The old Clear Lake HS gang came up for the usual Texas ski week, which all Texans know is mandatory for the spring season. Since the boys were old enough to ski (and later snowboard) a mountain ski trip was a traditional part of family vacations. The memories were always special, so when Matt and the Swede (Ika) looked around the country for the perfect spot to raise a family, it was no surprise that they chose the mountains of Colorado. This has made them very popular among the Clear Lake crowd for a destination sight. This year Shane D, Matt P, and Chad came to try the slopes of Winter Park, near Golden. After pushing their limits on the slopes, they stopped by on the last day to discover a bit of hiking in the Golden area. North Table is known for its extremely steep incline, so much so that even the locals find it challenging. Much to our surprise, the guys were up for it. Considering they came from sea level elevation to the mile high area, they did very well on their first hike.
I found the positive of being the photographer in that it was a great excuse for stopping every so often on the climb to capture a shot as we headed to the top. That was a great excuse to take a breather, which I assure you was much needed. As the group stood at the top of North Table, I noticed we were missing Chad. We looked around, and finally up, as he had found an even higher summit to reach, Northquarry. As he waved the crowd on, I settled in on a nice rock to capture their descent. The final shot included Denver in the background, which made us realize how close to civilization we still were. Next year, on to Gem Lake!
islandwidow 