Welcome to Caroline’s Corner, a new weekly segment featuring words from our receptionist and resident wordsmith Caroline Briggs! This debut segment takes you into the lives of two of our employees.
Working at The Herbal Cure is a waking weed fantasy most days, but with the crisping air upon us, the need to see the fall mountain menagerie became overwhelming last week. So my fellow budtender and mountain maven Jaime “Taco” Wakeen and I set out to see the aspens far from Denver with our cameras and a few goodies to enhance the trees. As a native shotgunning for a Cheesehead, I let Taco guide us out of Denver on I-70 while I regaled her with all the spots that have been ruined by the newbie leafers.
Bypassing Berthoud Falls, we decided to opt for thinner air and venture farther up to Lake Granby. Actually, full disclosure, I had a delicious Coda Caramel and Corn chocolate square mixed into my coffee for breakfast as a Colorado version of a Pumpkin Spice Latte. While no one could accuse me of being a basic b*tch, Taco could have definitely called me a terrible navigator. I was guilty of feeling my float and looking at all the trees for as long as I could.
At last I found the perfect trail on my outdoor app, Monarch Lake, just above Lake Granby, on a road that Taco’s two wheel drive car would love. When we arrived at the trailhead, on par with this year’s policy, there were huge FIRE BAN signs everywhere. With fires getting worse and worse every year, and so many here in Colorado being human-caused, I don’t mess around with sneaking a joint into the woods anymore. The Pax Era 3 was the perfect trail buddy with one of The Herbal Cure’s new Guicy G pods, with all the stoney goodness of the live terpenes without the spark.
Once we were fully elevated and acclimated, Taco and I had only been on the loop a few minutes when we spotted a juvenile moose munching in the marsh! Colorado native or not, there is nothing crazier than seeing such a massive creature at home in the wild. The thrill was also full immersive thanks to the vape and chocolate. The elation carried us through the rest of the hike, and again at the end, we saw an even bigger moose with a full rack! Unexpected and mind-blowing.
Heading back to our lives in Denver, Taco and I tittered about the colors and the water and the animals and felt relieved to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city. However, when we got out of the car, both of us groaned as our legs had stiffened and hardened in the 90 minute drive back.
That’s when I remembered my favorite and crucial backpacking buddy: Mary’s Nutritionals Elite transdermal patch. I always slap one of these on almost every hike I go on, the next day was going to be a rough one because of my overlook in packing the patches. Passed down from budtender to budtender, the best advice I got this year from the staff at The Herbal Cure has been the Mary’s Nutritional patches.Especially with winter coming up, and Colorado’s favorite mountain activities on the horizon, I’ll definitely keep my vape and edibles close, but nothing helps the deep muscle soreness like one of those patches on my wrist. Before heading out for your fall hike, stop by The Herbal Cure to pick up a patch and experience the difference for yourself! Your muscles will thank me later!
