Monday

Then came Monday, and the greatly anticipated first hiking excursion. We picked a good trail, challenging enough that we saw only a handful of people. We climbed 4 or 5 miles from an old coal mining operation up to a "cirque" on Cascade Mountain (elev. 9,836'). A cirque is a French word describing a bowl like amphitheater, cut into the top of the mountain by a glacier.
We climbed through lush, thick forest, with occasional views out into the beautiful valleys. As we stopped for a snack and to catch our breath upon reaching the cirque, we spied a little used trail climbing right up the loose scrabble side of the cirque, and we were intrigued enough to try. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of the trip! First, as we climbed higher, we turned and saw down below that there was a hidden pool of beautiful green water, but none of the hikers were even aware of it back in the trees.
But then, as soon as we reached the top of the ridge, we began to spot wildlife. First just some squirrels and chipmunks, with beautiful brown and gold colors, but then we saw the marmots! We were able to get very close to one who was protecting her young, and we even got a glimpse of the little ones down in the rocks. It was a surreal experience, even if they are just rodents. We were totally isolated from civilization in the Rockies, with views as far as our eyes could see of epic mountains and rivers.
We begrudgingly headed back down the sketchy trail and left the marmots to themselves, convinced it was only a matter of time before some larger wildlife made an appearance. Charity managed to scramble down safely on all fours, while Ben used a unique approach that began with two legs, and ended with his butt.