Day 8

Today did not begin exactly as planned. When I had gone to bed, I was feeling a bit chilled. This progressed to me waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and leaning over the trash can extremely nauseous. I suspect it was the same pestilence that got Grant a few nights back. Needless to say, I slept in the morning and Amy was kind enough to make breakfast. We got a late start as random thunderstorms continued to roll in. I took some Motrin and Zofran and decided to press on for the day. We decided to visit the bakery for some goodies and the farmers market that is on Saturdays in Pagosa. The boys found some necklaces with elk teeth that they bought and Alex got a couple of necklaces as well. Off we went to the trail afterward. The trail was called Opal Lake and to get there required driving on 15 miles of muddy logging roads into the national forrest. The recent rains made it a bit squirrelly. As we got 2/3 of the way up we came upon a mud pit. Amy was driving and began to slow down, unsure if we proceed. I told her "Don't Stop!". Stopping on soft mud is a sure way to get stuck in it. We made it to the top and we all saddled up for the hike. The first part of the trail involved some steep switchbacks as we increased elevation. Once we got 2 miles in or so, a storm rolled through and it began to rain. We were caught in a grove of Aspens and started to get pretty wet. Then I hear Grant yell "Hail!" Pea sized hail began to rain down on us. The babies were screaming as the hail pelted their heads. We quickly and haphazardly formed a tent with our ponchos and umbrellas and waited out the rain band. "Hunkered down" as they used to say in the Katrina days. Once it passed, the sun again came out and we set out. There were several water crossings with logs serving as bridges on the way up. This was fun for the kids, but a bit nerve wracking for the baby wearing moms. We made it to the top and the trees gave way to a fantastic alpine valley with a green tinted mirror lake. We took some time to eat lunch and allow the children to explore and then set on our way back down. Going downhill with no rain went pretty quickly and we got back in time to make a pot of chili and then smores and a campfire. The kids were exhausted and went to bed so were we. Tomorrow we set off for home and it will be a long drive.