Ice Lakes Trail, Silverton, Colorado

I may have bitten off more than I could chew on my first high altitude hike. Starting at 9,800 feet and gaining more than 2,500 feet in less than four miles, it was a bit much for my flat-lander lungs, but I made it! I spent the night at Island Lake on top of the mountain and made it down the next morning four hours faster than it took me to get to the top.