Last week, my bestie, Katie, came to Boulder. We were able to catch up with one another - we're both English teachers, so time is not on our side from mid-August until mid-June - share stories of married life and husbands who love nature and rocks, and hike a whole bunch.
I wanted to be sure that we had plenty to do, so I did what I do best, I made a list...a list of what we would do, where we would eat, and how we would spend our evenings. Being the go-getters we are, we crossed almost everything off that list, which is also a testament to Katie's tenacity. You see, when you've been married to Captain Hike & Climb for as long as I have been, you lose sense of what a 'normal' person can and is willing to do. Katie was on board with everything I had planned, and we packed a whole lot into our week together. We did take a few wrong turns, and we did have to make regular morning chai runs, but we were pretty much unstoppable when it came to conquering Boulder, Colorado.
After I picked Katie up from the airport, we got right to it and spent her first day in town at Rocky Mountain National Park. We took a short hike around Bear Lake and then headed to Alberta Falls, where we spend the majority of the day relaxing and catching up.
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| at Bear Lake |
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| Alberta Falls |
The next day, we decided to take a bit of a journey, and after a wrong turn and a trip up the mountain that ended with a closed road, we went to the Indian Peaks Wilderness area for a wonderful walk around Long Lake. It was quiet, unlike RMNP in the summer, and we met the sweetest, fluffiest puppy I've ever seen! That evening, I shared what has become a tradition of our with Katie, Whiskey Wednesday.
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| on our Day 2 hike |
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| Whiskey Wednesday fun |
On Thursday, we headed back to the Park and made the longest hike of our trip. We had hoped to hit all three lakes, Dream, Emerald, and Haiyaha, but the approaching weather and sound of thunder thwarted our efforts -- too bad the rain never came! We were able to escape the crowds as we opted to travel further uphill to the more distant of the lakes. It's always nice to get away from the tourist and enjoy the Park in all of its glory, which we were able to do despite the wind.
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| it was a bit windy at the lake |
On our last day together, we made the trek up Mt. Evans, where we were able to make friends with a few goats. This adventure was a success in so many ways, not the least of which being that both of us, who are victims of carsickness, made it to the top of the mountain without wanting to be sick. The marmot sightings and the sheep and goats hopping across the rocks helped calm our flipping and flopping stomachs -- oh, and we're just that tough! We hung around the summit for quite a bit and then meandered among the people, rocks, and goats below until it was time to head back to Denver and send Katie back to Wisconsin.
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| atop Mt. Evans - we match -- all black and wild hair! |
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| our goat friend on the rock above us |
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| hang on! |
It was an event-filled week, for certain, exactly the kind of week I enjoy. I so very much love it in Colorado, and I was excited to share my other home with my friend.
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