The trail to what used to be East Line Camp is short but steep and rocky, leading to a flat mountain top with incredible 360-degree views.

It was very muddy yesterday, due to the partial melting of last week’s snow, as well as mostly overcast with a chilly wind, but other than a huge job of cleaning our boots afterwards, did not detract from the hike.

In addition to the mountain vistas, some more than 100 miles away, there are interesting rock formations and wind-swept, gnarled junipers.

The experience was vast and expansive for me, a source of wonderment at the amazing place where we live. It is but a 15-minute drive to the trailhead, and many of the views, although from a much more elevated perspective, are similar to the ones from our living room window.