Fudge at altitude

Dad and I hiked Pikes Peak today, which sounds fairly normal to me when I say it, but based on the reaction we got from the dozens of out-of-towners at the top who had driven or taken the railroad up, you'd think we were world class athletes. They were amazed. I even got asked if my CamelBak had oxygen in it. Not to mention the lady that sat next to us and talked, uninvited, for 10 minutes straight, covering topics from the government's involvement in Crazy Horse to her motorcycle accident to the price of visiting national parks to her grandson at the Academy. She barely took a breath and finally her daughter rounded her up so we could get on our way. She, too, was impressed with our hike. "You have to train hard for that, right?" Seriously, not that hard. However, it was a steep, steady hike, 4 hours up, 2 1/2 back, and we were hauling. We did stop for a snack at Devil's Playground, a rock formation that ricochets lightning, and were passed by a young man singing loudly to his ipod, "Will you marry me?" Not joking. And the fudge at the top was delightful. Even without all that, I think this was my favorite hike yet, just perfect going up through the forests, past mountain streams, over boulder fields, gorgeous views the whole way up (no panorama at the top because it's so big, and there's a gift shop blocking the view), etc. I think I stopped every several hundred feet and said, "Wow." God truly outdid Himself when He made Colorado. If anyone wants to go next year, I'm up for a repeat. No oxygen needed.