A long four years after my last blog post, I'm back to share Asher's and my recent trip to Colorado! Oh how I have missed writing and sharing adventures with all of you. Other than a handful of trips for weddings or other family-related events, we haven't traveled since our honeymoon driving tour of the west in May 2019. We spent a few days in Colorado towards the end of our honeymoon and knew we wanted to go back to experience more of this gorgeous state together. Thanks to Covid, finances, animals, jobs, and an extensive home rehab/move, that didn't happen until just a couple weeks ago, but it was a lovely third anniversary gift to ourselves and even more sweet since we haven't traveled for so long. Normally I would have posted each day, but Internet and time proved difficult, so here is just one long post for you to enjoy!
Sunday, May 29, 2022 - Just a long day of driving from our home to Denver. We woke up just before 5:00 a.m. to finish preparing and do morning chores - with 22 animals to care for, it's never a small feat to leave. The two humans and one canine (my dog, Mishka) pulled out of the driveway just before 6:30, not much later than our anticipated 6:00 departure. We made a total of four stops - two combined fuel/bathroom, two bathroom only - with good weather and no traffic most of the way. About 45 minutes before we got to Denver, we hit a significant dust/windstorm which slowed everyone to 40 m.p.h. as tumbleweeds blew across the interstate and vehicles struggled to stay in their lane. The temperature plummeted nearly 40 degrees and after the storm passed, we hit some light rain. Unfortunately, this obscured the welcome-to-Denver mountain views. We arrived at our hotel in Lakewood (south of Denver) just before 6:00 p.m., got settled, then headed back out to nearby Bear Creek Greenbelt Park to stretch our legs on a short two-mile trail after sitting all day. I loved how many people were outside and active despite the rain! After our walk, we ran into Whole Foods for some groceries for the trip and also picked up some hot bar food for an easy dinner back in our hotel room. Showers and bed followed at 10:15.
Monday, May 30, 2022 - We woke up naturally around 5:45 (6:45 our time, which is much later than Asher & I normally get up...even on vacation we're apparently in "work/farm mode"!). Mishka went out to potty, then we had the complimentary hotel breakfast (eggs, ham, yogurt, orange juice) while planning our day. We decided to climb nearby Mt. Morrison, aptly named for the adorable little town that sits at its base. It also provides an amazing overview of downtown Denver, Red Rocks, Mt. Evans, Longs Peak, and Pikes Peak on a clear day. The trail goes up about 2,000 feet in 1.8 miles and is good preparation for 14ers. The trail was consistently steep until the last 0.15 miles of complete boulder-scrambling. Once at the top, the views were stunning. We even got to see some Air Force flyovers/maneuvers and an eagle majestically circling! After some photos and snacks at the top, we carefully made our way back down. I'm so proud of how careful and surefooted Mishka was on some very technical, challenging terrain. She showed up Colorado dogs that couldn't even make it the last 0.15 miles! Once we got back to the trailhead, we headed up into the mountains on I-70. We made a few brief shopping stops in Dillon/Silverthorne before heading to Peak One Campground in Frisco. We have a truck tent that assembles easily on the ground before being lifted into the bed of our truck. It kept us up off the ground, which provided a little extra peace of mind from animals and also kept us warmer. The campground hosts were so friendly and helpful; our campsite was well-equipped with a picnic table, fire ring, and grill; and we were directly across from the bathrooms and water station so it couldn't have been a better first camping experience for us. We roasted hot dogs over the roaring fire Asher made, enjoyed a few other appetizers/snacks, and just reveled in the peaceful surrounding beauty. We settled in our tent for bed around 10:00.
Tuesday, May 31, 2022 - Unfortunately, a few inches of snow fell and the temperatures plummeted to around 25 degrees (F) overnight. Asher's sleeping bag zipper wouldn't cooperate, so he especially struggled. Mishka even had frost on her! After several mostly-sleepless hours, we reconfigured the sleeping arrangements to share heat more effectively and got some Benadryl on board, which allowed a few more restful hours of sleep before the campground was bustling and it was time to break camp. Fortunately, this was definitely the worst night of the trip and we only improved from there, having learned from mistakes! After a quick breakfast of bagels with cream cheese and clementines, we continued on I-70 west to Vail. We hiked the Berry Picker Trail from the Vail Village/Lionshead base all the way to the summit - 2,100 feet in just over 3 miles. It was a beautiful trail winding through aspens and across ski runs, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect with piercingly deep blue sky and only a few harmless clouds. I haven't skied at Vail for many years, but it was a lot of fun to be there in the off-season and see it sans snow. Now having climbed to the top on my own two feet, I have much greater appreciation for the efficiency of lifts that whisk us to the top in mere minutes compared to my 2.5-hour roundtrip hike! Once back at the base, we rested and refueled for a little bit before heading south to Leadville. Our campground for the next three nights was Lakeview Campground, south of Leadville and north of Buena Vista. It overlooks Twin Lakes and is surrounded by many 14ers, chiefly Mt. Massive and Mt. Elbert. We stopped at adorable, eclectic Tennessee Pass Cafe in Leadville to grab a late lunch/early dinner before heading on down to the campground - Asher had a turkey-avocado BLT and I had Colorado trout with a plethora of roasted veggies. Lakeview Campground normally has water, but this season they are redoing the system so we made sure to pack in enough water before we left Peak One Campground in Frisco. They still had clean (composting) bathrooms, and our campsite had a picnic table, grill, and fire ring. We got to bed earlier around 9:30, definitely tired from all the traveling, hiking, and previous night's cold!
Wednesday, June 1, 2022 - After a much-improved (and warmer - the low was right around freezing) night, we started our day leisurely with assorted snacks and pulled the tent out of the back of the truck so we could head out. First, we went to nearby South Elbert Trailhead to scout the drive/terrain/what to expect for the next day's adventure! Then we headed back into Leadville for a 2.5-hour train ride on the Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad. Our conductor was incredibly knowledgeable and personable, providing interesting & educational commentary all the way up to our turnaround point at the French Gulch Water Tank. Once again, the weather was perfect and we were treated to breathtaking views the entire ride. We only saw a few mule deer, although our conductor said they've seen black bears, elk, moose, and even one mountain lion before. Dogs are allowed on the train ride as well, and Mishka alternated between sitting next to us enjoying the breeze and sleeping off the previous days' hikes. We got back to our campground around 4:30 to get set back up for the night and make some delicious veggie tacos on the grill. Bed was earlier again around 9:15.
Thursday, June 2, 2022 - Today started quite early at 4:15 in the pitch dark. Quiet hours at the campground are from 10:00 p.m. - 8:00 a.m., so we tried to be mindful while getting the tent out of the truck, going to the bathroom, getting ourselves & Mishka ready, and pulling out (not the easiest with a diesel truck). Our mission was to climb Mt. Elbert, which at 14,433 feet is the tallest mountain in Colorado and second-tallest in the lower 48 (Mt. Whitney in California is the tallest). There are several routes to the top, but our research landed on the South Elbert Trail, mainly due to having two trailheads - an upper and lower. The lower trailhead is readily accessible off a maintained road; the upper trailhead is accessed off a 1.85-mile rough single track. Fortunately, our truck is a manual with very high clearance and 4x4, so we just crept up in first gear around 5 m.p.h. with no issues, arriving at the trailhead just as it was becoming light at 5:30. Although the trailhead sign said 3.8 miles to summit and AllTrails said around 4 miles, my GPS watch clocked in at 5.2 miles - I suspect this was due to trail repairs/restoration which we saw evidence of in multiple places. Elevation gain is around 4,000 feet but the last bit is by far the most brutal - my watch showed around 2,000 feet gained in the final 1.2 miles. Asher made it just shy of 13,000 feet before he called it a day with some very fatigued legs and lightheadedness. Mishka and I continued on to the summit slowly but steadily, summitting around 10:40 - this was with rest/water stops every 1/4-mile on the way up, so actual hiking time was probably more like 4 hours. I grabbed some photos/videos at the top, thankful for yet another day of blue skies and sunshine. Unfortunately, in my elated (or was it oxygen-deprived?!) state, I mistook the N Elbert Trail sign for our trail (S Elbert Trail) and ended up going down the opposite side of the mountain almost all the way to tree line! Thankfully cell phone reception was outstanding the entire hike, so Asher dropped a pin of his location and I traipsed my way around the side of the mountain until we reunited. Unfortunately, by this point it had warmed up enough that where there were patches of snow we had to cross, I was "postholing" (falling through - sometimes up to my waist). It's pretty exhausting work when oxygen is already scarce, you're off trail, and you've already summited a grueling mountain. I'm beyond thankful for the excellent cell phone service which allowed Asher to talk to me over the phone and give me a precise location to work towards, my incredible mental & physical endurance (I had no idea I had that much within me), and Mishka for putting her all into pulling my upper body and keeping me moving when I was postholing so badly. These factors kept a less-than-ideal situation from escalating into a life-threatening emergency. Once we reconnected with Asher, we took a nice breather (literally and figuratively) before heading all the way back down to the truck and bumping our way back down the road. Make-your-own pizzas on the grill were in order for a late lunch/early dinner, and we spent the rest of the evening just resting and recounting the day until we settled into well-earned bed at 9:00.
Friday, June 3, 2022 - After another good night's rest, we woke up around 6:45 and took our time getting ready, packing up, and breaking camp for the final time. We headed north to ski at Arapahoe Basin. With their closing day in only a few days (Sunday, June 5), snow coverage was sparse, one lift running, and two runs opens. Nevertheless, I won't pass up an opportunity to ski in June (actually my first time to claim this)! It was Asher's first time skiing outside of Missouri, and although the previous days of hiking and less-than-ideal snow conditions made it a bit challenging for him, he got several runs in and definitely understands the difference between Missouri and Colorado/real skiing now! I got several more runs in after he called it a day, enjoying the camaraderie with fellow devoted skiers & riders, then we started the trek down out of the mountains around 1:00 p.m. We did run into some traffic and road construction in Denver, otherwise the drive was straightforward. We stopped for fuel in Burlington, CO, and sadly discovered El Reynaldo's did not make it through the Covid shutdown (for the backstory on El Reynaldo's, just see pretty much any of my previous blogposts involving Colorado). We arrived at our hotel in Goodland, KS, around 6:30 p.m., after getting some tasty Mexican food at nearby Tequila's (Asher had a shrimp burrito and I had a chicken-shrimp-fajita veggies plate). The hotel had a pool and hot tub which felt amazing on our sore muscles - and perhaps even more amazingly, we got showers for the first time in five days. Sleeping on a real bed felt pretty nice, too! We went to sleep around 10:00 after getting cleaned up, fed, reorganized, and winding down.
Saturday, June 4, 2022 - Today was just driving from Goodland to home. We woke up around 6:00, had a quick breakfast (yogurt & orange juice), and were on the road around 7:20. We stopped three times - once in central-eastern Kansas for bathroom, near Topeka for fuel, and just outside of Kansas City for bathroom/food. We intended to try Whataburger as a special treat but even at 2:30 in the afternoon, they were overrun and informed us of a minimum 30- to 45-minute wait. So we instead grabbed nearby efficient Culver's and got back on the road promptly so we could arrive back home by 5:30. Many hours of unpacking, laundry, cleaning, and organizing lay ahead, and with animals, there's no resting up when you get back - so the remainder of the weekend was a flurry of activity before we both went back to work Monday morning.
Closing thoughts - It was overall a lovely trip. I'm most proud of summitting Mt. Elbert. Not only was it my first 14er, it was also my first time at/above 14,000 feet (other than in an airplane) - and on the tallest mountain in Colorado, at that! There were a lot of physical & mental challenges to overcome and I truly believe I've come away from it a much stronger person. I'm also really proud of Asher for doing as much as he did, also for listening to his body and knowing when to stop so we didn't get ourselves in a bad situation. I'm proud of both of us for working so incredibly hard - both physically (lots of strength, cardio, and HIIT training) and at our jobs so we could financially afford it (I set a very strict budget for this trip which included camping and bringing/making almost all our food to keep costs down). I'm proud of Mishka for being such an incredible camping/traveling/hiking buddy - for only being 42 pounds, she's a strong, mighty little pup. We are grateful to Asher's family for staying at our farm to ensure the remaining 21 animals were well cared for in our absence. And I'm grateful to everyone who read this blog, especially if you made it all the way here! As always, if you are considering a trip similar to ours, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Until next time....... (hopefully not another four years!)
Blessings,
~Anna
