by Laila Khan

Created on: June 11, 2008

On a beautiful day in the Colorado mountains, we decided to go for a leisurely hike. My mother, my father, my aunt, my cousin, my boyfriend, and I had just arrived in Colorado at an altitude of ten thousand feet and, as we do every year when we go to Colorado, we planned to hike to Judd Falls. Less than a mile from the trailhead, Judd Falls was a pristine waterfall that provided an easy hike to acclimate to the altitude. The weather was flawless; the cool mountain air, the warm sun, and the crisp breeze coming off of the peaks created the ideal atmosphere for a short hike. We ensured that we were equipped with enough water and snacks for the quick hike, and we hopped in my mom's Tahoe.

The scenic drive to the trailhead was exquisite. The road was carved into the mountain, so it was surrounded by trees, flowers, and the mountains themselves. Once at the trailhead, we quickly stretched and headed up the trail. Because we had only been in the mountains for a day, we were not yet comfortable hiking in the high altitude, but we made it to Judd Falls with no incident. The waterfall was beautiful, as it was every year. We stopped and posed for the traditional Judd Falls family photo, and prepared for the simple hike back.

As we walked back towards the trail, my boyfriend, Mitch, noticed a trail sign noting that four miles down another trail was Copper Lake. We had walked the one mile trail in half an hour, so the four mile hike should only take four hours round trip. We were not exhausted, and the weather was still great. Our group started to discuss the possible hike, when my father decided that we should go. He started walking up the trail to Copper Lake, and we followed him up.

The trail started just as the last one had. There was a slight incline, some rocks, and a few hills, but nothing difficult. The scenery along the trail seemed more beautiful than it was along the first trail. We assumed that the Copper Lake trail was less traveled. My aunt, a science teacher, and I photographed and identified the wildflowers along the trail. There were several creeks that ran across the trail, so we had to find some way to get across. Most of our group made it across the creeks by climbing over rocks and fallen trees. My aunt, however, was forced to wade across every creek because she did not possess the balance necessary to climb across the rocks and trees. At every creek, my aunt removed her hiking boots and socks, and waded across. I, therefore, had time to photograph

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