The lakes boom and utter their joy.

This past weekend, I hiked to two lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park.  The first was Mills Lake, at  10,000 feet in elevation, and the second was Cub Lake, at about 8,600 feet.  On both hikes, I was surprised to hear the lake booming - a loud sound followed immediately by one that was softer, on the same pitch.  To me, it felt like the lakes were alive and talking.  I found it easy to resonate with Henry David Thoreau when he wrote: "The bare face of the pond is full of glee and youth, as if it spoke the joy of the fishes within it, and of the sands on its shore."

Photo: Ice and reflections on Mills Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO; January 4, 2013