talking safety and equipment!
Being a couple of low elevated Midwesterners, we were briefed on drinking plenty of water and eating light before the hike to avoid altitude sickness.
Next, we were talking bears! The type of bears in the Rockies are black bears and don’t tend to be aggressive. They usually are just curious about unfamiliar scents that they can sense from miles away. We were then introduced to a bear canister. You put anything that you consume or that is scented inside the canister, lock it, and walk it 70 steps away from your campsite before going to bed. This includes toothpaste, toothbrushes, bug spray, food, trash, and so on.
We rented a bear canister at an outdoor mountain shop 20 minutes away, where we also bought our freeze-dried backpacker dinner and breakfast that you just add boiling water to.