I am missing traveling a lot these days. I know it isn’t the biggest issue in the world, but it is one of my favorite things to do with Snake.

This is Emerald Lake in Colorado. I used to hike it with my dad in October every year. We’d go on a camping trip after all of the tourists were gone from the park and it was our trip that was just the two of us. And this hike was always one that we did.

Since Snake and I have been together, we’ve probably visited Colorado at least 10 or 15 times. Usually in the summer as part of a road trip on the way to Yellowstone or somewhere else north of here.

I don’t think there is a single trip that we’ve taken where we haven’t gone into Rocky Mountain National Park. Sometimes we go just into the park and go to a small picnic area that I used to frequent with my parents. Sometimes we go all of the way up to the top and brave the winds and chill at the Trail Ridge.

But my favorite times are when we have enough time to do this hike. We always grab sandwiches to pack, head out in the morning to avoid the afternoon thunderstorms and enjoy. Emerald is the end of the hike, but it is always worth it.

So, I’m going to hope that maybe next year we’ll be able to do another road trip and go back to some of our favorite places.