green! water! snow!

Lemonhope and I hurried out of Cuba to escape a mood of despondency gripping the community as regards the closing of forests as a precaution against fire, even though the fires are far from here. Folks were planning trips to Santa Fe, Airbnb stays and wonderful things like that... But at a cost: the loss of the footpath through the northern part of the state, and therefore the entry into Colorado as a victor rather than a refugee.

In the morning we began to climb, and before noon were smiling at the fresh running streams, the green parks lined with remnant snowfields, even a lake!

This day allowed me to make peace with the fact that... I'm not a big desert fan. In the desert, I endure. In these alpine parks, I want to run and play naked on the grass like hobbits. There is a difference.

We had to come down in the evening to the north, but I slept in the last remnant of alpine forest while others kept walking. I wasn't ready to again greet the cactus and the long water carry. It was a good night, full of dreamless sleep.

Now alone, I climbed back into high country and now I eat lunch under a tree. My view:

The tree's view:

I'm listening to Alan Watts making a joke. A man went into the bathroom at a bar, and was seen pouring a pitcher of beer into the urinal. "Why are you doing that?" He was asked.

"I'm just tired of being a middle-man!"