"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.

With gorgeous views and lots of options to make it easy or difficult, this was the perfect pit-stop on our trip.