Our dear friend Erin basically planned our weekend. She found us a great "treehouse" studio apartment for rent through airbnb. We didn't get a picture of it, but we would definitely go again. It was affordable and clean and located on top of a bluff in Nederland, about an hour and a half from home. I didn't get any pictures, but it really did look and feel like a treehouse.
On Saturday we walked into Ned for breakfast. Ned is a quirky little mountain town tucked in the Peak to Peak Wilderness Area at 8200 feet. The breakfast crowd offered a microcosm of the town: patchouli-drenched hippies with dreds, a slim and ripped couple in matching cycling outfits, and middle-aged motorcycle dudes appreciating Mitt Romney.
Stomachs full, we headed off to hike the Rainbow Lakes area, five lakes all close to each other. Of course Daniel led the way off the trail and higher up the mountains. I freaked out a little. When will I learn? My husband has no interest in trails. He will forever long to get off the beaten track and forge his own path. Thank goodness, he's actually good at it, if only I will trust his crazy orienteering skills!
In the afternoon we lazed around reading books, talking, and drinking tea. Couples who have kids will realize what a HUGE TREAT that was for us. That night we drove down the mountain to Boulder for a delicious dinner at Frasca. We've been wanting to go ever since we moved to Colorado, and it was fantastic.
The next morning we woke up to the sunrise streaming through the windows. Daniel found a big pile of boulders on the property and climbed up to enjoy the view--and the family of foxes chasing each other back and forth.
Since we've moved to Colorado, we haven't done nearly as much "real" hiking as we'd like, at least not together. (The kids are at that age when they're too big to carry but too small to make it very far.) So we headed into the Indian Peaks Wilderness and climbed Mt. Audubon. At 13,221 feet, it was the highest peak I've ever climbed. My Bionic Man husband, who probably would have bounded up the thing in half the time, was very patient with my pace. It was 8-miles round-trip and not a technically difficult hike, but that air sure got thin at the top!
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| first great view, of Mitchell Lake |
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| these cute little marmots were scurrying all over the place |
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| starting to scramble up the last .5 miles of rocky scree/talus/boulders |
We made it. I think you'd have to be half-dead not to feel some version of awe on top of a mountain. Lines from the Romantic poets and the Psalms were running through my head.
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| these rock shelters provided a welcome break from the wind |
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| that lake is about a 2000 foot drop, people |
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| these succulents somehow manage to grow in the crevices on the peak |
We came home refreshed and well-rested and full to the brim with beauty.
Perhaps as a sign of how much stress we've been under, I didn't take a single photo of my parents. But here are a few good ones from last fall (all by Jonalee Earles).
The boys had a wonderful time with Grandma and Grandpa and are already asking when we'll see them next. Being this far from family isn't easy, but we're so grateful for a week together!
1 comment:
Oh it looks like you had a heavenly time away. I'm so jealous of all that natural beauty you have close by. Not that we don't have any here...just not like that!
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