On Labor Day weekend, we hiked up Lion’s Gulch to a place called Homestead Meadows, near Estes Park.

It’s a steep, rocky trail in the mountains, and the sunny meadows at trail’s end are more than 13 miles from the nearest town.

A woman named Sarah Walker homesteaded here alone, with only a cow and some chickens to keep her company. She was tougher than I’ll ever be: a few times a week, she hiked 3 miles to the nearest road [now Highway 36] and caught a ride into town to sell her eggs and cream.

She lived in the mountains, on her own terms.