Guys, Colorado really is an awesome place. Beer is cool and all, but Colorado also has some pretty epic mountains, creeks, and camping adventures. Through our hikes, water adventures, and camping in the desert, I’ve learned some things which are pretty important:
Step 1: Colorado’s mountains are pretty impressive and much taller than they look
It’s not advisable to hike up a mountain at 5,000 feet of elevation during the middle of July. Colorado has shade but it is not at the base of the mountains. And when hiking with a dog who doesn’t like to be hot, you will have to end your hike early. That’s just they way it is. But you can catch lots of Pokemon while attempting to hike this mountain. So that’s the fun part.
Step 2: Boulder Creek is not a leisure rafting adventure. Be Prepared.
Rafting and tubing is a pinnacle summer activity but unless you are prepared to get several bruises, scrapes, or just feel all-around disheveled, Boulder Creek is not the place to relax. We bought tire tubes from a gas station and took them down to Boulder Creek where I had dreams of flowing down over some little bumbs and mini rapids. I sat in my tube and upon the first big jump, fell out of my tube, got my foot caught between rocks, and bruised my finger. But let’s try again. Floating down, OK, not so bad. Except when the rocks stole my tube and kicked my ass again. After about 20 minutes of this, Steve valiantly came to my rescue, which I pouted about, and we proceded to lay in the sun and catch Pokemon. Which turned out to be a fun day. Followed by Mexican food and ice cream. The day turned out fine, I guess.
Step 3: Waking up early has its benefits
One thing I haven’t been doing much of on this trip is waking up early. For a person who is used to being up by 5 for a workout, this is strange. But I also really like sleeping in. It is amazing. Why did no one tell me this before, instead I’ve chosen to wake up before the sun for over 20 years (!!). Because I’m crazy. One morning we decided to wake up at 4AM to see if we could catch the sunrise at Red Rocks Amphitheater. This concert venue is incredible. It’s just a stadium that has been carved out of these giant rocks. And watching the sunrise rise over Denver is a pretty amazing sight to behold. Followed by bagels, which Ella decided she needed to eat – out of my hand – makes for a pretty great start to the day.
Step 4: Mountains of sand are still mountains
Upon leaving Denver we woke up early (this is starting to be a trend) to make it to Great Sand Dunes National Park to secure a campsite for the next two days. Since we were starting our camping on Sunday, we figured we didn’t need to be there super early. But the 4-hour drive still required an early wake-up. Have you ever been to the desert? It’s really hot. Even at 9 in the morning. There were plenty of campsites but just as we were about to settle for one we came upon the greatest campsite ever encountered. A perfect view of the dunes, with perfect morning shade, it was made for us. And the last group was just pulling away. But we didn’t come to the sand dunes to hang out at a campsite. You can hike these dunes. Which turned out to be more crawling up because Steve likes to challenge us all by picking the “easiest” route which turned out to be a steep incline. The sand can get as hot as 150 degrees F in the summer and since we have a dog who doesn’t like heat we hiked this in the morning. But guys, hiking sand is hard. I’d say it is way harder than hiking a hill or mountain. And when you get to the top there are more sand mountains to climb. But we just turned around because Ella was being a party pooper. And going back to camp and playing backgammon and drinking beer was way more fun than hiking more hot sand.
Colorado really is an incredible place. Where else do you get greenery, crystal clear creeks, mountains, and a freaking dessert? I actually do not know, but please tell me, because I could easily spend several weeks there.
Bicoastal Surf 