As we approached the Summit the trail was very steep and slippery, but we never slipped, thanks to the YakTraks we were wearing.

And I did rely on my hiking pole that I had gotten from the yard sale Ernie’s niece held. Had some sweet thoughts of where that curmudgeon of a neighbor might have use it himself. Thought about him enjoying me using his pole on many hikes to come. It is much lighter than my other pole that I gave away to my hiking partner a few weeks ago, though she forgot to bring hers today.

This is actually an easier section of the trail than what we climbed up on.

So different from the Garden of the Gods, Grey/White rocks with splashes of orange rather than the Red Rocks just a few miles away.

As always when I look at the rocks, I see more than just stony rocks. I see many interesting images in them.

And I always take time to meditate on the beauty of this region, and planet I get to walk upon.

As I got closer to the summit formation, pictured above, I got lost in the trees that were struggling to survive and the odd faces and shapes I saw in standing on the formation and engraved upon its sides.

This formation greeted us when we arrived at the “false” summit. It isn’t what most people see from down below.

I imagined a priest blessing one of his followers as two of the figures.Then there is a giant bird behind the priest. Maybe he is there to remind us all of what is really important in this world – Nature.

What do you see?