Just the drive, with the layers of pine trees climbing up the mountain in front of me, and the snow-capped volcano shrouded in a ring of clouds jutting to the sky above them, was enough to put a smile on my face and remind me what I love about this area.

"I had not been on a trail in over a month and when I passed the threshold into the meadow it was as if Mother Nature herself enveloped me and said, 'Welcome home.'"

This trail starts out at 6,900 ft, and just keeps climbing. All the huffing and puffing is worth it, though, when you get to the expansive mountain view.