up with my wife again and she and Carol came back to Texas. 24 days later and 335 miles later, I came back to Texas.
A marker for the trail, placed strategically along the 478 mile route.
A bench we found as we neared Kenosha Pass (about 40 miles into the hike)
My Statement on Life by Jason Sealy Age 17
"Life is too short to waste away.
Be glad. That's all I have to say.
Just wear a smile from ear to ear.
Just show you're happy, make it clear.
My point is that life has it's good sides and it's bad ones.
But always look for the good side.
If you go through life always looking down,
You're not living, just passing by.
What you are doing is wasting a life...yours
Life is a blessing not a curse.
You've got to see the sunsets as the birth
of a new night, not the death of a day.
I see the sunrise as the birth of a new day,
not the death of the night.
I think happiness can be compared to a lit torch
in the darkness, the darkness being the lives
of those who are sad.
The darkness does not vanquish the torch.
It's quite the opposite.
It has the ability to light the lives of others
and maybe light their torches.
I'm in the U.S. and life is great.
There is a God and I think he likes me.
I am an optimist and every day is a great day.
I always look to the upside of things.
Life is too short and sweet to waste
away feeling sad
I always have a smile on my face
even when I might feel down.
Life has it's highs and it's lows.
Look past the downs...look up I say.
If you are happy, it will show.
Slap on a smile...It will pay
We continued our walk, blisters and all. Next up: motorcycle pictures, I promise.
A teaser.