Gandalf checking out the scenery on an Elk Meadow trail

Living in the mountains at 8000 ft has its advantages and certainly some disadvantages. The good really outweighs the bad. Certainly for me at any rate. OK, last year I finally broke down after 15 years and bought a snow blower. The waist deep stuff was finally getting to my back and frankly  it took too much time away from the office.

Being a freelance photographer in Colorado has perks that just don’t occur in some locales. I have a relatively large office/studio recently built as an add on to a 1967 Evergreen,Colorado style home, meaning a low-pitched roof with lots of glass to take in all the views. Beyond the ambiance and comfort of a homebased “world headquarters”, probably the one thing I cherish most is having a hiking trail literally a stones throw from the office.

When a day goes south or a client reeks havoc, whatever the case maybe, twenty minutes to an hour scrambling and cruising along a boulder-strewn trail does wonders for the head, heart and soul.

A day after a recent snow storm I was out amongst the Ponderosa and Douglas Fir enjoying a late afternoon trek with Taupe and Gandalf-the office canines. The sun was shining warmly on me as I gazed at the deep blue sky and laughed at the pups as they zig-zagged across the hillside picking up scents of ground squirrels,chipmunks, rabbits and other dogs from recent passings.

Every breath of fresh air sank deeply into my lungs and I was thinking to myself how blessed I felt having this opportunity. It is something I never take for granted.

No more than a minute passed and then up ahead there was a sound of another human being blirting an awkward declaration.It was somewhat muffled so I wasn’t sure what was happening. Then it became clear. A woman was hiking the trail in the opposite direction with her hound and presumably Gandalf startled her as he was bolting through the bushes in bull-rush fashion.

The woman appeared unsettled with the three dogs jousting about which to me seemed weird since it is an open dog area.

Then as I passed her and tried to make idle conversation she basically ignored me because she was listening to a talk radio show on a hand held radio blaring loud enough any critter within a mile would have been up the next tree or over the another hillside.

For crying out loud. Can’t we have a little peace and quiet even in the middle of nowhere?

God bless Ed Abbey.

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