The Indian Peaks Wilderness is one of the most beautiful protected areas in the world. A wilderness area is an area of land that’s protected and preserved in its natural, undeveloped state. In order to maintain their natural wildness, when a trail becomes blocked, rangers will opt to avoid chain saws and power tools as to disturb nature as little as possible. Wilderness areas are few and far between. Despite its ever growing popularity, wilderness areas like Indian Peaks remain some of the last areas where you can get faaaar from civilization and any comforts they offer. 

The Indian Peaks Wilderness holds a special place in our heart. It is the place where Any and I spent the scariest moments of our life. Therefor, when Maple said she wanted to backpack for her birthday, I knew exactly where to take her.

Ten years ago Amy and I set off on what was suppose to be an epic adventure where Amy and I hike along our continental divide for a few days before finding our way back down the mountains. We set up camp and went to bed early well below the ridge. We were awoken by one insane storm, we didn’t have much time to debate whether to bail or not as we could hear the lightning absurdly close, crashing into rocks somewhere near, we grabbed cal and the clothes on our back and just started sprinting down the trail, leaving everything behind. We ran almost constantly for fifteen miles straight down the mountain we had climbed all day. We slept in the car that night knowing we had a close one. In the morning we hiked up to get our gear, drudging along, knowing we would have to cancel the adventure and drag everything back down one more time, if it’s even still there. 

I’ll never forget when we arrived back at our tent, there was a woman cautiously approaching the tent and opening the flaps to look inside. We spoke up to announce our presence and she jumped, she had been checking the tent for dead bodies, she told us she was certain no one could have survived the storm the previous night. 

That same night, nearby, a woman was struck by lightning and she died. It was the first death from a lightning strike in 15 years in Rocky Mountain National Park. I think about her often and the night that could have been. I think about our quick decision making and how that may have saved our life. I remember this moment every time I need to make a quick decision on whether to play it safe or not. 

Luckily, this year, the weather will be perfect because it’s Maple’s Birthday! I was able to land five wilderness permits to Diamond Lake, a pristine alpine lake that is the thing of dreams. The fact the I will get to wake up there next to my family after a night of the wildest stars on earth, is what I live for. This is the most exciting and anxious moment of the trip so far. Did my six months of planning for this one night pay off? I think it will be a birthday we remember forever. 

The preparation for entering the wilderness is identical whether we spend one night or one year. When we pack the bus for three months I am always amazed how little we actual need for the five of us to happily survive. When we then pare down the bus and prep for backpacking, I’m in awe of how little crap we actually need.