Category Archives: Hiking

Mark and I were not able to take too much time off of work to spend with my family, so while we were back in Fort Collins during the week, Mom, Dad, Kev and Andrew took off for a few days in Fruita, Colorado. They then drove leisurely southeast towards Wolf Creek Pass. They stopped to camp along high mountain reservoirs, and took the tram to 11,000ft above Monarch Pass.

Due to a little mix up, we decided not to stay at the campground where we had reservations for the long holiday weekend. Instead, the fam headed west towards Pagosa Springs. We managed to score a great campsite at the base of Wolf Creek Pass (at the Bruce Spruce Ranch) for two nights, and then grabbed the last two rooms at The Springs Resort & Spa in downtown Pagosa Springs.

Our two nights at Bruce Spruce were wet and rainy, but absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend this little campground and guest ranch to anybody looking at a stay in the area.

Kevin and Andrew had a great hour long trailride through the mountains. We found some beautiful geodes in a local rockhounding site. We hiked up to a great view of Treasure Falls. And we hung out under the awning at a rainy camp, eating mom’s great dutch-oven meals and enjoying vacation.

On our last morning in the area, we met up with a local guide outfit for a morning of fly fishing lessons. While my Mom and Dad have been fly fishing for years, and I’ve grown up around fly fishermen, I’ve never actually cast a rod myself. Neither has Mark. So this morning, we went out to a local stocked pond and learned the basics of fly fishing.

It was pretty entertaining at first. Mark lost a few flies to the grass behind him. Kev and Andrew were both happy to be wearing hats every time the fly bounced off the brim. But we eventually got the hang of it, and even managed to catch a few fish that morning!

It was a really nice morning, and a great few days in the mountains.

For summer vacation this year, Mom, Dad, Kevin and Andrew drove the RV out to Colorado for two fun weeks of camping, fishing and exploring. Mark and I were able to meet up with them twice: Once at Estes Park for the weekend, and then in Pagosa Springs for the long 4th of July holiday weekend.

In Estes Park, we spent two nights camping at Mary’s Lake campground. We watched the US v. Ghana world cup game at Ed’s on Saturday, and then spent the afternoon Sunday hiking near Brainard Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.

The hike from Brainard Lake up to Long Lake was a good one for us. Not too long to make the pregnant lady or flatlanders too tired, but we were treated to amazing views of the surrounding peaks the whole time. We ate lunch next to the alpine lake, and watched Liv roll around in the deep summer snow drifts.

Also, there was a Tesla in the parking area. We never figured out who it belonged to.

Mark’s parents got a last minute condo rental in Estes Park this spring, and we all decided to make a trip out of it for a fun vacation in the mountains. Bruce flew in from San Diego, and Mark and I drove up from the Fort.

The weather worked out well for the weekend, finally warming up enough to make a day out in the mountains really nice. Also, my nausea has started to subside, and by the start of this trip, I had gotten back a little bit of energy.

We decided to take Mark’s family up Lilly Mountain, one of our favorite hikes in Estes Park. The little summit of this mountain has one of the most incredible views of Rocky Mountain National Park that we have found anywhere.

And it’s just a “short” 2 mile hike!

Two miles doesn’t sound like much, until you’ve spent the last 4 months with your head in a toilette. Mark’s mom and brother were both recovering from colds as well, and hitting a steep mountain trail on their first day at altitude may not have been the best decision.

It was a strong effort, and we all made it all the way up to the summit on Saturday! We all felt very accomplished for the day as we dragged our tired bodies back to the rental. And we all earned our tasty dinners from Ed’s that night.

With me being pregnant (yes, I can officially announce it now at 13 weeks), our weekends have slowed down dramatically. If I can make it outside at all, we’re looking for short, fun hikes and the trip up to Horsetooth Falls fit the bill. As Mark and I pulled up to the (very nice, new, expanded) parking area, clouds were gathering overhead, and a few rain drops spattered on our windsheild.

The hike winds along the middle of Horsetooth mountain, and follows a creek up to the falls. As we were walking, I stopped to photograph a dozen different types of lovely early spring wildflowers that were blooming along the trail.

We actually came to a little bridge over the creek and a nice view of a fairly tall cataract in the creek. Mark and I were not expecting much from the falls, so we assumed this must be it. Mark snacked and read his book, while I scrambled around wet, slimy rocks taking photos of this nice little water fall.

After a few minutes, we noticed that several other groups had hiked right past us and these “falls”, so we decided to see if there was something more interesting further down the trail. Indeed, there was!

When we arrived at the falls, they were much more lovely and dramatic than I had expected. Water rushed over a pink granite cliff line, and plunged into a pool 30ft below. I have heard these falls aren’t much more than a trickle through the summer and fall, but this spring, after all of our rain and snow, the falls were running thick and beautifully.

We admired (read: photographed) the actual falls for another 10 minutes. As we did, a cold wind picked up and the temperature started dropping. We debated continuing on this trail for another mile and looping back through a different trail system, but decided the smart thing to do was to head back to the car before the rain started really coming down.

We made it home dry, happy, and refreshed. And I can recommend Horsetooth Falls as a nice family hike, especially in a wet spring.

It’s early spring in Northern Colorado, and I am as sick as I’ve ever been. It’s a struggle to make it into work each morning, and I find my weekends filled with hours and hours of laying on the couch, trying not to vomit. Despite my nausea and malaise, the northern hemisphere has been slowly warming, the grass is greening along the Front Range, and the beautiful stone of Colorado is quietly transforming into its springtime beauty.

Of course, I’m in no shape to climb. Mark isn’t much better off, as he had a bout of Salmonella poisoning (AFTER we got back from Thailand) that knocked him on his butt for two weeks. A month goes by and we barely get outside enough to walk the dog.

Finally, we just can’t stand it any more. We pack up some water, tissues, lots of snacks and the camera and go find the easiest hike we can. It happens to be in Lory State Park.

We pull into the park around 1p, and the sun is shining brilliantly. We pay the $6 vehicle fee (ouch) and park at a low trailhead, near what looks to be a new dirt-bike park. We decide the low-altitude, nearly flat, east valley trail is the best one for us today, and set out at a slow pace.

We both brought warm fleece jackets, but end up hiking in our shirt sleeves. There are boats out on the reservoir, and we watch as fishermen yell at party-boaters for blasting crappy dance music too loud. Liv chases small rodents between yuccas, and I take a ton of pictures. We meet a few other hikers, dogs and horse-riders out on the trail, but mostly the afternoon is quiet, calm and peaceful.

After a mile or so, we decide to start heading back. Mark wants to turn the walk into a loop, so we cross the road and connect up to the West Valley trail. We follow this for maybe half a mile (past a rowdy group of picnic’ers) and then head back towards our trailhead. Only, we’re not quite as close as I thought, and when I realize how much further I have to walk, I bail. I find a nice picnic table in the sun, lay down, and wait for Mark to go get the car and pick me up.

Not the stunning conclusion to the amazing adventures that we have been blessed with over the years, for sure. But we get outside, we get a little sun and fresh air, and I get a few nice pictures.

Railay peninsula is a pretty small place. You can walk from the west beach to the east side in about 10 minutes, it’s probably less than half a kilometer wide, and no more than a kilometer long. Despite it’s small area, there are some really fun hikes to be had in the area. You may not travel far longitudinally, but vertically, there’s plenty of distance to gain.

At the start of our trip, Mark and I wandered the peninsula, scouting the best beaches, talking to people at climbing shops, and trying to figure out the lay of the land. By the time Weeks joined us on the third day of our trip, we had a good idea of exactly what we wanted to do.

We wanted to hike to the Hidden Lagoon.

On our second and last day of Santa Fe goodness, we headed south for a bit of a desert hike. The Cerrillos Hills rise up out of a wide desert plain just south of the mountains surrounding Santa Fe. From the various hilltops along the hike, we could see into the wide basins on either sides of the hills, and south towards the mountains around Madrid.

Our hike was a little less than 5 miles long, and we wandered and mosey’d our way through the desert. Dylan and Ann were wonderfully patient with Mark and I, as we went slowly, stopped for photos in yoga poses, threw rocks into old mines and generally did not hike very quickly.

It was another lovely day. No wind, no clouds. Just long views, and quiet desert.

In the evening, we had dinner at Body Cafe, a local yoga studio/spa/boutique/restaurant that specializes in creative use of raw foods. Ann’s raw curry soup threw both Mark and I for a loop. And their raw, vegan Cheesecake really topped off a great weekend.

I really wanted to stay in the happy bubble of Santa Fe. I think the fight Mark and I had that evening over whether or not we should crash the tango dance party at the restaurant was less about dancing and more about how sad I was to leave. But life moves on, and the real world beckons most of us home from vacation eventually. Dylan and Ann, however, do get to stay…

It’s been a hard start to the darkest season here in Colorado.

A record snowy October plummeted into a frigid November and December. And while the skiers all seem to be rejoicing over the snow quality this year, Mark and I have found ourselves retreating into rock gyms, yoga studios, and CrossFit Workouts with an unparalleled masochistic glee.

I think this little introduction was supposed to be some kind of excuse for why our most recent photogenic “adventure” was just a 5 mile hike in a local state park that happened about a month ago. But, hey, it’s a lovely park, and not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

We are very lucky to live in a small town along the Front Range in Colorado. The foothills just to our west loom over our town, and top out at near 8,000ft. They can’t be called real mountains, by a Rockies standard, but the forested slopes, red sandstone hogbacks, and lovely views of the plains spreading out below make for a great escape.

Our hike up was around 2.5 miles long, and gained about 1200 feet. We headed up the Well Gulch Trail and the Timber Trail until we hit the shoulder of the ridge. Then we broke off right and tagged the summit of one of the pointer foothills just north of Arthur’s Rock. I stare at this little peak from my office every day, and it was nice to finally sit on top of it that day.

We cruised down the side of the ridge, feeling good and racing incoming snow back to the car. We followed the Timber trail all the way down to a new trail that descents the most exposed and sunburnt part of the hillside. It seems the park service has built a few new, fantastic-looking, mountain bike trails up here, and I can’t wait to get back and try this one out next spring.