To the Bubble...



Boulder is a second home for us, especially for Brian, and Colorado - and its monumental peaks - is always on our minds.  Summer would have been incomplete without a trip there. We were very excited when schedules aligned and we were able to make a real adventure of our trip; that is, our cousin Annie, a person made for adventures, and Becky, who has helped me survive more than one trip westward, were able to join us for a full week of fun in that great square state!

We spent a full week in Colorado, arriving after what was surely one of the most prolonged bouts of turbulence I have ever experience....and I've make the trek to DIA many, many times!  Our to-do list included hiking, celebrating Brian's birthday, and sampling the local flavors (Whiskey Wednesday, the Dark Horse, Movement Climbing + Fitness, Chautauqua Park, the Flatirons, Lucky's, Whole Foods, basically everything Boulder).  And we did it all.  And that included surviving or strange and very full house, which we fondly referred to as Shady Acres - seriously, if you need a basket, and antique, or a few dozen of any one item, it's the place to stay in Boulder.

Welcome to RMNP
making our way around Bear Lake
celebrating the birthday boy 
Thursday: recovery/altitude treatment
ginger chews before we drove up Mt. Evans

Friday: like I said, the park ALWAYS delivers
Mills Lake

three girls at bear paw 3
the end of our journey...and we only got rained on a bit 
The crowning achievement - other than surviving Brian's birthday meal, which happened to be about 90 degrees thanks to some very powerful lights overhead, and multiple specials at the Downer - was summiting Mt. Bierstadt.  Brian's eyes lit up when he heard that Annie wanted to hike a 14er, and he immediately got to planning our adventure.


Sunday: up very early to get hiking and capture the views
We woke up at 2:00am on Sunday, or final full day in Colorado, to make our way to the trailhead.  While it was still dark (and cold), we put on our layers and started the 4 mile trek toward the summit.  While our party of four disbanded a bit, Annie, Brian, and I summited Mt. Bierstadt as most people - you know, typical people who don't count hiking for hours on end as part of their favorite things to do - were just waking up.  Per our guide, we kept a good pace and pushed through the most challenging parts of the trail like champs.  We earned our celebratory cheese-its and gummi bears (our summy gummis)! Hiking is not for everyone, and hiking to 14,000+ feet takes real grit.  Annie was a pro.  And she kept us laughing, which may have been the only thing keeping us all going more than once or twice. I'm so proud of her, and I'm really glad we got to spend the week together exploring some of my favorite places.  In all, the part of four made a really great crew!

See what I'm talking about? 
capturing the summit - we did it
and then we sent Brian off for another hike
our 'we're pretending to feel great, but get us to the car' faces  
what post-14er hikers look like

Colorado will forever be a very special place for Brian and me; it is a place where, truly, we can be ourselves and enjoy what matters most to us in life. Getting to share that with family made this most recent rip all the more enjoyable. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

AJ Runs Several Ks...and Writes About It

Image
On Saturday, May 6, I returned to half marathon racing. It had been quite a hiatus, and my previous half marathon, was completed with a blown out IT band, so I did have to balance high hopes and realistic expectations. After all, a lot has changed since that last race. They say that age is just a number, and by that logic, a half marathon is just miles. 13.1 long and hilly miles in this case, and now officially in the next decade of my life. Yeah, yeah, just a number. Last year, still in my 30s, I toyed with the idea of returning to racing and with running the Door County Half Marathon. We were in Peninsula State Park for our annual Mother’s Day weekend, and the race was taking place. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to get back to some really good training. Our plan - always - is to be in Door County for our Mother’s Day celebration, so why not sign up?! Well, back to numbers. Two children, one partner, too many hours at work each week, one bike ride/race to each weekend, an
Read more

My Dad, OUR Hero

Image
This past weekend, we celebrated my dad’s 30 years of service to and retirement from the Mukwonago Fire Department. As both a volunteer fire fighter and EMT, he has spent several decades in service of others. During what surely was one of their most trying times, it was my dad who was with people he’d never met and likely wouldn’t see again. To do that on top investing in full-time work, his family, and his other interests is simply remarkable. And that’s my dad: a driven, generous, passionate man. The Mukwonago Fire Department was a part of my youth. The men and women he served with became my dad’s second family, and thus they were there for many of my milestones. My weekends were were filled with various events hosted by MFD, including community events and that one family picnics that ended with Dad getting stitches. Sometimes my weekends - and weeknights - were also filled with quick goodbyes as another call pulled Dad away from our family plans. The sound of his pager and the
Read more

Milestone

Image
I mentioned, not too long ago, interest in a birthday trip to ATL. Michelle Obama would be there for her book tour, the weather is fall-like this time of year and perfect for a long run, and it’s a city I haven’t explored much of. My partner heard me. He showed up, like really showed up!   Just about a week ago, Harper brought me a birthday card and gift she and B had been working on. It was my own copy of  The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times , and a Happy Birthday picture of a plane, a peach, and a pink and purple suitcase (my favorite colors).     I had otherwise been planning a jaunt from home along the Glacial Drumlin Trail and snack day at H’s school. That would have been great. But Brian has been helping me work on prioritizing myself to maintain balance; time away was earned, needed, permissable. To say I was excited for the weekend was an understatement. B attended to all the details (also needed AND appreciated): flights, hotel accommodations, transportation,
Read more