Mount Bierstadt and Mount Yale

At the beginning of this summer I set a goal of hiking 8 of Colorado's 14ers. Since June I have hiked 4, and with summer coming to a close I knew in my heart I would really need to step it up if I wanted to reach my goal. I decided that reaching that goal might mean that I would be on a solitary journey and if it came to that so be it. I have every Thursday through Sunday off at work this month so that would give me plenty of days to try and fit in as much hiking as possible. My friend Meghan had emailed me after the Kite Lake camping trip and said her and her husband Neil were attempting Mount Yale the next weekend so I told them to count me in. Knowing I had a free day off during the week however, I started researching which of the 14ers I could hike alone safely so I decided to attempt Mount Bierstadt on Thursday before camping this weekend.

The trail head for Mount Bierstadt begins at the crest of Guanella Pass (elevation 11,669ft) which is about an hour and a half from Denver. As always I went to my go to guide at 14ers.com to see the best trail route and what to expect etc. It's a good thing I did because I read that Guanella Pass was closed from the highway I-70 Georgetown side due to road construction so I had to take 285 to a small town called Grant and head up the pass from there. I ran into someone on the hike on my way down and he said he was getting such a late start because he didn't know the pass was closed from I-70 which cost him precious hours hiking. This is why you always want to do your homework ahead of time!

At the top of the pass was a parking lot which I assumed was the trail head (and turns out I assumed correct) but there were no immediate signs from the pass or in the parking lot indicating I was in the right place. I arrived about 7:15 and the parking lot had about 10 cars in it with some people in the lot with backpacks on that had just arrived; which indicated to me I was probably in the right spot. I set off for the trail head with my dog bebe and a few feet in saw the Park sign indicating the Bierstandt trail. I knew I would be crossing through the meadows which were full of willows and was warned from various websites it would be marshy. However, there were wooden bridges through this damp area and even though there was a stream crossing, I never got too damp or muddy. Waterproof boots, however, are a must have and I'm so glad I spent the extra money on a pair.

The trial was pretty straightforward and since you can see Bierstandt from the parking lot, I knew I couldn't get lost. From Guanella Pass it is approximately a 3 mile hike, with a climb of 2,391 feet. Even though I was hiking solo there were several other people on the trail which was comforting and I stopped for several breaks along the way. On the rocky upper regions of the mountain the route of the trail is marked by a series of cairns. Since I didn't see anyone in front of me to follow, I followed the cairns to the best of my ability but there were quite a few so I wasn't sure which way was the best to ascend to the top. When in doubt, keep going upwards, which is what I did until I finally summited around 10:30am.





(picture Bierstandt on the right with sawtooth in the middle)












Once at the summit I could have continued along the Sawtooth to reach Mount Evans but weather looked like it was moving in so, along with a father and his two kids who were up there, I began to descend. I actually hiked with this family the whole way down and had a great conversation with them. Hiking alone is quite a mind trip especially when you are summiting a 14er because you have to rely on yourself to keep going and not quit. While I enjoyed the beauty and solitude, I was grateful to have someone to keep me company besides my dog on the way back to my car. The total trip took me about 5 hours.


































Mount Yale is also rated as a class 2 14er like Bierstandt but in difficulty it's ranked as moderate. It's one of the 9 14ers in the collegiate peaks and has gained popularity as a non-technical 14er (aka no ropes, helmets or other gear or skill needed) and it's often considered a "training" 14er for those who want to hike more difficult ones. Mount Yale is located in the the Sawatch mountain range which is home to 15 fourteeners and 14 centennial thirteeners; no other Colorado mountain range contains as many peaks above 13,800 ft. When hiking this range, there are a few things you can count on, long approaches, plenty of vertical, and endless class 2 hiking. Mount Yale is the eighth highest peak in the Sawatch Range and twenty-first in the state of Colorado.

Since I needed to drive to Buena Vista (about 2.5 hours away) to conquer this hike I decided to meet my friends Meghan and Neil on Friday night for dinner then camping in the Collegiate Peaks wilderness. We planned to get up at about 5:45am and hit the trail, which was near the campground, by 6 but ended up actually starting at 6:30. What can I say it's hard to get out of your sleeping bag when it's cold outside! We took the standard route which started at the Denny Creek Trailhead. The first three miles of the total 4.5 mile (one way) hike are very straightforward and through the wilderness area. There's lots of Aspens and Evergreen's and the Denny Creek runs through the trail which our dogs loved. This was the first 14er I have hiked where you were in the treeline for that long of a period of time which was a nice change. However, this just meant that we had more elevation to gain (4,000) in the long run.


After the treeline ends you reach a ridge and from here it just ascends straight up towards the top of Yale. Even from the base of the treeline you can't see the summit which can get discouraging if you like to have your goal ahead of you to keep motivated.
(picture: the views are starting to get better and better!)














The remainder of the hike from this point out was all loose rock on the trail which made it hard to hike up.















We had to take several breaks from here on out until we finally made it to the saddle at about 11:30am which was at about 13,800feet high. Only 396 more feet until the top! Unfortunately, we had a decision to make. Another group of people were at the saddle with their dogs and they said it was not safe for dogs to climb to the top. In fact, they had actually started up with their three and ended up having to carry them down. Since Meghan and Neil's dog Marley is a Great Pyrenees and weighs over 150lbs (and there's no way I would want to carry bebe down a bunch of loose rock even though she's only 35) we decided we'd have to leave them at the saddle. Marley wouldn't stay tied up so Neil volunteered to stay and let us summit the rest of the mountain. So off Meghan and I went.
(picture: we have to climb up that to get to the summit?!)













The remainder of the climb up to the summit was even more confusing than Bierstandt had been for me and much steeper. Meghan and I ended up going around one side thinking it would be easier and while she made it up and over a few boulders, I had to traverse back around to the front side where I found some people and followed them up to where she was. There weren't a lot of cairns here so it was easy to get "lost." There was a very steep ridge we had to go up and over with drop offs on each side so we spent a lot of time scooting on our butts and focusing on one hand hold at a time. One wrong step or twist of the ankle could have sent either one of us flying down the mountain so we went slow and took our time. We reached the summit at about noon and were very proud of ourselves for all the hard work we put in.

(picture: the ridge we had to climb over on our way to the top as seen from the summit)

























On the way down we didn't want to go back over the ridge so we decided to hike down a little and traverse over to the saddle. This ended up being a bad idea because there was lots of loose rock and although we weren't as high in elevation, there was no set trail so there was a lot of guess work, rocks sliding, butt scooting and even my pants ripping. We made our way to the trail below the saddle where Neil met us with the dogs. Since we had been gone about an hour and the weather was moving in we decided to all make our way down together. Although going down usually takes less time, it was slow going until we got to the treeline because of all the loose gravel. When you've been hiking about 6 hours, your legs start to feel a little shaky and we definitely did not want anyone to fall or twist a knee or ankle. We made it back to the car before the rain at about 3pm.














Mount Yale was the most testing mountain and 14er (my lucky number 7!) I've completed to date. I'm learning a lot about myself on these hikes though and just how capable my body is. Even though I was nervous of the heights summiting both Bierstandt and Yale because of the boulder scrambling I had to do, I focused and was able to reach the top. I read somewhere that when you are scared at the task at hand you simply make your world smaller. Instead of looking at the mountain as a whole you have to break it up into pieces...rewarding yourself for each small marker you reach along the way. I set a goal to hike 8 this summer but have already set Evans, Quandary and Sherman on my horizons and hopefully more to come. What I am most thankful for is having friends like Meghan and Neil who are indulging my new obsession with summiting 14ers. Hiking alone may be fun at times, but it's definitely nice to share your passion with others who have the same goal in mind as you do. I look forward to the many challenges the other 14ers will bring me!

Kite Lake Camping/ 14er hiking

This past weekend was the much anticipated group camping trip. What started out as a drunken bar conversation evolved to 20 of our friends driving into the wilderness for the weekend and agreeing to sleep in tents, eat and pee outside and yes, hike a 14er with me. The camping trip was not originally my idea but when it came down to it (as it seems to always with travel plans) I was the one who researched and picked the site and planned the weekend. I was also the one, who was nominated to get up at 4am and drive up early to reserve our campsite Friday.
(picture: the drive up the trailhead)

14ers.com is a great website full of useful information about hiking the 14ers of Colorado and also the trailheads in the area. There's message boards on the sites under different places where people can post the latest weather and conditions and any firsthand advice. Through scouring these message boards I discovered that the Kite Lake road was under construction and had been closed daily several times during the week from 7am to 7pm. A call to the ranger station confirmed this. My friend Jeff didn't have to work Friday and neither did I so we were nominated to drive up early to reserve the camping sites. There were 20 of us going and arriving all at different times but only 7 campsites available and the ranger suggested each site could hold 8. So it was off bright and early to make sure we had plenty of room for everyone.

Kite Lake is located near the town of Alma which is just outside of Breckinridge making it about a 2 hour drive from Denver. Right after you pass a Saloon in town you turn right onto Kite Lake road which turns into Buckskin road and you begin the bumpy drive up to the campsite which is about 6 miles. It had rained the night before which made the drive extra slow as there were lots of washed out ruts in the ground. However, there were no signs of construction crews at 6:30 am so we were able to get in no problem. Of course, as the day progressed we saw other people arriving at the trailhead to camp and hike meaning that the road obviously wasn't closed that day. Disappointing to say the least to know we could have slept in a few hours!

The front campsites were already taken so we decided on campsite 5 to start with. It was right on a hill not far from the parking lot, but still wasn't the car camping we thought this was going to be....meaning everything had to be carried from the car in. After walking further down towards the lake Jeff noticed another campsite, the 7th one which was open. The 6th one however, had a tent pitched in it. Everyone parked at the lot had to pay for a campsite and place a paper in their windows so I looked through the windshields and found a car with the site 6 reservation. On the paper I could see that had only reserved it for one night, meaning Thursday so we hoped that the person would return from hiking and we could claim their spot. Our vigilance paid off and after afternoon hiking, Jeff and I spotted the man and his son taking down their site and we quickly overtook it. Success - three campsites! We were glad we arrived early because throughout the day several people came down the hill looking for a site. Anyone planning to camp at Kite Lake should definitely plan on arriving early to stake out their spot as there's no reservations taken.
(picture: our initial campsite)

Kite Lake was a beautiful spot to camp. The lake is nestled right at the bottom of Mt. Democrat, Cameron (not a true 14er), Lincoln and Bross. From the campsite you could see Democrat and Bross and although they didn't look too imposing, they would prove to test us all the next day. There were wildflowers everywhere and waterfalls coming out of the mountain feeding into the lake which made for great sleeping at night. Jeff and I took a hike up to the top of one waterfall that still had snowpack on it after setting up camp. Then we waited and talked until our friends Neil and Meghan arrived at about noon.










The expected part about hiking at 12,000 feet is that, since you are in a valley there will be plenty of weather. That afternoon the clouds rolled in and it began to rain. We retreated to our tents for awhile until it stopped then emerged to build a shelter over the picnic table and cooking fire pit. I had brought a pop up shelter tent which we attached a tarp too and constructed so it was big enough to give us cover from the imposing rain. We were able to get a fire going to cook lunch and quickly found out that shanty town (as we came to call our tent area) would smoke out quickly from the fire pit. Not so pleasant but at least we had fire and an escape.
(picture: shanty town)

After about 7 the rest of our friends began to arrive and set up their tents. We showed them around the campsite, helped people bring their stuff in and set up and marveled that everyone made it to such a random spot in the middle of nowhere. Without cell service we had no way to know who was arriving when but in the end it turned out fine. Plus it's nice not having to rely on a phone now and again. We did put a sign on the back of Jeff's car though pointing people in the right direction. I recommend anyone camping in the middle of nowhere to do the same. Unfortunately, two of our friends never found us and slept in their car because they arrived at 10:30 at night. Let that be a lesson, you do not want to set up your tent in the dark and you will have a hard time finding your campsite this way.

No one wanted to get up at 5am to hike Saturday morning so again I had to bite the bullet and get up early to wake everyone else up. When you hike a 14er rule number one is to start as early as possible. Thunderstorms almost always occur in the afternoon in the high country and the last place you want to be when a lightening storm hits is at 14,000 feet with no tree cover. I did read however, should you get caught in a lightening storm the best thing for your group to do is split up. That way if one person is hit someone else can revive them (if they aren't burned to a crisp that is).

Another reason for getting up at 5am is the fact that we had to build a fire, eat then get everyone going on the trail. My intended departure time was 6am but by the time we left it was more like 7. About 7 people had decided they didn't want to hike (some were fishing instead) so they stayed behind to hold down camp. While we all tried to start together hiking, I knew that we probably wouldn't all stay together. Chad is a very fast hiker so it forces me to keep pace with him and his friend Neil and Neil's wife Meghan were about our speed. Malia's boyfriend Geoff, stuck with us as did Jeff who had come early with me to set up camp. The best part about camping at 12,000 feet is that we were already acclimated to the altitude and there was only about 2,000 feet to gain before reaching the top of Democrat. The trailhead started out as pretty crowded but as we gained elevation it thinned out. Our group, group one I should call us ended up with the lead while Kim, Kelsey, Todd, Jenny and Jason or group two fell behind us.
(picture of hiking group one)













Democrat is definitely a prettier hike than Torrey's. You cross over several waterfalls and at the saddle between it and Cameron you have some spectacular views. In fact if you can only make it to that saddle you'd probably be satisfied.

(Jeff, Neil, Meghan,Me, Chad and Geoff at the saddle)
What is not so great about Democrat is that after you ascend some more you reach a false summit then look over to see the real summit is about 100+ feet away. We made it to the top in just about 2 hours and after about 10 minutes up there group two arrived. We were all able to get a picture together before descending. Group one had decided we were going to hike the whole loop which included Lincoln and Bross next (with cameron after Democrat) so we had to get going.









Although Cameron is over 14,000 feet it's not considered a true 14er because there isn't a required 300 foot drop between it's saddle and Lincoln. It's very vast on top and exposed making it a good resting spot before heading over to Lincoln. Mt. Lincoln looked imposing from Cameron. It was just a speck of twisted rock in the distance and it didn't look easy. The traverse, however, happened to be very nice and went more along the back side of the mountain. Although I got a little vertigo and was afraid to look off to my right and some spots were, let one person pass at a time kinda thing, all in all the hike to Lincoln wasn't bad and was probably one of my favorite peaks to date. We all quickly took a picture then headed down on our way to Mt. Bross.
(picture of Lincoln from the top of Cameron)













(us on the top of lincoln)

The traverse to Mt.Bross was one of the easiest I have done to date. The trail was wide and flat and turned into a Jeep trail near the summit of Bross. The sun was high and hot at this point, however, making for lots of exposure. All of us ended up with burnt necks, lips and hair parts the next day from being in the sun so open like that for so long. Next time I will definitely remember to wear more sunscreen. The top of Bross was a little ho hum. It was the size of a football field and nothing very dramatic but you did get a very nice and clear view of Democrat and Lincoln from here so that made it worth it. We took our picture and headed down quickly after spotting some ominous black clouds.

Descending down Bross was a little tricky. By this point we had been hiking almost 5.5 hours so our legs were turning to jello and we were trying to be careful with our steps while still wanting to head down as fast as possible. The trail was littered with scree (also called talus) which is an accumulation of broken rock fragments. It was almost trying to walk down very steep piles of gravel but if that gravel had vertical drop off's on either side and the potential for falling hundreds of feet down a mountain. This was my first time hiking with poles and I have to say they saved my life hiking down that scree. I'd highly recommend anyone hiking a 14er to invest in some and they gave my arms a nice workout too and took some weight off my legs.
(hiking down the scree field)

Slowly we all were reunited at camp at about 2pm. The rain held off and we had a few hours of sun and time to relax before the rain moved in again. Rain however, just gave us all an excuse to head inside our tents for a nice nap before dinner. After a few hours we all convened at shanty town to cook our dinners and talk about our hikes and fishing. We would have spent more time around the campfire that evening but unfortunately it began to rain harder after dinner and we were forced to call it a night.

(cheers back at camp after hiking)











Before we knew it, it was time to cook a big breakfast then pack up our tents and head home.

I truly enjoyed spending the weekend with all my very close friends and realized just how amazing they are. To give up the comforts of home and head outdoors, not in the best weather conditions is a true character test. Everyone contributed different things to camp whether it be cooking, building a fire, clearing trash or sharing their gear. For a weekend we were our own community and we all functioned together. I'm also so proud of those who hiked their first 14er and for everyone who continued on with me to hike another 2. It would have been easy for them to quit but I'm glad they stuck it out. I am obsessed with reaching my goal of hiking 8 14ers by the end of summer and I thank my friends or helping me now by being only 3 mountains away from my goal. Camping and hiking are two free ways to enjoy the beauty of colorado and to spend it was such great people just made for a perfect weekend. Here's to many more to come

Walloon Lake, Michigan

When most people hear the word Michigan, they probably think of the city of Detroit and the demise of the auto industry there. While it's true Michigan is worse off than most states economy wise there's also some amazing and beautiful parts to it as well. My husband grew up in Horton, Michigan, a tiny suburb of the city of Jackson which is over an hour away from Detroit. His parents house provided the perfect backdrop for our wedding which was last year on July 18th:














I was lucky enough to get to spend my first anniversary back out in Michigan this past week. One of the benefits to getting married at my in-laws is that I can come back to the site whenever I want! Because we love our dog so much we drove the 20 hour stretch from Denver out to Jackson. The drive takes you through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and finally Michigan and it's probably one of the most boring drives in the world with not much scenery except corn fields. Of course the backdrop to our wedding was a corn field so I have a special place in my heart for them now.
We had a wedding to go to on Saturday night so we spent the first weekend in town. We visited with Chad's grandparents who live on Round Lake and also took an anniversary boat ride out on Clark Lake. One of Chad's family friends has a house out there and hosted all of our out of town wedding guests the day of for boating and hanging out. Being in landlocked Denver, it's so nice to get out on a boat and cruise around in an actual lake (not the reservoirs pretending to be lakes we have here).
Clark Lake is also the home to a restaurant called the Beach Bar which has a live band on Sundays. Last year they had hermit crab races there when Jason, Chad and I hung out there in the days leading up to our wedding. Although there isn't too much to do in Jackson (as you could expect from most small towns) I always have to visit the International House of Dawg when I go. They serve only hot dogs and french fries, but all their hot dogs are "gourmet" and they are the best I've ever tasted. I prefer the mac-a-weenie which is a hot dog covered in macaroni and cheese while chad likes the mush-puppy aka a dog covered in mushrooms and cheese. Simply amazing.
We never spend too long in Jackson when we visit over the summer because the goal of our visit is to get up to Walloon Lake which is in Northern Michigan. Northern Michigan is an entirely different world from southern Michigan. The economy is far better, it's less hot and buggy, and with all the lakes up there it's a boater and swimmer's paradise. On Walloon you will see everything from modest cottages to mansions with most all of them being only summer homes; the majority of the houses aren't winterized.


I never knew about Walloon before Chad and I must say it's a well kept secret. Most everyone has heard of Lake Michigan but the smaller areas around there are much more quaint. As you get closer to Boyne City on the drive up you will see cherry stands where the best tasting cherries in the world are sold by high school kids. Traverse City is the cherry capital so all the cherries sold in northern michigan are the freshest and the best tasting you'll find. On the way in and out of town we always stop at a place called the Whippy Dip where you can get a dip cone ice cream for $2. It's just an isolated little building on the side of the road (blink and you miss it) but I love it because you just don't have those kinds of places in big cities.

We called the cottage "Rancho Relaxo" because that pretty much sums up your time at the lake. Mornings are usually reserved for skiing before all the boaters are out and the water gets choppy. Afternoon is for sunning and napping and evening is for home cooked dinners and bonfires. Chad's parents have some close friends, the Lipps, who live a few cottages down so when they are up they alternate who cooks dinner. Then afterward we take a boat ride around the lake and maybe a walk on the spirit trail which runs in front of all the cottages closest to town.

While you hope for good weather every day at the lake, sometimes that just isn't the case which leads to trips into town. Boyne City is the closest town with a few restaurants and shops (my favorite being a newly introduced Buddha/Hindu store). Drive a little bit farther and you'll reach Petoskey which is overlooking the shores of Lake Michigan's Little Traverse Bay in the northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. We ate lunch at a place called The American Spoon (spoon.com) which is a little cafe serving coffee and sandwiches and their handmade gelato which they actually make at the location. Among the fudge and souvenir shops they also have great clothing boutiques (my personal favorite is V2V), the best book store I've ever been too and a fantastic shoe shop that has basement bargain deals where I found some Marmont hiking boots. After wandering around a little bit we drove over to Harbor Springs where we visited Huzza which is a store owned by Chad's parents friends. Huzza has everything from clothing to monogrammed dinnerware and jewelry and Rad, the owner knows everything about every piece of furniture in there. In fact, he travels all over finding pieces for the shop so you are guaranteed whatever you find there will be one of it's kind. We received the prettiest silver salad bowl from there as a wedding gift which I'm still afraid to use as anything but a decorative piece (yes it's THAT nice...nicer than the coffee table it sits on I'm embarrassed to say).

We didn't spend too much time in Harbor Springs as we were making our way over to Charlevoix for dinner. First, however, we drove around the neighborhood there looking at the mushroom houses. Designed by Earl Young starting in 1918, these fairy tale houses are located in the Boulder Park neighborhood near the city's lakefront. If you can't be there to see them yourself the next best thing is reading Mushroom Houses of Charlevoix by Mike Barton which I happened to find in the bookstore in Petoskey which inspired our little side trip.

Unfortunately, it was raining in Charlevoix so we weren't able to go to the Venetian Festival which was going on in the park but we were able to eat at a place called Whitney's which is a seafood and oyster bar restaurant. I had the raw oysters and their clam chowder although it was a hard choice between that and the walleye (the specialty fish of the area) and the crabcakes. I had never been to Charlevoix before so I really enjoyed what I saw of the town and would like to go back and spend more time there next year.

Our time in Michigan went by fast and before we knew it, it was time to pack up the car and head home. While Denver is where my life is now, I can truly appreciate Northern Michigan and all it has to offer. I don't think many people would ever think to visit Michigan as a vacation destination, but it's a really beautiful state in the summer with so much to do. There's farmers markets full of tart cherry pies and fresh picked cherries and blueberries; harbors with yachts to look at, fresh made fudge shops (tourists in the area are often called "fudgies" for this reason), friendly people in all the shops and restaurants and just an air of calmness and relaxation. The season is short for tourists so many of the shops depend on what they can make in the summer to survive on all winter so you're sure to find helpful store owners and great bargains. Although the one thing I have to say I enjoy most about Northern Michigan is the fresh unspoiled lake water and being in a cottage with a lot of history with family....

Surprise in Steamboat

My husband isn't big on his birthday; doesn't like to celebrate, doesn't want a big deal made and in the past five years has managed to avoid it by working out of town or something. Well this year he turned thirty and I was determined to surprise him if it killed me.

My best friend Malia and I began brainstorming places to go about a month ahead of time because we just happened to be planners down to the last detail. We came up with the perfect destination that was close enough for all of our friends to join us but far enough away to be a weekend getaway. That destination was Steamboat.

Steamboat is a three hour drive from Denver in the summer. It's billed itself as Ski town, USA but also prides itself on its being a cowboy town. It just so happened that the weekend of Chad' s birthday was also the Hot Air Balloon and Art Festival. Unfortunately, this meant that most of the cheaper places in town were booked up. So after some research I booked a condo at The Pines from The Lodging Company. There weren't a lot of dog friendly options that were available (of course we had to bring Bebe) and this one was advertised as having dog friendly condos. Buyer beware though, if you are going to bring your dog, don't try and be sneaky and NOT tell them you have a dog to avoid the fee or else you will end up in a condo that doesn't allow dogs like we did and end up sneaking yours around all weekend long. Luckily we weren't caught and evicted. Lesson learned!

Chad had no idea what he was in store for. He came home to the house on Friday after work where he was met by Jason and I who told him we were going out to dinner. Once we started heading on I70 West though he knew something was up and then it was just process of elimination to where we were going until we reached the point where it was either Kremmling or Steamboat...and nothing is in Kremmling so naturally Steamboat was the obvious choice. Our friend Jeff was about 15 minutes behind us in arrival so once he arrived (which was a big shock to Chad because he just thought it was the three of us) we went to dinner at Tequila's. After some awesome mexican food and margaritas we went to the Tap House for beers where we were soon met by Malia and Geoff, then Todd and Kelsey and Travis and Jill. Needless to say Chad was very surprised and the weekend was off to a great start.

On Saturday morning when we woke up we saw the hot air balloons being raised in the field right across from the condo and then they floated overhead in the area which was very cool to see. I've never seen anything but pictures of hot air balloons so to have them so close was a treat.

Malia and I had arranged 9 holes of golf for the boys at the Steamboat Golf Club (www.steamboatgolfclub.com). For 9 holes it was $28 each (add ten dollars if you wanted to rent a cart) and it was a great chance for the guys to all get together and goof around. There are three or so golf courses in Steamboat (one I believe that is exclusive to members only) but this one turned out to be perfect because it was more laid back (read: not for the serious golfer). While the guys golfed the girls all went to the farmer's market which is held every Saturday in the summer. They had everything from baked bread to elk meat, fresh produce and pork sandwiches and jewelry and clothing. We bought some cherries which were excellent and managed to kill enough time before meeting back at the condo for lunch with the boys.

After lunch it was off to tube the Yampa. Malia had found a place called the One Stop Ski and Sport (www.onestopskiandsport.com) where we could rent tubes so we made a reservation for 1pm. Now everyone except Malia and Geoff owned their own tubes as we traditionally tube in Golden or Boulder most every weekend of the summer. We bought some heavy duty tubes with handles a couple of years ago from Dick's sporting goods and it's turned into a favorite weekend activity. We however, told everyone not to bring our tubes because we had arranged tubing from this shop and they were provided to us. The cost was $17 to tube which included being picked up from the end spot (they have designated areas of the Yampa to tube due to fisherman) and brought back to the shop. We were all OK with paying the money seeing as it seemed hassle free but it wasn't until we arrived at the shop we realized the fee didn't include unlimited trips down the river. I guess the city limits the amount of tube trips the company can do a day thus limiting us. While it was cheaper than white water rafting for sure, and less of a pain to not bring the tubes up, wait to inflate etc. it def isn't something I'd pay for again. Bring your own tube to truly enjoy the float!

Right near the tubing rental shop was the park where the "Art in the Park" was going on so we decided after our 30 minute float trip we'd check the art out. There were some interesting booths, but for the most part it was the same things you see at pretty much any festival during the summer (People's Fair, Golden Art Fair, etc) but it was very nice to all relax in the park and enjoy some music.

Todd's sister, Angela lives in Steamboat so after tubing, art in the park, some relaxing and grocery shopping we headed up the hill to her place for a little BBQ. Todd's parents also happened to be in town and Angela had some friends over so between them and the ten of us it turned into quite the get together. We had bought some blue cheese burgers from the grocery store that was conviently next door to the condo and Jason did an excellent job grilling them up. There was also croquet to play and ladder golf which Chad and I were miserably beat at by Geoff and Jeff. Kelsey had the blender going making some delicious daqueries and considering we were going to just make tacos at the condo, it turned out to be a fabulous way to wind down the already amazing day. I had bought a cheese cake for Chad so Kelsey and I had Todd gather everyone around the deck while we lit the candles and came out to have everyone sing happy birthday to Chad. Jason and I had found an enormous singing card which I had everyone sign in secret throughout the weekend and we presented that to Chad as well. I couldn't have been more excited for him!

After the BBQ, before the sun set, the ten of us made our way to the Strawberry Hot Springs. There's two miles of unpaved road (strange because it's such a popular spot you would have thought it would have been fixed up a little better by now) so I would definitely recommend an SUV to get up there. Unlike the Sulphur Springs we had visited in May, these hot springs do not smell like sulpher and the pools are a lot bigger. In fact I think I only saw one or two small pools with the majority of people splitting there time there between the hottest and more bath water type big pools. What's cool about the place is that it has a natural spring flowing through too of water that was pretty cold so you could get out of the hot water, jump in the cold and swim then back into the hot. You have to get there before dark because it gets pretty crowded and you want to stake a spot out for all your stuff...and a good spot at that because there are no lights there. I can't believe they are allowed too, but there are absolutly no lights in the whole spring area which of course is because it's clothing optional after dark (and make sure if you bring a flash light to shine it at your feet!). At just about dusk some guy stood on the side of the pool totally naked and yelled, "let's get naked!" and jumped in. Apparently those in our group who were moving around from pool to pool saw quite a few naked people (well what was visible anyways) but I didn't see any. The hot springs were only $10 and definitely worth it, very peaceful and one of the best I've been too in the state.

Sunday the plan was to get up early and watch the balloons being inflated for day two of the hot air balloon rodeo but unfortunately only Travis, Jill and Todd and Kesley were in their right mind enough to get up at 6am. The rest of us slept off our frozen daqueries and beer. Since we had to check out at ten we were still up early enough to see several of the balloons floating overhead and there was even one to land in the field right by the condo which we got to see them deflate and pack back up in the trailer that had been tailing the balloon. Once we all regrouped we headed into town to have a light breakfast at The Steaming Bean (where I had the best soy chai of my life) and then walked the length of the main street and window shopped. At about noon we decided to head back towards Denver so we could stop and eat a late lunch/early dinner at TommyKnocker. TommyKnocker is a local brewery in Idahoe Springs and while they have many amazing items on their menu, a little known secret is they have the best wings in town. They are also the biggest wings I've ever seen, even though we were told they were smaller than usual so the cook gave us 17 instead of a dozen. They have unusual wing flavors like raspberry chipolte and pineapple but the batter they fry them in is more of a tempura batter giving the wings much more of a crispy thin layer. Lunch there was the perfect end to a perfect weekend.

So much planning went into Chad's birthday and I'm just glad he enjoyed it all, even if he doesn't like surprises or celebrating his birthday. He does so much for me and all his friends every day and I'm just so grateful everyone could come and celebrate. Hopefully I can keep surprising him for many years to come....although I would like to make steamboat an annual trip. What's not to love about a summer weekend in the mountains?

Kite Lake Camping

Ever since last weekend all I can think about is hiking my next 14er. The adrenaline rush was just so tremendous and the accomplishment so great to me that I cannot wait to hike again. Unfortunately, most of our weekends are booked up from here until the end of July due to birthday celebrations and vacation. Determined to complete my goal of hiking 8 14ers for the summer, I began thinking of ways I could incorporate hiking into my weekend plans. Some friends of ours had wanted to go camping at the end of July so I started doing research on where we could camp and I could also sneak in my hiking expedition. No one had come up with any good spots yet, so ever the resourceful girl I came up with camping at Kite Lake (see some great photos here: http://www.stevegarufi.com/kitelake.htm)

Kite Lake is a popular camping spot that is near Breckinridge which means it's only a short 1.5 hour drive or so for us from Denver. There aren't too many open bodies of water in Colorado as you can imagine so this is a real treat for us land locked people living here. Chad is from Michigan and I'm from Alabama so anytime we get the chance to be by a lake we'll take it. Open bodies of water are one of the things we miss most about our respective home states. Parking here in the summer is $3 and camping is $7 making it a very economical trip as well. Now we just have to buy a tent....

My ulterior motive for camping here, is of course hiking. After all, what good is camping if you don't have anything to do while you are out enjoying nature? Chad and I aren't big fishermen and we have a very hyper active dog so this seems the natural choice of how to pass the time saturday. Bonus is all that camp with us are welcome to hike as far as they want. I maintain anyone can hike a 14er but it does take some mental preparing and it helps if your thighs are muscular like mine (haha who's thunder thighs now?). I'm in luck with this particular spot too because the trail head at Kite Lake will enable us to climb Mt. Democrat, Lincoln and Bross all in one day (and Cameron as well but it's not recognized as a true 14er because the elevation gain between it and Mt. Lincoln is less than 300 feet. Mt. Democrat is 14,148, Lincoln is 14,286, Cameron is 14,238 and Bross is 14,172. Mt. Lincoln is the 8th highest mountain in Colorado.

If I can get three knocked out in one day then that only leaves me with 3 left to hike for the summer and I'll have almost achieved my goal. Of course it all depends on the weather conditions but I think the initial summit is the worst part so once I am up on Democrat not much else can stop me from climbing to the other two true 14ers. The return is about 5.4 miles with a 3,450 foot elevation gain. Kite Lake is in Alma which is the highest elevation town in America (10,361 whereas Denver is 5,280) so hopefully after a night of camping there we will be adjusted to the altitude and I won't get a splitting headache like I did after last week's hike. Just in case I'll be sure to bring my advil.

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for a beautiful weekend of camping and hoping we can get up early hiking before any thunderstorms hit. July is the deadliest month for hikers climbing 14ers because of the lightening storms but if you hike safe you won't have to worry about getting hit. It's always better to save your hike for another day than risk it and have an accident happen. After last hike though I am going to make sure and bring a mini first aid kit. We banged our shins pretty good on a few rocks and I saw some people with cut up legs from falling and I don't want to take any chances.

For those of you interested in hiking out of Kite Lake I found these directions:
From Denver take I-70 west to exit 203, take Highway 9 south through Breckenridge to the town of Alma. Another route is Hwy 285 from Denver to Fairplay, then North 8 miles on Hwy 9 to Alma. Right across from a general store type building (Placer Trading Company) in the center of Alma head west up Buckskin Creek Road. You will know you are on the right road if you see the creek to your left. If you want to gain at least 3000 feet on the climb drive up the road about 4 miles and park at one of the turnouts. Its still a couple miles to the Kite Lake trail head at about 12,000 feet. You can drive a car most of the way, but there are a couple creeks crossing the road, and I would recommend scouting them before trying to cross them. A 4WD and good clearance can come in handy here. Once past the creeks its a short drive up the road to parking at Kite Lake. Most people start the climb from Kite Lake. An alternate route is the Hoosier Pass Approach and can be reached by heading north 2 miles from Alma. There a small poorly marked dirt road named Roberts Lane heads off to the left (west) and switchbacks eventually running into Mt Lincon Road. Check your topo to see where you want to park as the road leads quite a bit up to the summit of Lincoln. Road end to Lincoln, Democrat, Bross and return is 8.5 miles and 4800 ft gain.

Now all we need is some camping equipment. If I'm going to make a habit out of this hiking business I'm going to need some real hiking boots (sturdy but lightweight) as well as hiking sticks. My friend Gretchen has recommend: steepandcheap.com. Hopefully I won't go broke affording my new hobby :)