Hiking To Hanging Lake

Essay and Photographs by Tyler Bottles

I've found that in most anything I do - the harder and longer path taken, the higher the dividend is yielded at the end. That seems like a pretty obvious revelation, but in a world where faster is better it's some times hard to force ourselves to take the road less traveled. The great thing about hiking is that at some point during your climb you become fatigued and at some point there is a good chance you think about whether or not it's worth it. It's in those moments that I find myself breathing in the fresh air of the mountains, inhaling the scent of pine and melted snow - the answer seems obvious in those moments. Look at what you've already experienced. Is there not more ahead of you? As we closed in on Hanging Lake in Colorado on this particular hike it was impossible to not stop and just realize how small we humans are on the earth. The grandeur of earth is so encompassing. It truly is a humbling experience to be there lost in it all.