To get to the Cathedral Lake trailhead you drive up Castle Creek Road and pass by the majestic building where I got married, which is no longer open to commercial use. My husband and I looked at each other with our hands tightly gripped together and I thought about how our love could not be bought or taken by a bank.
It felt good to be physically active and we hiked swiftly up the three mile trail with a 2,000 foot elevation gain. Our hearts pumping hard we took in the views of the snowy peaks framed by golden Aspen leaves shimmering in the sun. At the lake Wade dipped into the icy cool emerald blue water. Feeling something close to death when he came out he informed me that is how I feel when I swath myself around him to steal his warmth on cold winter nights. “That bad huh?” I asked him and he nodded yes and planted a cold, wet death kiss on my lips.
On the way down we could talk more for our hearts weren’t in our throats from the physical exertion and we took the time to review what was happening in our lives, the enormous task that lay ahead and the unchartered course we were heading toward. We were ready.
Buzzing from a spectacular day in the great outdoors and high on champagne we waltzed into the restaurant and said hello to all the locals we knew who seemed to be doing the same thing we were doing in the bright and airy restaurant, celebrating.
Walking over to the Aspen Brewery we danced the rest of the evening away as our friend gave us all he had on the bongo drums. It was a rocking end to a beautiful weekend and the thought occurred to me that the magic of this valley lies not only within the house from where one dwells but also within the locals who live here, the cool surrounding western towns where we all run into each other, and the magnificent mountains that provide the ultimate playground to help us embrace the storm and play in it when it hits.
