Maggie

After spending the week skiing A-basin and Ski Cooper, it was time to continue our journeys with our next destination being Steamboat, CO. Shortly upon our arrival, we opted to check out Fish Creek Falls. The sky was bright blue, and sunshine was abundant. With our JBL Bluetooth speaker in tote, there we were just hiking along, enjoying the solitude with a little tuneage to keep us company and keep the kitty cats at bay. Didn’t pass very many people, despite a full parking lot. We just figured everyone was ahead of us and didn’t think more of it than that. We passed by one scenic overlook area, but because it was so close to the beginning of the trail, we continued our self-guided tour in the opposite direction. The grade of the trail was definitely getting steeper, and the conditions were getting a little dicey. It was around that point where we realized we should have brought our cleats, or at minimum snowshoes and our hiking poles. Despite these uh-huh moments, we continued along. We really weren’t sure how much longer until the waterfalls. Karena was pretty much crawling up the “trail” while Trevor hung behind incase Karena slid backwards. The snow was slick. Let’s be honest. It was becoming ice at that point due to the shade. Karena definitely suggested a few times of turning around. It was during her last plea that we heard a woman above us, saying “You’ve got this! You’re so close. Plus, I’m stuck and need your help so you can’t turn around.” And that, folks are how we met Maggie. Since we seriously lacked the appropriate gear to get us to Maggie, our only best option was to use Trevor’s avalanche shovel. So, Trevor dug out little steps for us to climb to reach Maggie and eventually the top. Wish I could say the waterfalls were breathtaking, but much to our surprise, there were no falls. Outside of a very narrow platform for the three of us to stand, there wasn’t much there other than the overlook, which we of course appreciated. It was gorgeous. The air was crisp, I felt very grateful for not dying and the sunshine was rejuvenating!

In similar fashion to Karena’s technique of trekking up the mountain, she opted sliding down was a safer bet, especially since Trevor managed to break the handle of his shovel. Along the way, Maggie shared a few things about herself. We learned she and her husband had recently relocated from Denver and were enjoying their retirement. Like us, she volunteered that their children were of the K9 breed. She mentioned that she had done this hike last summer and that this was the first time she had done it without her furry companion by her side. We exchanged stories of the pain associated with losing our furry loved ones along with other stories that we will forever remember. I once read somewhere there are no strangers. Only friends you haven’t met yet. One thing we love so much about traveling is the people we meet along the way which Maggie solidified.

We eventually made it back down and to our left was the first scenic overlook that we had, well, overlooked. Maggie asked if we could get a picture of the three of us, along with our shovel of course. A bystander offered to take our photo and as we stood there, it was at that moment we noticed the waterfalls. Yes. You read that correctly. And that is why our two-mile hike had turned into six. Meeting Maggie was the first of several incredible people we were about to meet during our time in Steamboat. Do you have a story of meeting someone on your travels?