The crest of Trail Ridge Road follows a route used by native tribes for centuries to migrate from hunting grounds to wintering grounds. Passage was so steep and treacherous that children could not be carried but had to walk. The Arapaho called it “taienbaa” which means “Where the Children Walked.”
Another child once walked in the background of this scene. Several times as a grade-schooler I hiked with my dad to the top of Specimen Mountain, the tallest peak on the horizon on the right side of the photo. It is now closed to hiking due to the fragility of the tundra and the volume of foot traffic that it would attract. But Dad and I were there more than once, and the view of this scene left me with the feeling that a part of the spirits of my father and I remain there to mingle with the spirits of those who came before.
#wherechildrenwalked #trailridgeroad #specimenmountain #neversummerrange
Eskildoodle Photos and Feelings 