The night was chilly down by the Cache la Poudre River. With the sun drying out my tent and not a cloud in the sky, I relaxed with a morning coffee and looked forward to what the day had in store. I was set to make it past Highway 14 today and venture into one of my favorite areas—the Rawah Wilderness.

But first, the trail joined some large Forest Service roads near Peterson Lake—one of the more gorgeous roads to hike. Forest Road 156 connects to Highway 14 at the Blue Lakes Trailhead, one of many that lead backpackers, fishermen, and horseback riders deep into the Rawah Wilderness. Featuring an incredible alpine ridgeline and numerous alpine lakes, it’s a true gem of northern Colorado.

The Cameron Peak Fire burn scar continues up the Blue Lake Trail for several miles. Just below the trail is Chambers Lake, and just north of the lake is where the fire originated—massive destruction, the worst in Colorado’s recent history.

Happy to be back in the trees and reaching the alpine area, I felt good, enjoying familiar sights. I knew there was an epic campsite at the top of the ridge above Blue Lake, so that was my goal for the day—a shorter day, but since I had taken the low route yesterday, I was ahead of schedule. I’m glad I stopped.

Mostly because of the views, but also because, just as I was putting the last piece of gear in my tent, the rain began. And it didn’t stop for hours. With a short break before sunset, I got out and took some of the pictures you see below. Epic views!

As the sun went down and the temperature dropped, I crawled into my sleeping bag, threw on an audiobook… then it started to snow! It dumped for a solid 30 minutes—wind, sleet, and all—before clearing up but staying breezy. That breeze would dry everything out by morning.

Gotta love Colorado!