A Trip to Remember: Day Seven

Back in February, Jason and I flew to Colorado with a group of people with the intent of reaching the summit of Quandary's Peak, one of Colorado's 14'ers.  It was winter.  There was ice.  And wind.  And extreme temperatures.  And 14,265 feet is really high.  It didn't end well.  If you'd like to read that story, click here.

When we found out that there was a 14'er within driving distance of Castle Rock, we knew we'd need to try to check this off our bucket list.  We needed redemption.  Mount Bierstadt was calling our names. I did a lot of research on this mountain and what we'd need for our little excursion.  Weather forecasts said that although it could be 70 or 80 degrees at the base, the elevation and wind would make the summit near 40 degrees.  We had no idea what to wear.  Reports from other climbers said that a speedy climber could make it up and down the mountain in three hours, that four to six hours was about average, and slow climbers would need longer than that.  We were in pretty good shape, but did that include climbing shape?  I didn't think so.  Oh, and one more thing.  There are storms nearly every afternoon on the mountain, often severe and out of nowhere, and it was advised that you get an early start, get up and get down, and get off the mountain before they arrive.  OK, THEN.

By 7:30am, we were parked and loaded up with gear and snacks and ready to head out.  The road leading up to Guanella Pass, our starting point, was a little bit of a nail-biter, and even though the distance wasn't too far, it took nearly an hour on the winding, climbing road. 

It was a beautiful morning, and it was hard to believe that at some point, we'd be on top of that mountain in the distance.

To start, we actually went down a tiny bit, through a large grassy field. It was quiet a beautiful and you could just barely catch sight of other climbers along the path.  About a mile in, there was a small stream crossing and Jason chuckled as he watched me clumsily cross it.

After that, the climb started.  The path was wide enough for two-way traffic, and we kept a steady pace. Looking ahead, we could see others at different points of elevation.

Soon, things got a little steeper, and we took occasional breaks to catch our  breaths, and take in the view, and to have some yummy snacks Kristi had sent with us!

Along the way, there were several "mini mountains" made of rocks, and I decided it was bad luck to pass one without each adding our own rocks to the piles.  It was just a fun little thing to do along the way, but we made sure not to miss any!

The dirt path turned to all rocks and the climb became steeper still.  It wasn't difficult, but we could definitely tell that the air was thinner up there!

And then, there was snow!  Snow in July!  It was so strange to be in 60-70 degree temperatures and be standing atop snow and ice! 

And then came the hard part.  You know that fear of heights I have?  WELL.  I was suddenly facing that fear head-on.  Just like that, the trail ended, and it was up to each individual hiker to choose their own path to the summit.  Jason seemed to be scampering among the boulders like a native, and I was moving with slow, calculated moves, sure that a loose rock would cause me to slip and fall to my death.  As we navigated the rocks and boulders and the spaces in between, others had already reached the summit and were on their way back down.  I kept telling myself that if people in their upper 70's could climb this, and little nine year old kids could climb this, I could also climb this.  I had to make it.  I was trying not to think about how I'd get back down, and was just keeping my eye on the prize!  We kept going up and up, and at points I was on all fours, being ever-so-cautious, but I was still moving.  And then, we had done it!  We were at the summit of Mount Bierstadt.  14,065 feet!  There was nothing higher surrounding us in that moment, and it was glorious!

We hung out for just a few minutes and then started our way back down across the huge rocks, to leave room for others to make their summit.  After about ten minutes of silent descent, we stopped, and I totally broke down crying.  I had made it to the top of a 14'er.  I had overcome my extreme fear of heights, and I had stood at the top, triumphant.  I told Jason to forget Blue Hole, THIS was the scariest thing I had ever done.

And then came the fun part: we got to fly down the mountain. Well, not actually fly, but while others were just slowly hiking back down, the same way they had come up, we ran.  OK, maybe we didn't run the entire time.  We did stop to take in that spectacular view one more time, and yes, we did stop to smell the flowers.  And although I don't have a photo, we did also spot a marmot lounging in the sun on a little rock ledge, just out of harm's way.  I didn't even know what a marmot was, but I do now!

All the way back down the trail, and over the little water crossing we went, once again.  It hadn't seemed like it had taken 2.5 hours to get to the top, and even though we ran quite a bit on the way down, it had taken us 1.5 hours to get to this point, and we still had a mile to go!  I had forgotten that in the very beginning we had gone downhill slightly before starting our climb up, and in this last mile, the climb out of the valley wasn't really what we needed at that point.  We were ready to be done!

Soon enough, though, we made it back to our car, where Jason had a celebratory beer waiting for him. 

It had been a nearly eight mile round trip, up and down the mountain, and had taken us about four hours and twenty minutes.  We were proud, and happy and content.

After taking the winding road back down from Guanella into the town of Georgetown, we grabbed some lunch at a local brewery.  The Brussels sprouts and Reuben sandwich were both to die for!

With our bellies full and our hearts happy, we headed back to Castle Rock to join the rest of the family.  Of course, everyone wanted to hear all about our adventure and we had a great time, each of us sharing our favorite parts.

For dinner, we headed to a local pizza place and sat outside and just enjoyed our time together.  The cousins were all getting along so well together since we had arrived, making up games to play, staying up late playing board games, and having "sleepovers" in each others' rooms,  and it was clear they had all missed each other.

We heard that later in the afternoon, after we had gotten off the mountain, a storm did roll in, and we were happy that we had gotten up and down it early enough to avoid that!  Even from Castle Rock, we could see the rain in the mountains.  It was pretty strange be sitting outside under blue skies and sunshine when we could see the dark storms just an hour away! In fact, every afternoon we were in Colorado, we saw the dark spots of rain out there.  I wonder if the Coloradans watch these storms daily, or if they just caught my attention because that's not something we get to see here in Michigan.  I was thoroughly enjoying our time in Colorado, and I think the rest of the family would agree.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

A Trip to Remember: Day Six

Boy, did those blankets come in handy! The temperature had dropped considerably and we were all snuggled in tightly by morning! 

Once again we were packed and on the road by 8am, and Jason found a cute little spot for coffee and pastries as we left town. Let me tell you, this pumpkin spice cinnamon roll muffin was to DIE for.

We chose to take misty, foggy backroads north, avoiding the main freeway as long as possible. We saw horses and cows and a pack of antelope and one adventurous deer who glided by right in front of our car!  There were little streams popping up here and there, and the sight of fly fishermen wading in the water and casting in the early morning light made me feel like I was watching a movie.

 Jason had had his eye on the river as we headed north, and we finally found a little spot to get our toes wet...or maybe our whole bodies wet...in the Pike National Forest. As a fly fisherman tried his luck down below a small waterfall, we followed a tiny, buggy path into the forest along the river.  There was a tiny access point, and just like that, Jason and Owen were IN the river.  

The current had a light pull to it, but the water was crisp and clear.  With the forest on one side and giant walls of rocks on the other, this place was majestic.  This is what I had been hoping for in Colorado.  

The depth ranged from ankle-deep to waist-deep, but no one seemed to mind.  We were all in there, in our clothes, and loving it.  I am sure Emerson wished she wasn't wearing thick sweatpants, and I was wishing I hadn't worn jeans!

Somehow, the wading turned into swimming, and everyone took turns being pulled down the river by the current.  My job was to catch flip flops as they drifted off of feet!

We stayed and played for a long time, not wanting to leave this little piece of heaven.  

Finally, we made our way back to the van, where we stripped down and changed into dry clothes.  By this point in the trip, the van was completely trashed and unorganized.  I couldn't wait to get to my Aunt Kristi and Uncle Ron's place to clean up and regroup everything.

In the time since we had booked our trip to Colorado, another aunt and uncle, Kathy and Dennis, had also sold their home and were planning to move near The Lambs.  There was a slight delay in finding the right home near Denver, and in the meantime, they had moved in with Kristi and Ron.  So, for the time we'd be staying there, it would be the seven of us, Dennis, Kathy and their son, Ty, and Kristi, Ron, and their daughter, Taryn.  (Their other daughter, Erika, was away on a trip, and their son, Blake, was living and working in New York City.)  Oh, and I better not forget The Lamb's dog and The Wogen's two dogs.  Full house, right?  We were assured there was room for all of us, and I was looking forward to spending time with all of them-it had been too long!

And then, after more than five days on the road, we arrived in Castle Rock, Colorado at The Lamb's!  They live in a very upscale neighborhood and we felt a bit like Cousin Eddie and his eyesore-of-a-camper arriving with his family to The Griswold's!

The cousins were soooo glad to see each other!

While the adults caught up and the Colorado sign that had traveled with us for days and days finally made its way up over the fireplace, the cousins were content to just hang out and relax in a real house!

We had a delicious dinner made by Kathy and Kristi, and while we ate we decided that there would be just enough time to climb Castle Rock before it got dark.  I didn't know Castle Rock had an actual ROCK, let alone a rock you could climb! Count us in!

Castle Rock turned out to be quite amazing, and a perfect way to end this day.  We chatted and followed the trail and had the pleasure of watching a breathtaking sunset over the mountains as we climbed higher and higher.

The last little section to get to the top of Castle Rock involved climbing some pretty large rocks, and even though the climb was short, I knew Nash wouldn't be able to get up there.  So we watched the others scale the rock wall, and then we took off to explore.

Greyson and Ty were pretty proud they had made it all the way to the flag, and they were rewarded with a spectacular view of the city, surrounded by mountains.

Just as darkness was falling, the family climbed back down the rocks and we headed back down to our cars.  I thought Nash would be exhausted, but he ran the entire way down, and we had a hard time keeping up with him.  That kid is full of surprises! 

I ended the day so thankful to be with family I don't get to see nearly often enough, and a little bit jealous that they all get to live in a place so breathtakingly beautiful, where the mountains can not only be seen in every direction, but where you can be IN the mountains in just a few minutes of driving. 

A Trip to Remember: Day Five

By morning, the was a cool 78° and I had to pry the kids out of bed at 9am.

 We made quick work of eating a light breakfast and packing our things once again. We stopped at the campground store as we were leaving and put eight quarters into a shower, which bought us 15 minutes of refreshing water. 

After a quick pit stop in town for coffee and ice for the cooler, we headed back east along the Arizona/Utah border. Our next destination was Four Corners Monument, which I have been wanting to visit since I was in elementary school. Imagine my disappointment when we pulled up and they were charging $5 per person just to stand in that spot! No, thank you! I didn’t think it was worth 35 bucks and I was sorely disappointed. Instead, we stood outside, along with many others and pretended as best we could. 

We headed east toward Colorado, and tried to find a campground for the night in between large areas of no cell service. Jason called several places in several different towns and they were all fully booked! We were getting a little nervous as we continued north, but then we finally found one with room for our little tribe, just a little further down the road.

After fueling up and leaving Durango, we started looking for a little spot to have a picnic lunch when we stumbled upon Bayfield Riverside Park. The temperature here was in the upper 70’s-a nice treat from the steamy heat of the last few days-and there was a little brook running through the picnic area! We were immediately in the water, looking for crawdads with some other vacationers, and balancing on the slippery rocks. We had been waiting to do this in Colorado and it was a great little break from the car!  

The kids waded through the water and munched on sandwiches and snacks. The little park had literally popped up on the side of nowhere and it was so much fun. 

We pulled into Aspen Ridge RV Park in South Fork, Colorado just before 5pm and were greeted by friendly faces and rain! It ended up being just a quick little squall and soon enough we were setting up camp. On either side of us and throughout the park were nothing but huge motor homes, mostly from Texas. They were all there for the summer and we were thankful they shared a little space for us as we passed through.  

Our tiny camper among giants.

After the kids were settled and happily hooked up to WiFi, Jason and I headed for the hills. Well, actually, a small mountain nearby. I couldn’t wait any longer to get a trail run in, and up a mountain made it even more appealing. We parked our van at a tiny trailhead and headed into the woods. 

The earlier rain had left, but the lingering clouds made the trail seem even darker, and there wasn't another soul to be seen. Less than a half mile in, the trail made a turn and went straight up. It was rocky and rooty and a little sandy, and we slowed down to a walk. A little further on, the ascent became more manageable and we ran as much as we could. We were getting higher and higher and my head was on constant swivel, scanning for bears. They were everywhere, right?  The higher we climbed, the more excited I got. What would the top loop like? Would it come to a point? Would the trail even go that far? 

A little bit further and the trees all but stopped. Here, right near the top of this little mountain was a large pasture filled with cows! I was not expecting that! How did they get up there?!  It was definitely a surprise and of course, Jason wanted to touch one. 

The trail went on just a bit further and then turned to go off in another direction down the mountain. We decided to just take in the views from the top and head back the way we had come. 

We definitely wanted to be off the mountain and back to our car before nightfall, and we flew down the mountain. It was a total blast and I was glad we had been able to sneak away for a bit to have some fun on our own. 

Once we got back to camp, I decided I needed to get some actual running in, so left the others to get dinner started and took off down the road. I only went a few miles out and back, but I got to run alongside the Rio Grande, which I thought was pretty darn cool. 

There was one big community fireplace here, but it didn’t look like the regulars used it for cooking.  There were about eight old men seated around the campfire and they looked like they'd probably been there most of the afternoon.  Retired and on vacation in Colorado for the summer in state-of-the-art campers, gathered around a campfire telling stories while the womenfolk knitted and quilted and gossiped in the clubhouse?  They were living their best life, I tell ya.  

We considered ordering pizza here, but after Jason made few calls, we realized the entire town strangely shut down at 7pm, and not even the party store around the corner was open.  With full hookups, we could take advantage of the electricity, so we pulled out the hot plate! We feasted on pancakes and bacon made by Greyson and took warm showers in their community building while the long-term campers played bingo and painted crafts at long tables. 

This was definitely a unique place! We kind of felt like guests in someone else’s home, but they seemed quite happy to have us there, even if it was only for one night. Before bed, I pulled out all of the sleeping bags and heavy blankets, as it was predicted to be in the low 50’s overnight. All of us were pretty excited that we weren't going to have to sweat ourselves to sleep for the first time on this entire trip.  We tucked ourselves in and again, were all asleep before 10pm.