Escaping the heat of summer, and retreating to the cool mountains. I missed this scenery so much.
There's nothing like getting cozy and falling asleep in a frozen landscape, and then waking up a little too warm as the sun comes up over the mountains. It's a feeling that allows your body to fall, and stay asleep easily, and wake up with your muscles feeling warm and ready to start the day.
Personally, I always get the best sleep whenever I'm in nature. I don't know if anyone else gets this feeling while being in nature, but my mind feels clear and I'm able to leave behind all my anxieties. The first hit of cool mountain air filling your airways and reaching your brain is a sign to me that I'm going to have a great day. Being in nature is one of the best forms of relaxation for me.
Driving up, we were sprinkled on by light snow; It felt so nice to feel a cool mountain breeze again.
As the numbers on the altimeter kept climbing, the Earth began to gush water, almost everywhere we looked. The snowy mountains looked like they were slashed from the intense summer sun and bleeding water. The good thing though is that there was hardly any mud, just clear, fresh, and cold, mountain water.
The snow banks also got taller as we continued to climb, reaching up to 10 feet tall at around 12,000 feet. The snow looked fluffy and soft, but it was actually hard and gritty. The seemingly endless cycle of freezing and melting caused by the heat of the sun and the protection of the cold mountains caused the snow to compact. The snow was so compacted that we could stand on it without even making a footprint, of course, until the sun came out again and it began to melt.
having no suitable spot for camping, we decided to set up base in the middle of the road right where the snowplow had stopped plowing. I guess you can never have a perfect campsite every time, but it certainly wasn't lame.
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