As I mentioned on the first page of my blog for this trip, I hiked with 4 seasoned and experienced backpackers: "Grizz", "Boot", "Doc", "Iceman" and then me, "Survivor".  Below are their pictures and a bit of a backstory on their names.

"Grizz". The organizer of this Colorado Rockie Mountain trip. A very seasoned backpacker that includes hikes in Alaska.....and an excellent fisherman! He is the one that kept us all fed with fresh grilled lake trout from the many lakes we came across. And his trail name?....well....apparently he was hiking in another part of the Northwest one year and, casually walking thru the bush, he happened upon a Grizzly Bear!....and of course he was "startled" but thankfully the Grizzly Bear was also startled and ran away.

This is "Boot". He actually got his trail when he was in the Air Force back in the 80's. Soooo many stories about his escapades during his military years...and many years after! He is an AVID hiker/backacker and has, among many other trails around the world, hiked all 900 miles in the Smokie Mountains. Don't let his absent stare fool you. He is scoping out a VERY HIGH rigde to summit.

This is"Doc", another seasoned backpacker. A man of few words but he was strategic in "dispensing" the "medicine" purchased at the dispensary. Only for urgent medicinal purposes of course!

This is "Iceman". His name evolved based on his fondness for jumping into a local stream, river or lake when hiking, especially in the winter time...even if he has to break the ice. The ultimate Eskimo Plunge backpacker.

And this is "Survivor" (me), rounding out the 5 people on this Colorado Rocky Mountain adventure! And the backstory on the cards I am holding? When I starting backpacking a few years ago, one of my grandsons (Parker) gave me these 3 Pokémon cards because he said they would give me good luck and keep me safe……and I have taken them on every single hike I made since then…and will continue to do so! For sure they have kept me safe and are a constant reminder of how wonderful a family I have!