The Three Apostles

What I should have done was taken her on a short trip on an easy trail at a lower elevation to a nice campsite with a pleasant lake and a warm fire to roast marshmallows and drink hot chocolate after a tasty dinner of mac ‘n’ cheese.

What I did was take her on a sub-alpine, high-elevation hike bushwacking through thick brush to a nameless lake at nearly 12,000 feet in freezing temperatures in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness to see The Three Apostles. The bushes were taller than her but she just kept pushing through them, and never complained as we set up camp on a frigid, wind-swept bench high in the middle of nowhere.

My daughter Logan was six-years-old at the time. Six! And she was an absolute trooper. Took it all like it was nothing. And wow, was she a fast hiker! Check out the video below, this was us heading back down to the trailhead. No joke, this was the speed she was hiking.

She decided backpacking wasn’t her cup of tea (and has assured me multiple times over the years that it wasn’t because of my lameness in planning this pathetic trip), but I learned that she’s just an amazing young lady and this was just par for the course for her. She (and her sister Ryan) are without question my pride and joy.

If I had to choose between never taking another photo or hike or seeing another sunset again and spending time with my daughters? No contest. Not even remotely. I choose them.