I swung my legs off the bed to feel soft carpet between my toes and see the sun painting the sky pink out the window. Heaven? Maybe.

Marianna was up with me at 6:30, after a quick breakfast we were out the door to Horsetooth Mountain, which is in a state park right in M’s backyard. It was only a twenty minute drive up the mountain range behind her quiet, snow-covered neighbourhood and we were at the trailhead. We’d got such an early start to make sure I’d have time to get to the airport for my flight and I was glad we had, the sunrise lasted more than an hour and it was a clear morning.

We set off on the snow covered trail, not needing Yak-traks. The views were stunning from the get-go, I couldn’t believe M has this right in her backyard. We climbed 500 feet in 2.5 miles to the peak of Horsetooth Mountain, only coming across a few other hikers. Towards the top, the ice overcame snow, but we got by without yaktraks. The peak of the mountain was just amazing.

After hanging around in Rocky Mountain National Park and not seeing Longs Peak due to cloud, I had a front and centre view from here. Not only that, the sun mixed with the haze to spread orange across the sky, mingling with the lower hanging clouds in our mountain range. While the mountains peaked past 14,000 feet to the west, to the east was nothing but flat lands. With the haze, it was like we could see the end of the earth. Beyond the few twinkling lights of Fort Collins before us, there was not a single structure or feature that protruded from the haze, just a never-ending plain.

Despite the wind, we hung out at the top for a good ten minutes, relishing the view. Eventually we made the scramble back down (a lot more slippery than it had been coming up).

We took a different route back via Horsetooth falls which were impressively frozen. With the sun beating down on the icy tower, pieces were breaking off at an alarming rate, so much that I feared standing under the falls for too long.

We were back at the car after three hours. We’d probably seen less than ten people in that time, including two riders on fat bikes (jealous) and a friend of M’s who was out for a trail run. Everyone we passed commented on the beautiful weather. It was hovering around freezing, but the sun and blue sky lifted everyone’s spirits, not just my own.

Our timing was perfect, we were back at M’s house at 12 which gave me enough time to get the bike off the roof of the van and stow it safely in the downstairs bathroom, make some lunch and a snack for the plane, then have another shower (I couldn’t get enough), change and repack. We were out the door at 12:30. Bye van! It will be weird not seeing her for a whole month, but she’s in good hands.

We took the scenic route to Denver airport in M’s Subaru Outback, avoiding tolls and taking a super-country road to the airport because of a detour. With the airport quite a way out of the city, it was hidden amongst the hills, hardly noticeable until you were right upon it. At the entrance, M explained how the ghastly blue horse statue with flaming red eyes killed its creator when it fell during installation, unfortunately right on top of the man who’d built the thing. Karma maybe? I don’t know what the intent was, but it just looks scary!

I thanked Marianna again for her hospitality and generosity to drive me 1.5 hours to the airport. It didn’t feel that long because we talked the whole way.

I’m now sitting at a window seat (since I couldn’t get one for the flight) next to a powerpoint and within range of Ben & Jerry’s where I’ll remain until boarding in a few hours. Working on the assumption that nothing will happen between now and my arrival in Germany, I’ll end this entry here. Next time, I’ll be coming to you from Deutschland!