a former gymnast with a neverending case of wanderlust
Summer 2020 hiking season was abruptly and heartbreakingly interrupted in mid-August, thanks to four large, rapidly spreading wildfires that prompted many closures and blanketed Colorado with thick smoke. Just as firefighters began to make significant progress, the west coast caught fire and the smoke from those states was blown all the way to Colorado and… Continue reading Colorado Day Hikes: Heart Lake
Pat and I could stay in Colorado for the rest of our lives (personally, I have few objections to this!) and probably never run out of places to backpack in Rocky. There are so many options. I haven’t actually counted, but I’m fairly certain that at least ¾ of the trails in the park extend… Continue reading Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Lion and Snowbank Lakes
Thank you to everyone who took the time to look through my ten photos and post their guesses! We had quite a few correct answers, some that were pretty close, and two photos that stumped everyone. Below I'll reveal each location and provide just a small bit of background information about each photo, as well… Continue reading Ten Day Travel Photo Challenge – the locations revealed
By this point I'm sure you've all seen the 10-day photo challenge that's been floating around for about three months now. I’ve actually been nominated by multiple people: Maggie and Richard from Monkeys Tale, Angela from Suitcase Travel Blog, and Beth from ETB Travel Photography. But between the holidays and the start of spring semester,… Continue reading Ten Day Travel Photo Challenge
Due to the pandemic, entrance into Rocky Mountain National Park was a little more complicated in 2020. In addition to a fee or pass, one needed to reserve a timed entry permit. This allowed the park to reduce the number of visitors and spread them evenly throughout the day to better facilitate social distancing. Plenty… Continue reading Colorado Summits: Lily Mountain
A vast majority of Colorado’s state parks are in the plains or foothills in the general vicinity of Denver. Many of them – especially the ones on the plains – are centered around bodies of water and geared toward water sports. They’re also crowded since they’re so close to a high population area. Because of… Continue reading Colorado State Parks: State Forest
After the stories of rain and lightning and unfinished hikes I’ve regaled you with over the last three weeks, I wish I could say this post will be about a non-dramatic venture into the mountains. Alas, it's not to be. At the end of July 2020, we had weekend campground reservations in State Forest State… Continue reading Moose on the Loose
Do a google search for “best hikes in Colorado” and you’ll inevitably stumble across Ice Lake within the first 5 minutes of your search. And let me tell you, there’s a reason this hike appears on the majority of such lists. It’s unbelievable! It’s also popular and crowded (let’s be real, most everything in Colorado… Continue reading Colorado Bucket List: Hiking to Ice Lake
Alternate post title: Diana’s absolute favorite hike in Colorado! In a world of Instagram and photo filters and photo editing software, it’s common to see a photo of something that looks too amazing to be real. So it’s reasonable to be skeptical. I definitely was the first time I ever saw a photo of Columbine… Continue reading Colorado Day Hikes: Columbine Lake
The title of this post was supposed to be “Colorado 14ers #2: Mount Sneffels” but, alas, the weather had a different set of plans. In fact, this post and the next two will be a three-part saga of a road trip that didn’t entirely go according to plan. The weather left a lot to be… Continue reading Colorado Day Hikes: Blue Lakes Basin
