At around 12:30 P.M., my friends and I arrived at Rocky Mountain Park located west of Estes Park, Colorado. After getting out of the car, I was immediately met with a wonderful view. There is something so calming about being surrounded by your friends in nature. The clash of colors in the subtle breeze instantly started to melt way my stress and worries of day-to-day life.

After settling in, we made our way to the start of our trail adventure. The vibrant colors of the leaves with my friends trailing behind me was a wonderful feeling of what was to come.

It started to rain slightly and before crossing the river I was able to stand there and observe my surroundings. Everywhere I turned and looked, there was an amazing view waiting for me. Being able to see this and feel the droplets and smell the rain was therapeutic.

In order to continue our search for a resting place, we had to cross the river and climb up some rocks. The adventurers in our group of course made it over much sooner than the rest of us, who would rather not worry about falling into a river, but we pushed through with the help of our wonderful friend Justin. There were two main paths you could take after the river; there was a shorter more intense way and a slightly longer path with less rocks and a more distinct path. During this expedition I stepped right into the river and got my shoes soaking wet.

With our group reconnecting on top of a section of rock which overlooked the river and trees around us, we had time to just sit, talk, and eat our lunches.

After a short walk on the trail, we made it to the main location with the river and waterfall, bridge, and endless rocky pathways. We grouped together to figure out where we wanted to go from there.

Before leaving, I made sure to really acknowledge and appreciate the nature surrounding us. From where we were sitting you could hear the river flow, you could feel the coldness of the rocks underneath you, and, best of all, you could see the mountains far away, the trees surrounding you, and the people below just beginning their adventure.