Walking in a Winter Wonderland

I have to say I was so excited to see the snow start falling and I was even more excited that it kept falling and falling until everything was covered in white. I couldn't wait to get out in it. John and I decided to go for a hike so we headed up Millcreek Canyon to make the trek towards Grandeur Peak.. It was so amazingly beautiful with the new snow glistening on the trees and the stream cutting its way through the snow covered rocks. It really was breathtaking. There weren't a lot of people out on the trail which should have been a clue that it wasn't going to be an easy hike. It wasn't too bad for the first half mile but as we climbed higher and higher it got deeper and deeper...and darker and darker so we decided we needed to cut our hike short and head back down the mountain before it got too dark and too cold. On our way back down the mountain, we devised a great plan to come back in a few days with head lamps and warmer clothes and climb to the top which we did.. well, we almost did. On our second trip up the canyon, we didn't quite make it all the way to the top. When we got to the saddle and started up the traill to the peak, we realized that no one else had climbed past that point...no human that is.. There was a deer that made the trek and I actually tried to follow his trail but after sinking in snow to my knees every single step, I decided I wasn't having fun anymore... I was getting pretty cold and pretty tired and it was VERY dark. So, we hiked back down to the saddle, warmed up with hot chocolate, put on warmer clothes and head lamps and headed back down the trail. I have to say, the thought did enter my mind that we were just a little crazy. What were we doing on this snowy trail in the dark?? I guess it was just our version of going outside and playing in the snow...It was our snowball fight, our snowman and our sledding adventure. It was one of our first Winter moments and as crazy as it seemed, it really was a lot of fun.. well most of it was fun. There was that moment when I tripped on something in the dark and ran into a tree stump with my knee...I do wonder how, of all the places I could have tripped on that trail and just landed in the soft snow, I tripped there, next to a gnarly tree stump. But it's all good... just one more scar to add to my collection...the collection that started when I met John and began to embark on all these adventures.