Golden, Colorado

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    This picture was taken at a place called Lookout Mountain just outside of Golden, Colorado. I remember reaching this point on the mountain and thinking, "oh, we are here!" because it seemed just too easy. I have gone on a few hikes in my life, and they were never as easy as this one. We drove to the top of the mountain, got out of the car, and walked about 40 yards to a lookout point to see this incredible view. 

    I believe that Edward Abbey would absolutely hate this. The fact that this part of the beautiful Rockies is so accessible by road would be appalling to him. In his eyes, the car should have been parked far down at the base of the mountain, leaving it to me to find my way up to this lookout point. Thankfully, once you are at this point, all you see for as far as the eye can see is unobstructed nature. This part of the experience Abbey would appreciate. 

    I think there should be a balance between Abbey's position on this topic and the level of accessibility I experienced here. I honestly really enjoyed how easy it was to get to this point! It was nice to drive up to the lookout point. However, I would hate it if everywhere was like this. I find beauty in the journey, so the grander the journey, the more beautiful the experience. I appreciated how other national parks and hiking trails were designed to minimize the number of automotives and amount of human influence that are mixed into the natural landscape. There is a balance to be made, and just like how no two snowflakes are the same, neither should the design of two national parks. 

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