Frozen Heartland, Peacock Pool, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO 2026 by Dustin Randall Keirns

After a difficult divorce, I found my way back to the mountains through mountaineering. The physical and mental demands of the backcountry required focus and endurance, gradually rebuilding my sense of stability and confidence. This alpine pool is a waypoint along the trail to Chasm Lake, a place I have passed many times. Returning to it over the years, it has become a quiet marker of where I have been. The frozen surface holds both memory and reminder: of obstacles encountered, and of those still to be overcome.