The drive up the dirt road to get the Tanglewood trail head in the Mt. Evans Wilderness Area is an adventure all on its own. Riddled with pot holes and rocks as big as a Mini, you breathe a sigh of relief pulling in to the new parking area, resurfaced with rock. The early morning was on the cold side of crisp and we hiked with our long sleeves until we reached a sunny little meadow.

Following the creek along the trail, the elevation gain is fast and our breathing testified to it. The deep purple of Monk’s Hood and Larkspur lined the path, along with Purple-fringe, Elephantella, and so many more wild flowers. The twisted roots of old trees reach out into the trail as you begin the climb up “heartbreak” ridge. Thankful for switch backs and the view stretching 360 degrees around you, you reach the saddle where Tanglewood Trail ends and becomes Roosevelt Lakes Trail at the boundary of the Pike and Arapahoe National Forests.

Finding a rock to sit on, we ate our sandwiches and our Salted Nut Rolls from our fairy, took deep breaths of this incredible vista in, snapped our usual mountain top “usie” and headed back down the trail seeing everything in a completely different way. This could be due to the fact that it is easier to walk and breathe, and therefore notice, on the way down.