The Johnson Family’s Shortest (and worst) Camping Trip Ever

July 1, 2013 By

I have tried to instill a love of nature in my kids–just last week we went hiking four times, my daughter recently returned from YMCA of the Rockies’ traditional overnight Camp Chief Ouray and at the end of July they’re both enrolled in Avid4Adventure’s Survival Skills Camp. We are an outdoor-loving family!

But my favorite childhood memories are of camping and that is one area in which we’ve fallen short with my own family.  There is nothing like the sense of community at campgrounds, playing with new BFFs, eating tin foil dinners and s’mores, exploring and exploring some more, and telling stories around the campfire.

Here’s a recap of our camping trips since having kids.

Trip 1: Hadley had just turned 1 and was a horrible sleeper so she wailed all night long two nights in a row. Our campsite at Golden Gate Canyon State Park was on a slope. Hadley had just learned to walk so was falling over every few feet and when she wasn’t face-planting, she was trying to crawl into the fire pit. Our three-day weekend was cut a day short.

Trip 2: We took a few years off from camping to get pregnant and have our son Bode. When he was 2, we joined our good friends at Eleven Mile State Park. Never been? Keep it that way. I’d read about it in FamilyFun magazine and it was a huge, barren disappointment. In addition to camping, capsizing and crying, my baby had the most disgusting, explosive case of diarrhea and I spent hours at the camp laundromat cleaning out his car seat and clothes. (Ugly details here).

Trip 3: Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada. This is my favorite place on earth and I was ecstatic to introduce my kids to this wonderland that borders Glacier National Park. Sure there were minor hiccups (such as near-hurricane-strength winds) but it was our best camping trip to date.

Trip 4: Bear Lake State Park. Last year, Mile High Mamas partnered with Coleman for the Great American Campout. It had all the fixins for an amazing weekend with horseback riding, games, gourmet camp meals and kayaking. But do you remember that record-breaking 105-degree day last June? ‘Nuff said.

Trip 5: Camp Dick last weekend. This was going to be our year. The kids are 7 and 9 and the perfect ages for camping. Check-in wasn’t until 2 p.m. so we had a few hours to kill when we arrived at this campground set in a glacial valley just off the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway.

The kids caught butterflies and threw rocks in the adjacent Middle Saint Vrain Creek and we hiked a portion of the Buchanan Pass Trail.

We have been united with our fellow Coloradoans in praying for rain to defray the horrible wildfires…we just didn’t want the drought to end right then. All was going shockingly well until we felt our first raindrop. We’d waded through near hurricanes and diarrhea; a bit of rain wasn’t going to deter us.

Then it started down-pouring so we raced back to the car and ate lunch. Earlier, we’d spotted the remains of the previous night’s hail storm but miracles–the weather broke a half-hour later and we still had plenty of time to explore before we could set-up our tent.

Adventurous Hadley (who no longer falls every few feet and cries all night), discovered a faint trail on the other side of the creek so we bush-whacked our way to my children’s version of wonderland: a massive boulder field. We spent the next hour free-climbing these rock monsters and Hadley and my husband braved a steep slope to a cossetted cave. I hung back with my more-cautious Bode who called out encouragements such as “you know you can crack your head open and slide all the way down.”

Kid needs a lesson or two on pep talks.

Then all hell (or rather, hail) broke loose and it could not have come at a worse time. We were forging back through the forest when Bode slipped and hurt himself. Not even 5 seconds later, hail started pounding us and blinded, we lost the trail that was already barely there, forcing us to wade over a swamp land and practically toss now-hysterical Bode across the creek.

When we arrived at the road, we still had over a mile to where we’d parked our car at the trailhead but our soon-to-be acquired campsite was right around the corner. “I’ll run and get the car and you go to camp,” I bravely volunteered. Come hail or high-water, I would lead my family to safety!

I raced through the campground, hail pelting and drenching every inch of my body. It seemed like an eternity before I reached the car but I raced back to our campsite and saw my poor little family hunkered down under a tree trying to shield themselves from the frozen sheets of ice.

“We’ve taken a vote,” my husband announced.
“What is it?” I already knew the answer.
“We’re ready to go home.”

I looked at our campsite, the mud puddles thick from the previous night’s storm were now filled with snow. We could have toughed it out if we were staying in a camper but there was nowhere to setup our tent.  And most importantly, the sky ‘s furry was just getting started.

We called it a day at 1:30 p.m., just 4.5 hours from the time we left our house.

Better luck next year.

Filed Under: Canada, Colorado, Family, Family travel, Favorite Posts, Hadley, hiking, Humor, Jamie, outdoors, travel Tagged With: , , ,

June Travels: Our Crazy Life According to Instagram

June 30, 2013 By

My work-life balance has been nil with waaaaay too much playtime with the kids. I’m hoping to write about all our hiking adventures (and believe me, there are MANY) but until that time, my iPhone tells the story of our first month of summer break.

Chautauqua in Boulder

Our month-long party started with a glorious getaway to Chautauqua in Boulder complete with a charming cottage, emerald hikes bursting with jeweled wildflowers, a gourmet meal at the Dining Hall and Snow White reenacted by Theatre-Hikes Colorado.

Chautauqua in Boulder

Chautauqua meadow outside of our cottage

Snow White Theatre Hike!

With a kickoff to summer like that, it’s hard to go wrong. And we haven’t.

Giving Back

One day, we did a tour of the Food Bank of the Rockies where we learned about their kid’s program Kung Food Fighters to teach kids how to help fight child hunger.

Food Bank of the Rockies

But obviously not how to do Kung Foo moves.

Kicking It

Then there was the Colorado Rapids, our first-ever professional soccer game.

Colorado Rapids

We expect greater things from our soccer-playing son now.

Cave of the Winds

OK, technically our trip to Colorado Springs and The Broadmoor was late-May but I need to fit in our awe-inspiring cave tour of the 500-million-year-old Cave of the Winds, which was discovered in 1881.

Cave of the Winds

An exciting new addition to the already-cool caves is the Wind Walker Challenge Course. This three-story obstacle course is located on the rim of a 600-foot drop into Williams Canyon and has a challenging maze of steel beams, swinging ropes and ladders. Bode barely met the height requirement and I was proud of him for trying.

Wind Walker Challenge Course

Though it may take him a few years to recover from it. #Scary

Utah Fun

While Hadley was at Camp Chief Ouray for a week, Bode took his first solo flight to Utah. But then I crashed his party on the last day by scheduling a business trip in Park City where I also crammed in a quick hike to the Living Room, roller-bladed the Jordan River Parkway for the first time in 10 years (we’ve both changed!), had a cousin sleepover with the edible twinnies and storytime with Grandma.

Utah!

Talk about a memorable trip!

Carnivores Unite

Then, Bode and I headed straight up to YMCA of the Rockies near Winter Park where we got a tour of Hadley’s camp and had some fun adventures of our own. Sane people would have turned around after picking her up but not us. We headed further west into the mountains for our Father’s Day tradition: the Frisco BBQ Challenge where we met up with carnivore-loving Jamie.

Golden Breckenridge

But the fun didn’t stop there during that masochistic week (I crammed in four trips, but who’s counting?) Breckenridge is just a 15-minute drive away from Frisco and if we were to have a cabin anywhere, it would be there. It was like coming home as we spent the morning at Peak 8 Fun Park, which boasts the most awesome line-up of summer activities of any of Colorado’s ski resorts with an alpine coaster AND slide, gold panning, a maze, bungee trampoline, miniature golf and a bounce house.

Breckenridge Peak 8 Fun Park

We were thrilled to be in Breckenridge during Kingdom Days, which celebrates the town’s colorful history.

Or rather, lack of color as you can see from this old-fashioned photo. Note to self: Next time stay and watch Kingdom Days’ uproarious Outhouse Races.

Breckenridge was founded back in the 1860s thanks to the many gold discoveries. I have always wanted to go on a mine tour and was thrilled when Country Boy Mine Tour was a part of our itinerary.

Country Boy Mine Tours

There is still gold in them thar hills but it costs more money to extract it than it is worth. Following the tour, we panned for gold and Hadley unearthed a real sliver of gold, which I then proceeded to lose.

So much for our chance at millions.

Breckenridge is part of an extensive paved trail system that connects to mountain towns Frisco, Dillon, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Vail. That evening, Hadley was exhausted after her week at camp so Jamie stayed behind while Bode and I took to the trail. I had an epiphany: almost exactly two years ago, Hadley took her first solo flight to Utah (like Bode) and she first tested out her new mountain bike on Breckenridge’s trail system, just as Bode and I did that evening on his newly-minted mountain bike.

New bikes on the Breckenridge bike path: Hadley (2011) and Bode (2013)

His ride went smashingly on the dirt trails…until he ended up slowly smashing into the bridge. Luckily he made a quick recovery.

Party Boy

For the past few years, we have been in Canada for Bode’s July birthday, which has resulted in a number of “pretend birthdays” leading up to the real deal. He wanted to celebrate with his buddies at Big Time Fun Trampoline Center and it was the cheapest, easiest party I’ve ever thrown: Invite friends, buy cake, show up.

Big Time Partiers

Why have I been killing myself all these years with parties, food and entertainment at my house?

Finally a Fish

For the third year in a row, I organized summer swim lessons for some of my good friends from our ward. It is a two-week pool party for the kiddos and a lot of fun to hang out with the Real Housewives of Jefferson County.

And most noteworthy? Bode has finally figured out how to swim and graduated from Squids, which is the first time he has ever passed a swim class. There may be hope yet.

Camping Disasters

I was looking forward to our camping trip yesterday to Camp Dick in the Roosevelt National Forest. Like so many of our adventures, it started well with blue skies, beautiful hikes, creek-playing and boulder-scaling.

Camp Dick

But then ended so very, very badly. Details tomorrow.

Lyons Soda Fountain

But I suggest you drown your sorrows with ice cream sodas, floats, freezes, phosphates and classy sundaes at Lyons Soda Fountain, one of the state’s best preserved and oldest soda fountains in Lyons, Colo. Because ice cream makes everyone feel better.

A Little Bit of Magic

Lest you think we haven’t had any downtime in June, think again. Every chance we got, whether we were at the park, in the car driving 14,265 feet to Mount Evans’ summit or in the basement, I was reading the kids their newest obsession: Time well spent in what turned out to be a magical month.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family, Family travel, Hadley, hiking, Jamie, outdoors, travel, Utah Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Dratted Marmot/Beaver at YMCA of the Rockies

June 27, 2013 By

You’d think as much as I rave about YMCA of the Rockies that I worked for them (maybe someday?) One of the bonuses of enrolling your child in Camp Chief Ouray is taking some time to play at YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch. My son Bode and I timed our 30-hour visit perfectly: get a tour of the camp, attend the dance and closing Vespers ceremony and spend the rest of the time exploring.

We’ve frequently visited Snow Mountain Ranch in the wintertime but this was our first summer visit. With 5,100 acres, it is considerably larger than its more popular 860-acre Estes Park counterpart, which meant more to conquer. In the winter, we’ve focused on outdoor (Nordic skiing/tubing/snowshoeing/skating) and indoor (roller-skating, swimming, archery, climbing wall and gym play) so this time around, we tried to do some different activities. From miniature golfing to making a Father’s Day gift at the impressively-stocked craft center, to capitalizing on the playground at Indian Peaks Lodge to snuggling up by the campfire.See that stuffed animal on the top left? I promised Bode I’d buy it for him at the gift shop if he did the 3 mile round-trip hike on the Waterfall Trail with me. Normally he’s a great hiking buddy but he was dragging that day and a little extra motivation was necessary.

The trail is perfect for families and was both beautiful and fascinating. The area boasts an active beaver population so not only did we pass dams and ponds but also gnawed-off trees. Upon arriving at the waterfall, we skipped the crowds at the base and followed the trail to the top of the waterfall where we spent the next hour throwing and then watching rocks and sticks fall to their death over the bustling waters.
We also marveled as a Colorado kid tied a hammock on each side of the creek right before the falls and then leisurely hung out–one false move would have sent him over the waterfall. #OnlyInColorado

Good thing I am not his mother

We were so inspired after our hike (Bode was boasting about our adventures through some “perilous” marshlands), he declared his souvenir de choix from the gift shop was going to be his very own beaver.

P.S. We later figured out it was actually a marmot. Close enough.

=====

In case you missed them:

A Week of Independence: The Johnson Kids Do Utah and Camp

Dancing Queen: Why It’s Good to Be Young and Sweet at Camp Chief Ouray

Protesting the End of Camp Chief Ouray

Hadley’s Camp Chief Ouray Highlights: Kitchen-raiding Mammoth-capturing Fun

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family travel, hiking, outdoors, travel Tagged With: ,

The Ultimate Cure for Cabin Fever: Discovering Colorado’s Cossetted Camelot

February 12, 2013 By

After a week of caring for sick kids, a wave of cabin fever washed over me. Life is good on many levels but also so overwhelming with major, saddening issues over which I have no control. I just needed to get out and for me, that means outside. I left Hadley with Jamie and headed to the mountains. I have a bucket list of trails I want to tackle and one of them is Lair ‘o the Bear Open Space. We spend a lot of time playing in the creek in the summertime but the Bear Creek Trail extends 12.6-miles through three contiguous Denver Mountain Parks to the west. I had no idea how extensive it was until I set out but it was just what the doctor ordered.

Or he would have if I’d been sick but remember I was the lone holdout in the family for the first time ever?

I was delighted to wear my YakTrax traction devices on my shoes for the first time this winter. That’s my nice way of saying, DENVER–YOUR SNOWLESS WINTER HAS SUCKED.

But my winter expedition did not and I loved it all–from hiking in snow to the beauty of the crystallized river to the chilly temperatures to the complete solitude where it seems even the birds had abandoned the forest for warmer climes. Just alone in my thoughts without any of life’s distractions.

When I was about 15  minutes into my hike, I was stopped in my tracks by enchanting classical music that saturated the area. I looked around, saw nothing and deduced I was imaging it. But as I pressed onward, the music grew louder and more urgent so like the Pied Piper,  I blindly followed it and it lead me to the Dunafon Castle.

Now I’m not sure about you but it’s not exactly happenstance in my life to find a cosseted château in the mountains–particularly one that is located off a road I’ve driven a hundred times. Built on a peninsula overlooking the crystal-clear waters of Bear Creek, I later found out this stunning seventeen-acre “Colorado’s Camelot” was built in 1941 and is a residence that opens for private events May through October.  The property was securely gated off but I’ve vowed to return for one of their guided tours.

That fueled my fire and the hike I’d only intended to be a brief escape turned into a three-hour, who-knows-how-many-miles hike. I simply couldn’t turn around; the mountains are among my most sacred places. When I happened upon this view of the peaks that worship 14,26-ft. Mt. Evans, the thought came to my mind, “God is in charge.”A wash of peace came over me…and I walked away from my brief interlude with Colorado’s Camelot with gratitude for a renewed perspective.

 

 

Filed Under: Colorado, hiking, outdoors

Martin Luther Day Weekend: In Pictures

January 23, 2013 By

As much as I love to travel, there is nothing like exploring your own backyard, particularly when you live in an amazing place like Denver. On Saturday, we met up with my friend Amie and her kids who are the same age as H and B.  We played to our heart’s content, starting at our local skate park.At one point, I heard Hadley screaming for me. I raced over to find she had slid down into a deep bowl and she couldn’t get out. Soon, all the kids followed suit. “I’ll go help them,” my friend Amie heroically volunteered. I hesitated. I love Amie but I had serious doubts about her capabilities. Eventually, everyone but her emerged victorious. Her hand-on-face says it all.I debated dropping into the bowl to assist but figured I’d be more help from above and eventually, an 11-year-old boy and I pulled her to safety. How often does that happen?

We then hopped on our bikes and raced along the Ralston Creek trail. Remember these pictures from the summer?It looks a wee bit different in the winter.There was a nearby playground but the kids preferred to climb trails, build dams, throw rocks and scale creeks.

I must be doing something right.

In other big weekend news, Bode lost his first tooth–his bottom right–while watching a movie on Friday night.

The Tooth Fairy got her act together and dyed his glass of water blue to match her dress, as opposed to H’s urine sample.

And Hadley hit a milestone of her own: she got her ears pierced.

Rest assured, major details forthcoming on this feat that has been three years in the making.

On Martin Luther King Day, the kids lazed around all morning while I worked from bed (praise laptops), we met Jamie’s client at Beau Jo’s pizza for lunch (the best mountain pies EVER) and we explored 127-acre Belmar Park. I’ve been a bit remiss lately how fast they’re growing up and that their playground days will soon be behind them but I had an epiphany at Belmar Park. Soccer. Basketball. Swim team. Though I think it’s important for kids to learn skills and gain self-confidence, there is an expiration date on so many of them. I was repeatedly athlete of the year for team sports and I loved them all but what I am most grateful for is my parents taught me to love the outdoors and solo sports like biking, hiking, running, skating, exploring, snowshoeing, climbing and skiing. Those last beyond the confines of graduation.

And will amount to a lifetime of truly living and knowing how to play.

Filed Under: biking, Bode, Colorado, Hadley, hiking, outdoors

Untraditional Thanksgiving Traditions and Bathroom Habit Relevations

November 23, 2012 By

I’ll admit it: Thanksgiving is starting to grow on me. Traditionally, it has been my least favorite holiday and the reason revolved around football (a sport I don’t like) and slaving all day in the kitchen for a meal I don’t really like, only to be rewarded with more football.

This year’s festivities were partially the same but a lot different. Our tradition has been to drag our butterball butts up the Turkey Trot trail at Mount Falcon Park since 2005. My, how times have changed. Especially for the fact my kiddos can rock this really steep hike. As a side note, Bode is holding up his pant leg because early in the hike he started running, tripped and skinned his knee. He brushed himself off and appeared to be fine until I made a Rookie Mom error: I asked if he was bleeding. Sure enough, he had a nice scrape and he then dramatically limped the rest of the way. Until we reached the summit and he forgot he was supposed to be injured as he raced around.

The weather was gorgeous and in the 50s. Everyone ditched their outer layers and I stuffed them in my backpack. I noticed something hard in Jamie’s pocket so pulled it out. Glasses. And not just any glasses but 3D glasses. Because you’ll never know when you’ll need ‘em on a mountaintop.

My favorite activity with my favorite guy

And what would hiking be without a great game of hide ‘n go seek around precipitous ledges? Can you spot expert hider Jamie? He’s going pro next year.

Usually our hike is rushed because we race back to cook but this year, I’m not sure who came up with the brilliant plan to ditch the traditional meal and instead serve everyone’s favorite foods. Best of all, prep and clean-up were minimal and we took the informality one step further by grazing as we watched football.
Sorry, Mom. We’ll use all that fancy china next year.

We cuddled up to The Amazing Spider-man…

With Aunt Lisa and Uncle Chris

…and wrapped Thanksgiving up with the kids’ first-ever game of charades. They loved it and I’m sure it will become a family staple. I’d show pictures of the antics but they are not blog-approved.

Suffice it to say in addition to great food and family, the mental image of Lisa acting out “toilet paper” will forever live on in our memories.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, hiking, holidays

Following in the Anasazi’s (Extreme Adventuring) Footsteps at Mesa Verde National Park (Part II)

November 8, 2012 By

Hadley’s third grade class camping trip to Mesa Verde National Park wasn’t just about play (see Part 1). We were there to learn and spending only a few days exploring the archaeological sites and hundreds of cliff dwellings was worth weeks in the classroom.

Spruce Tree House

And what a cool classroom it was.

We were given National Park Service handouts that were specific to school groups with great questions like, “Visit the spring area and describe how a deep spring functions.” “Count the number of kivas and describe two possible functions.”  After exploring the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum (be sure to watch the free, 15-minute film) we hiked the short, steep trail down to the Spruce Tree House.

“I feel like I’m gonna cry!” Haddie excitedly squealed.

She held it together but was thrilled to discover the third-largest Anasazi village in the park with 130 rooms and eight kivas (places of worship) that was constructed sometime between AD 1211 and 1278. Because of its protected location hugging the cliffs, it is well preserved and made for some fun explorations.

Grinding food

When I informed Haddie she could climb down into a kiva, she cut me off and hurriedly prepared donning her headlamp, gloves and compass. I didn’t have the heart to tell Adventure Girl she was simply climbing down a ladder and not doing some extreme backcountry mountaineering expedition.

Also, it helps when your headlamp doesn’t cover your eyes.

From there, it was onto the Balcony House for the highlight of our entire trip. This is a ranger-guided tour only (purchase $3 tickets for the one-hour tours at the Far View Visitor Center) and Ranger P.T. was informative, fun and engaging. This medium-size cliff dwelling had 45 rooms and two kivas but what made it so awesome was the adventure that went with it.

From the stellar views.

To the beautiful hike.

To crawling through a 12-foot tunnel, then climbing a series of toe-holds in a cleft of the cliff.

Precipitous cliff scaling

But the coolest feature of all: a 32-foot ladder. Well, cool unless you’re afraid of heights in which case, it was terrifying for a few people.

Of course, Adventure Girl had no problem. She could have even done it blindfolded blinded by her headlamp.

After scaling the ladder, we huddled together on the edge of a kiva. P.T. shared the rich history of the Ancient Puebloans and how they believe their ancestors emerged from the Third World through a sacred hole known as Sipapu to the Fourth World where we were sitting.

The lore wove its mythical spell and the children were entranced. As we looked out at the hundred-mile views of Mesa Verde’s wind-swept mesas and the azure desert sky in our outdoor classroom, anything seemed possible.

And I guess that’s the point of an experiential education.

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, Hadley, hiking, outdoors, travel

Surviving (and thriving) a class camping trip to Mesa Verde National Park

November 7, 2012 By

The main reason we switched Hadley to her new Waldorf charter school was for their experiential, arts-based education. The week before school started, we received an email from her new teacher announcing the first class field trip in early-October would be a three-day camping trip to Mesa Verde National Park.

[Insert Haddie's squeal of delight here. OK, if we're really being honest I did it, too. Hence the reason I signed up to chaperone.]

Spruce Tree House

I had only been to Mesa Verde briefly many years ago when I was writing about the Four Corners region (see the article here). With some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in a world, the 81-square mile national park in southwestern Colorado features more than 4,000 archeological sites and 600 cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloan people.

In third grade speak: “This is soooooo cool.”

It had the makings of a disaster: 23 kids, a 7.5-hour drive and many children were away from their parents for the first time or were camping newbies. But it was one of my most enjoyable camping trips ever. Not only were the kids angels but 12 incredibly capable parent chaperones took three days off work to accompany the class.

Getting There is Half the Fun

Remember the 7.5-hour drive? That’s not counting gas stops and a lunch break so we spent a good portion of our day in the car. Before you start feeling sorry for me, it was one of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever done in Colorado and the fall colors were at their peak. In the wintertime, Wolf Creek Pass outside of Pagosa Springs is treacherous. In the fall? A different story.

Durango, Colo.

View from car window from Mesa Verde

But still, after a long drive like that you have to wonder is this going to be worth it? That, and more.

 Campin’

We stayed at Morefield Campground in Mesa Verde, which has single and group camping sites. The first item of business was helping the kids set up camp. Hadley was assigned to a tent with five other girls and my co-parent Christine and I helped them set-up, after which there was plenty of time to explore, eat, snuggle up for storytime and eat some more.

If there’s a tree, Haddie will climb it

The party grove. I was never invited. #shocker

Tent mates at breakfast

Dinner

Bustling camp

I scored and set-up my tent in a cossetted site tucked away in the trees.

Christine made the mistake of pitching her tent mere feet away from the girls so guess who they went to all night long for their needs? “Don’t worry,” I assured her. “I’ll take care of them on our second night.”

They miraculously slept straight through. [Insert evil, relieved cackle here]

For once, luck was on my side.

Stay tuned tomorrow for our adventures in Mesa Verde National Park, including scaling a 30-foot ladder. Go here to read that post.

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, Hadley, hiking, outdoors Tagged With:

Steamboat Springs: Adventures at the Upper Fish Creek Falls

November 6, 2012 By

Every Colorado resort has one: a popular hike that is bombarded with tourists in the summertime. In Steamboat Springs, that hike is 283-foot Fish Creek Falls in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. And for good reason. It is:

1) Lovely. The falls spill over a hanging valley, formed at the junction where a small glacier joined a larger one.

2) Accessible (only four miles from downtown Steamboat Springs).

3) Easy. From the upper lot (which has a $5 fee to park), it is only a 1/4-mile trek to the falls with some scenic picnic areas.

During my October visit to Steamboat Springs to speak at the Governor’s Tourism Conference, I resolved to hike the still-popular yet not as frequented Upper Fish Creek Falls, a 4-mile round-trip hike. But here’s the catch: a storm was blowing in and I needed to drive back to Denver. And the trail was pretty unrelenting and steep.

But I was a woman on a mission. I hoofed it through the conifer forest with its Englemann spruce and Douglas firs for what seemed like an eternity (really, it was only 50 minutes) until I was finally rewarded above treeline with this stunning view of Steamboat Springs and the Yampa Valley.

I chugged along another 10 minutes before I finally reached the falls. For anyone keeping track, it took me one hour to hike 2 miles, attesting to 1) The trail’s steep pitch or 2) That I’m more out of shape than I thought.

The Upper Falls. This picture taken as a testimony I actually made it.

For those ambitious sorts, Fish Creek Falls is the jumping-off point for miles of hikes and the 6-mile hike to Long Lake leads to the Continental Divide trail where the real backcountry explorations can begin.

But that time around, I was perfectly happy with my four-miler.

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, hiking, Humor, travel Tagged With:

It’s a fall frenzy: in pictures!

November 4, 2012 By

My computer refuses to read my iPhone picture files so I have a backlog of pictures waiting to be uploaded. Which means I’ve had to email myself each picture and then save it on my desktop. Which means I can’t be bothered to do it.

However, fall is flying by and I’d be remiss if I didn’t make mention of at least a few things we’ve been up to. Haddie has started piano lessons and Bode has wrapped up soccer. Other activities include:

Swim team at the YMCA. Haddie is loving it and I’m loving I can go workout in the weight room during it.

Except for on Fridays when I bring Bode and his bestie Sean to swim. And yes, I said swim. If you’ve followed Bode’s swimming missteps, you’ll realize how truly miraculous it is that he’s finally swimming.

Then there was the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey’s DRAGONS.

Tennis. We’ve been playing every Monday night for FHE for almost two months. Bode, in particular, is obsessed and is begging me for lessons.  I told him he has to wait ’til spring. Even this Canuck has standards about running around the tennis court in the snow. But apparently no standards when it comes to taking over the skate park and using the bumps as a net.

Bode started basketball at the YMCA. Though all the players were a year older and a full head taller, he held his own. This is Jamie coaching nervous Bode about the rules moments before his first basketball game ever. It’s called death-bed repentance.

There was stargazing with our besties at the Pine Valley Ranch Park observatory.

That activity deserves an entire post unto itself. Which I plan to write in all my spare time.

Though I’ve been crazy-busy with work and meetings, I try to carve out a few days every week for an adventure. I’ve become moderately obsessed with biking every trail at North Table Mountain Park in Golden.
Well, in this case hike-a-biking because some parts were STEEP.

Then, there was Mount Falcon Park. Denver recently received a healthy dose of snow so my hike started with views like this. And changed to this as I reached the summit.
And yep, I was in my element.

Speaking of snow, we hit the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Expo where we skied.
If you count that makeshift ramp.

The kids also attempted the Gibbons’ Slacklines (think: hip tightrope), an insanely popular up-and-coming sport. They attempted it over and over again, only venturing out a few feet. Apparently balance ain’t our thing.

And my favorite activity of all: the Denver Curling Club brought a curling demo! As a Canuck mom, I finally felt like I was not failing my little half-breeds in the Ways of the Motherland.

Lest you think we’re all play and no work ’round here, service is always worked into our routine. Here are my boys at building clean-up day at the church. Haddie’s charter school threw a huge harvest festival that was a throwback to yesteryear with butter making, straw crowns and corn husk doll stations, chili and a charming dragon play.

My little bird

And, of course, these activities don’t even touch upon all our Halloween festivities, pumpkin patches and parties. This week, I’m supposed to go to Dallas for a conference Thursday through Sunday. Poor Bode and Jamie are sick so I’ll be nursing them back to health with chicken noodle soup and lots of snuggles the next few days.

I think we’ll all welcome the break after a fabulous but frenzied fall.

Filed Under: biking, Bode, Colorado, Hadley, hiking, outdoors, skiing
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