Lookout Peak - part 3

From our travel from Colorado we crossed the border into Wyoming and arrived at Laramie, Wyoming. This was the state where we spent most of our trip.

Arriving in Laramie, we visited the Medicine Bow Ranger Station to pick up maps and headed into downtown Laramie for some lunch. We parked a block away and walked over to Crowbar & Grill for a tasty lunch.

With our bellies full, we walked back to the car and drove down highway 130 (Snowy Range Pass) toward Centennial, Wyoming. The view from this two-lane highway (picture above) surrounded us with vast fields containing wild horses, cows and elk. In the distance we could see the Medicine Bow National Forest and at the highest peak we saw snow covered tips. Soon we arrived at the hotel.

My previous blog provides information on Centennial Wyoming so I shall not repeat it here. After unloading our car we were met by our friends Mark and Lynn, who we ate dinner with at our hotel. After dinner Mark wanted to take us up the hill to Medicine Bow Peak. A 15 minute drive and we were at the foot of Medicine Bow. Along the way we visited Libby Flats Lookout, West Marie Lake, Mirror Lake and saw Lookout Lake in the distance. The sun was setting and being 2 hours behind, we decided we wanted to head back and go to bed, so we did.

The next day we again met up with Mark and Lynn, loaded up in their truck, and returned to the West Marie Lake parking lot. Marcie, Mark, and I walked over to the lake and admired the view. We then began a hike to “Lookout Peak”. The entire trail takes you 7.5 miles up and along Medicine Bow peak and returns to the parking lot. We only hiked one mile of it.

The parking lot was at an elevation of 10,491 feet above sea level. Within one mile we would be at 11,051 feet. Living at 699 feet above sea level, we all three felt the strains on our bodies. Every 30 50 feet we had to stop. Gasping for air, headache (me) and general fatigue, made this 1 mile (one way) trip a daunting challenge. We had no agenda, so we took our time, caught our breath, and made it up to the peak overlooking Marie Lake. The views were spectacular, and Marcie, Mark and I took shot after shot.

The trip down was much easier, and we passed a few people coming up the trail. One older lady was running up the trail. I felt embarrassed, but she was a local and used to the elevation.

We drove around some more, saw some moose on the side of the road and had dinner at our hotel once again. It was a great day, and I was so happy to share it with my wife and friends.

Until next time,

Tim (Kilmer)

Comments

Rumination

I've found myself stuck in a loop lately. It's like my mind is on a hamster wheel, endlessly circling the same thoughts. I can't seem to shake them. It's exhausting. I've been there. That place where thoughts loop around and around, like a broken record stuck on the same groove. It's like my mind is a haunted house, and these persistent thoughts are the ghosts haunting me. I'll be thinking about something, maybe a conversation I had earlier in the day, and then suddenly, I'm spiraling. I'm replaying every word, every gesture, analyzing every detail. It's like a broken record, playing the same tune repeatedly. It's not just conversations, either. I can ruminate about my to-do list, my relationships, or even the weather. It's as if my brain is determined to find a problem, no matter how small. Rumination, as it's called, can be a real drain. It's like trying to go against the flow of a strong current. No matter how hard I ...

Nobody's Listening

I recently had conversations with two people I know that had experienced a sudden rash of acute anxiety. One was medication related, the other was situational. Both stated that they now had a better understanding of what I have been dealing with. With the recent changes to my medication, Although I still feel anxiety, it no longer takes control of my emotions like it did in the past. However, I know acutely that it still lurks on the fringes, patiently awaiting its chance to pounce on me. During my recent visit to Dr. Erin, she assigned me an exercise where I had to jot down three things each day that I felt I excelled at. This is proving to be difficult for me. The parameters are straightforward and easy to understand. “Anything I do well that day,” she said. As I continued with this exercise, I began thinking of a song by Linkin Par called Nobody’s Listening. I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress Handful of anger held in my chest And everything left’s a wast...

Walk Tall

I recently listened to a song by one of my favorite artist’s name John Mellencamp . The song is called Walk Tall . As I listened to the lyrics, I could not help reflecting on the world around me. John states: The simple minded and the uninformed Can be easily led astray And those that cannot connect the dots Hey, look the other way People believe what they wanna believe When it makes no sense at all… This is a recurring sight for me, encountered daily on social media, in conversations, on the news, and most notably in politics. People readily accept Facebook, MSNBC, CNN, or even their neighbor’s post on any platform as the ultimate truth. Very few people bother to delve into the facts, and it’s even worse how furious they get when faced with differing opinions. A point proven recently with a post I saw on Facebook. Someone stated, “this proves people will argue about anything”. There was a picture of a plastic cup of water that was ¾ full. The caption below said a fu...

Ruminator

Search This Blog