Solo Hiking - Chimney Gulch Trail - July 15, 2018

Once again my life has found itself to be in a crazy busy spin.  A work-related circumstance arose at the non-profit I work at that included the immediate need for an interim operations manager that resulted in my hours increasing to fit their needs.  I'm also still working part-time at a retail store, and gaining clinical hours by volunteering time as a grief counselor one full-day a week plus offering two grief-support groups with that organization until I find a full-time counseling role somewhere.  And I'm taking the last remaining class for the post-graduate play therapy certificate that I started when in my graduate program.  Ultimately while the increase in hours for the non-profit job is helpful as far as income is concerned, the crazy schedule has made things a bit hard to juggle (especially with our wedding coming up in short-order!!).  One of my co-workers put it best... "2018 is the year that didn't happen where everything happened."  Sums it up - it's been fast and furious, hard to believe it's already nearing the end of July, and it's been so busy I know things have happened... but where did the time go?  All this to say, my big plans of hiking every weekend, getting to the gym daily, getting more time for artwork and self-care has been shuffled.  I'm sad to see these things pushed to the back-burner again.  As I peer at my calendar, I get more anxious since it doesn't appear to slow down really until after the wedding (which is now just two months away!).  My goals for weight loss to get fit for the wedding seem further away meanwhile the wedding is closing in fast!  I'm applying for various counseling jobs all over Colorado in effort to find a good fit that will get me paid as a counselor and reduce some of the chaos of my schedule, but so far nothing has taken hold yet to give me peace of mind that this next professional step is coming soon...  Fingers crossed and a bunch of anxious energy until then...

My fiance and two of our very close friends went to the Dead & Company concert on the 14th, I had intended to join them but due to having class all day that day and the logistics being a challenge, the three of them went without me which left me some time at home after class, painting and watching rom-coms and nostalgic shows on Netflix, snuggling with our animals, and ultimately gave me the opportunity to get up bright and early the next day to allow time for a hike before a busy day of wedding-related shopping, homework and time with my mother and sister.  I did a quick google search for close short hikes near Denver so as to have enough time to hike and get to what else was on the agenda for the day.  Chimney Gulch Trail came up with a couple pictures that looked appealing, only a 30-minute drive from our house, seemed to fit the bill!  With no other research, I packed a camelback pack with water and the usual supplies, plus a couple snacks since I wasn't hungry for breakfast yet, grabbed my camera and off I went for a solo hike while my fiance slept after his late night.

Some things I learned that morning... Chimney Gulch Trail has multiple parking lot options.  Google Maps took me to the parking lot right off of 6th at the very base, I arrived there right around 8am.  Ultimately there was lots of noise from the highway initially, and at times I felt like I was basically walking through backyards due to proximity of some residential properties.  This section of the trail was a bit steep at times, and quickly I recognized that lots of people were already using this trail for their morning runs and bike rides so I had to be careful and step aside a lot throughout this hike.  About 20 or 30 minutes in was when I discovered one of the other parking lot areas that would have prevented me from feeling like I was walking on someone else's property, and by this point while you could still hear some traffic and bustle from the town below it was definitely quieter.

Regardless, along the start of my hike, I was surprised by several rabbit sitings.  It struck me because the past two days in my play therapy class rabbits became a bit of a theme for me, and I determined they must be a totem for me right now.  After class on Saturday I had done a quick search about the symbolism of "rabbit" and what I read was that the rabbit as a symbol primarily indicates abundance, comfort and vulnerability and that similar to symbols for spring holds themes of new life, new beginnings and the "undeniable current of growth".  I find this to be very fitting in my life right now as far as the need for comfort, feelings of vulnerability, and experiencing new beginnings and growth, with lots of hopefulness toward abundance.

There were also more birds than I had expected to see, some that were even quite close.  I enjoyed hearing them (despite at times being a little overpowered by the traffic noise below).  I suppose it was worth it to start from 6th in order to enjoy some of the nature beings I came across.

Knowing that I was a bit pressed for time but hopeful that I could see the overlook that was in the picture I had seen online before leaving, I felt myself trying to enjoy the hike and focus on getting up the trail but also keeping an eye on my watch.  I knew I'd have to turn back at 9:45am regardless of hitting my goal or not because of a commitment at 11am which meant I had to be back in the car by 10:30am.

I came across several other nature-scapes that were nice, but weren't the one I was hoping to get to quite yet...

So I kept going, trying to focus on one foot in front of the other, not to get discouraged or anxious, and to try to be present in the outdoor space.  Thank goodness I was getting some time outdoors!  I did start to feel some soreness in my ankles, too.  I had been doubting my overly prepared self that I may have packed too much for this trail after seeing many others who had come on this trail with simply sneakers and maybe one water bottle, but in feeling my ankle discomfort was relieved to know I had a first aide kit with me since I had a feeling I was in for some blisters.  Regardless of my perception of others or that they might know more/be more experienced hikers than me, I recognized where I have to be prepared and accountable for myself, even if it meant I had things with me that weren't 100% necessary (better to have them and not need them, right?).

And then there it was.  The scenic shot I was looking for!

An overlook of beautiful mountains opened before me.  I had to cross the street to get to a third parking lot that was right at this view point.  There was a small fence and a couple benches where I sat, tended to my ankles, and took in some breath.  I had 5 minutes to spare before I had to be turning back.  I snacked on an apple and enjoyed looking out over the view even if just for those few minutes.

I headed back down, my pace being quicker due to urgency of getting back to the car, still trying to get out of the way of cyclists and runners throughout the entire way.  I felt a sense of success having gotten to the point on the trail I had hoped to in the time I intended, and making peace with my lack of information gathering beforehand to know more of what to expect on this hike.  It was nice to enjoy the outdoors, to be flexible to the unexpected, and to get to the goal I had set for the hike.  While I was a couple minutes late getting back to the car, it was worth it.  As I was coming up to that second parking lot, a deer pranced across the street!  I was so excited to see this deer!  The last leg of the hike didn't seem too much further after that.  It was a great ending to the hike and right before the rain came in.  What a relief to get some rain in Colorado!