He told me his name was Tex, but he is from Moberly, Missouri, not

Texas, and he teaches at an alternative middle school. When I told him I was a seventh grade math teacher named Debbie, he started to laugh. I asked him what was funny about that and he told me his wife's name was Debbie and she taught seventh grade math. Only one of a series of connections and coincidences. Tex was a section hiker and his wife was picking him up at the next trailhead.

Big snow in Georgia Pass

This is a snowdrift in my first high-altitude pass. I put my trekking poles in for a size reference -- they are about three feet long. Fortunately the terrain was open enough that I could detour and not risk getting lost.

The Start of the Hike

At the Indian Creek Campground Trailhead, the start of the CT for 2011. Notice the skirt. I will hike in a skirt from now on, in most circumstances.

Brent, a Telluride Bluegrass Festival volunteer at the high school campground who helped me recover my missing property late Sunday night.

Robert Plant

For those of you who were not awake or alive during the '70's, this is Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, who has taken his British rocker history and blended it with British folk music and American bluegrass to come up with music that is incredible. This was one of the highlights of my summer.

Telluride Bluegrass Festival Grounds

This is the Telluride Bluegrass Festival on Thursday of the four-day festival, before it got crowded. The festival adds 10,000 people to the summer population of Telluride of about 3,000 people.

Telluride Bluegrass Festival High School Campground

This is where I camped for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The high school campground is the family-friendly, quiet hours and alcohol-free campground, which I thought was a good choice for an unaccompanied woman. The alternative, "Town Camp," is adjacent to the festival grounds and is the opposite of all of the above.