Beaver Lake Trail

Today I drove just up the road to Beaver Creek Resort to hike up to Beaver Lake. I parked in Beaver Creek Village, took 5 Senses Trail which connected to Beaver Lake Trail which lead all the way up to Beaver Lake. The hike itself proved to be very difficult for me. I have come to figure out that there is probably something wrong with the tendons and ligaments on the inside of my right thigh as every time I've hiked this summer, that is an area that throbs from almost the get-go and then when I get home it is SO sore. The climb up was quite steep and more strenuous than I expected. I found I really had to dig deep to keep pushing myself along the hike....it's easy when you're with someone else to just keep going. The other person motivates you. But when you are by yourself, well it has to come from within.

And this was what motivated me: if I don't finish this hike, no one else will care. But if I don't do make myself keep going then I've allowed myself to give up on me and fail knowingly. Well this just wasn't an option once I stopped bitching to myself about how bad my right leg was killing me and how bad my lungs were burning. I HAD to keep going and I HAD to get pictures of that lake as proof that I made myself do the whole hike!

I spent the walk talking to God about a lot of things. About all the battles that I have had in my heart and in my head recently. And wouldn't you know, God just listens. And then He responds!

I hiked all the way up to Beaver Lake, and decided to keep going on the trail to get to the other side of the lake. Well unbeknownst to me it just keeps going up and so after awhile I went a little off the path and sat on a fallen tree trunk covered by Colorado's version of moss to journal and think. Once I decided to head back down the path to the lake again, I started praying fervently to God: "God PLEASE just take my problems, please I can't handle them. Yes I know I'm being too damn independent again but Lord, really, I need and WANT you to take them. This weekend has shown me that I just don't know how to handle them..."

And voila, up popped the path to go down to the lake. (Ok God, I know you heard what I was saying and am responding to my prayers....you're helping me find my way to the part of the lake I want to go to.)

As soon as I got down there I saw two fisherman that I didn't want to bug. I knew going down there I was going to dip my feet in the lake and as soon as I saw the shallow areas of water at the mouth of the lake with a little waterfall I just KNEW I had to go down there. So I took great lengths to not go near any water that the fisherman were next to. Instead I put down my pack about 100yds away, quietly took off my socks and shoes and rolled up my pants, picked up my camera and started traversing in the freezing cold water. WOOOOO how cold was that water!! When I say cold I mean COLD! Well after a little while of them probably finding it amusing of me hopping around in the water and getting my feet stuck in the mud, one of them asked me to take a picture of them. HA! Of course I had to pipe up and say that I was a Canon fan as he had this REALLY fancy Nikon camera on him. And then somehow we got to talking. Turns out Andrew Slowenski manages the Beaver Creek area of a company called SharpShooter Imaging. After a half hour of talking about everything under the sun, he told me that if I was interested, in the middle of October to call him and I would have a job for the ski/snowboard season as a photographer with them. He told me "consider this your interview, you are hired, if you call me you have a job. you have the mindset, you have the drive, you seem hardworking and obviously you have no problem talking to anyone, and you want to learn. you're hired if you come to me."

So I might have a job in a couple months depending on whether I get into nursing school or not!

So there it is, God took my problems, led me, opened up opportunities, and He allowed me to enjoy the beauty of this small majestic lake and all the serenity that it can offer for the afternoon.

It proved to be a tiring but peaceful and rejuvenating day for me.

And of course, I got to take some really cool pics :-)

(pics coming soon whenever i can get them to upload to!)