We have just flown in from Australia. The weather report was telling us that a blizzard was coming for the next 3 days. There goes our plans to see our daughters, haul horses and get the final things sorted before leaving for the trail on Tuesday.

We arrive in Denver at midday with the sky covered with darkening clouds and the weather report calling for several feet of snow. We ring our eldest daughter and tell her that we need to head up the mountain to our home before the storm starts and dont think we have time to stay down to see her that afternoon. We get a very forceful reply that we must come to her place even if only for a few minutes. She has bought us something and had it express posted so we could get it for the trail. We are both sitting there thinking that we have shaved every ounce from our packs, selected our gear precisely and we could not think what Maddie could have gotten us that we would want to add to that.

We should not have under estimated Maddie. She selected us the perfect addition to our gear, customised hats!! We love them.