Hiking in Colorado's San Juan Mountains at 10,000 ft. Elevation

Today, I embarked on a challenging 5 mile journey in the San Juan Mountains near Ouray, Colorado. I'm most definitely going to be sore tomorrow, which is a reasonable price to pay given the beauty I saw up there!

The first few miles, you basically trudge up an 1800 ft. vertical incline of steep switchbacks on narrow trails.

About a mile in, you start getting incredible views of the San Juan mountains. Not to mention those luscious cloud formations everywhere you turn!

Taking a few breaks along the way was a helpful reminder to slow down and be present, instead of just being focused on getting to the top.

While I rested, I loved watching the golden quaking aspens shimmer in the wind, creating such gentle and graceful fluttering sounds.

It's fascinating to think about all the geological and ancient forces that gave birth to these mesmerizing mountains.

At 10,000 ft. elevation at this point, I was feeling pretty toasty and dreamy at this point.

And... I finally made it to the Upper Cascade Falls!

And of course I wanted to climb up the rocks.

I'm loving my time in the mountains! I'm feeling so much at home here, and can't wait to share more of my adventures before I head on back to California later this week :)