"Lone Eagle Peak"

   I don’t know if there is any place in Colorado quite like this sunrise view of Lone Eagle Peak.

   It’s a difficult hike at just a pinch short of 8 miles each way, with most of it up the mountain. You really must want to be there to see it.

   I started my hike in at 330am and arrived at Mirror Lake just as it was getting light. Without even a hint of a breeze, Mirror Lake lived up to its name by creating a perfect reflection of the peak. I stayed at the lake for the first four hours of the day, doing photography and reading in the shade.

   Halfway down the mountain the old saying “it was up hill both ways” came to my mind as I was growing tired. Evidence that the Rocky Mountain takes no prisoners. I was very pleased to reach the water bottle that I had cached the day before near a small waterfall and knew that the truck was only two more miles away.

   I made it. It remains the most difficult hike that I have ever made. Was it worth it? Just look at the picture.