Contentment by design - Living

What a glorious start to the new year! After a couple of very cold weeks with lows down to 0F (-18C) and highs well below freezing, it finally warmed up above freezing today, so we headed to one of our favorite places, Buttonrock Preserve.

It's still deep winter, so the floor of the steep canyon is often still in shadow and fairly nippy even at midday, but the skies were crystal clear and the sun on the canyon walls was brilliant.

We climbed up to the reservoir to bask in the sun along the shore for a few minutes, while I quietly celebrated a small personal victory: this was my third hike up the steep hill to the reservoir during the past two weeks—my first times hiking a steep climb since I injured my knee three months ago—and each time I have felt a bit stronger. I still have a ways to go before I can tackle the billygoat trails up in Rocky Mountain National Park again, but at least I'm on the path to recovery.