Maddie's First Night in the Backcountry

After realizing about a month ago that we overbooked our summer leaving about 2 weekends during which we could enjoy the splendor of Colorado summer, we were quick to reserve this weekend for a night in the backcountry.  It would be Maddie's first backpacking trip and because of the snowy winter we were a bit limited on choices since almost everything above 10,000 ft. is still snow covered or swampy from the melt.  With a little time spent studying the map, we found a good destination: Lost Lake.  Only 3 miles of hiking to an alpine lake, no permits needed, campfires allowed and a trailhead within an hour of Boulder.

We chose this weekend for backpacking since we had a Friday night Ray LaMontagne concert at Red Rocks which was incredible.  Leaving only Saturday night to camp, a car camping trip requires too much gear so we limited the gear to what we could carry on our backs.  Both Maddie and I had been looking forward to this for several weeks with Em maintaining a healthy apprehension for cold temperatures, Maddie's hiking ability, mountain lions, snakes, bears, snow, weather, etc.  Maddie's not worried.

Already packed and ready to hit the trail, we awoke Saturday morning to sunny skies and cool temps - perfect for a hike into the mountains.  I should mention that the trail, though short (by adult standards) at 2.75 miles climbs just under 1000 ft. in that distance.  Fueled by licorice and trail mix, Maddie made fairly quick work of the climb along rocky doubletrack, trail submerged in snowmelt and late season snowpack.  We arrived at the campsite in good spirits after only a few "are we there yet".

Bridged crossing of Middle Boulder Creek

Every time I pulled another piece of gear out of my backpack, Maddie was enthralled by it's use.  Whether it was the tent, campstove, water filter, shovel for you-know-what or bear bagging rope (used to keep your food out bears' reach), she thought it was awesome.  Not to mention the view and being able to run around the campsite, toss rocks in the lake, play with sticks, build a fire, etc., etc.  She even celebrated the less glamorous side of backpacking with a song titled "Going to the Dookie Hole".

Looking across Lost Lake to the Indian Peaks Wilderness

A few afternoon sprinkles mixed with some unobstructed high altitude sunshine led to a few warm minutes spent inside the tent.  Maddie, always uninhibited, stripped down to stay comfortable in the heat of the tent.

As the afternoon sprinkles ceased, we emerged from the tent to crisp, sunny weather and proceeded with exploring our surroundings, gathering firewood and preparing for dinner.  A nearby snowdrift served wonderfully as a cooler for my solitary beer that I carried along.  Stone Old Guardian Belgo, the most bang for your buck while backpacking at 22oz. of 12% alcohol goodness.

Learning to build the fire

Intently watching the water filtering process

As the sun passed behind the trees and over the lake, the air cooled and we started the fire to keep us warm through a filling dinner.  The rest of the evening was spent next to the fire roasting marshmallows and making s'mores to Maddies unrestrained delight.

The hike out was slightly drizzly and Maddie was a little tired after her hike the day before and a short night's sleep in the tent so we were a little slower.  We made it back to the car without incident and just a little whining so we considered the trip supremely successful.  A perfect Father's Day weekend.

Summer in the Rockies (looks remarkably like winter)

What happens when you mix 4 parts eagerness to get into the high country, 2 parts late spring snows and 200% of average snowpack for the year with a weekend trip to the Rockies?   A spring trip that looks quite a bit like winter.  A month ago I had the bright idea to visit Colorado State Forest State Park in late May on a weekend off among many weekend call days.  What I hadn't predicted were the snowy late spring conditions and lack of plowed access to the cabins.

We arrived at the driveway to the cabins surprised to see the 4 feet of snow covering it.  Considering we had a trunkload of camping gear and toys for Maddie we were a bit nonplussed by the idea of getting those items down a hundred yard snow-covered slope and more importantly how to get them back up.  Thankfully, having had a minimal amount of insight to the conditions, I'd decided to bring a sled for Maddie which greatly assisted in the transport of items to the cabin.  After a few breathless trips (at about 9500 feet of elevation) we'd unloaded everything and had a fire going in the wood stove, one of our few relative luxuries in the cabin.  Aside from the woodstove, we had four walls, a roof, 1 solar-powered light, 4 beds, a table and chairs.  You may have noticed that I didn't mention a bathroom or running water so we were basically camping inside...a few hundred snow-covered feet to the pit-toilets.  Aside from the abundant snow, we did know what we were getting into and were prepared.  We had a cooler with plenty of adult beverages, the meals Em had pre-prepared, a Coleman stove, some candles and most importantly the three of us without a pager, TV or cell phone signal within miles.

We spent Friday afternoon sledding and playing in the snow while blessed with a few precious hours of sunshine. Then it was time for happy hour and Petros (southern for Fritos, chili, cheese, onions and salsa).  We spent the evening hanging out, talking and enjoying each others' company without distraction.

The following day we went to the visitors center at the park for snowshoe rentals and being so incompetent that they could neither recommend a trail nor remember the price of the rentals, they were complimentary.  These people were really friendly, but after 15 minutes with a map I knew more about the park than they did.  As predicted, the weather was foul, 35 degrees and sleeting.  We tried snowshoeing for awhile, but Maddie tired of it quickly so I continued on while Em and Maddie returned to the cabin for naps.  I ran across some moose tracks, but no moose and that was surely the highlight of my snowshoe-clad, viewless, uphill grind.  I returned happy to have gotten some exercise, but a little damp.

 A few hours later the sun was out again for some sledding and cooking out on the deck of the cabin.

No matter what we do at the cabins, Maddie is happy to be there.  It's amazing how much fun she has just getting away to some new surroundings and entertaining herself with things like headlamps, climbing the bunkbeds, hanging out in her sleeping bag, etc.

Why can't we just go to Myrtle Beach Dad?

I bet your parents never made you snowshoe to the pit toilets with headlamps on when you were a kid.

(and yes that's snow at handrail level in the foreground)

In the AM we hauled all our gear uphill through what was now slush.  I can't tell you how much I enjoy postholing my way through slush with 50-70 lbs of gear in my arms.  After a few trips it was over and we did a quick hike around some beaver ponds.  No beaver, but we did see a baby elk with mama nowhere in sight so we got out of there quickly.  In other wildlife sightings earlier in the trip we saw a fox, coyote and some otters playing near the lake.  Looking back on the cabins as we left the beauty of the place was not lost on us, maybe just a little better suited to a July or August visit rather than mud season.

Next weekend: our first backpacking trip with Maddie.  Should be VERY interesting.  Stay tuned...



Colorado: A First Look (after only 5 mos.)

It's taken quite awhile for us to get settled and for me to get acclimated to the new pace and volume of work so I've been a bit slow updating the blog. However, I've gotten all the pictures edited and I'm compiling below a synopsis of our first few months in Colorado. I hope you enjoy. Look forward to more frequent posts over the summer as we start traveling again.

First outdoor activities in Colorado: snow hiking in the Flatirons only 10 minutes from our house.  We made a trip to REI so we could buy the extra small Yaktrax which allowed Maddie to get some traction in the snow.  Clear sunny skies and temperatures in the 40s make for some decent winter hiking.

Indian Peaks views near Brainard Lake and the Snowshoe Trail

Devil's Thumb in the Flatirons on a snowshoe trek up to Bear Peak

Flatiron Winter Hikes

We had the luxury of joining Uncle Bob and Aunt Michelle at the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch Resort at Beaver Creek for a few days.  Luckily, my first vacation week matched up with their time exactly and they invited us over.  Rather than spend a few hundred bucks on ski rentals, Em and I bought our skis for half of what they cost at the start of the season during the "end of season sale" that takes place during prime spring skiing.  No arguments here. 
I went to Beaver Creek a few days early and hit some decent powder alone while the girls caught up later and we taught Maddie how to ski.  The first day of ski school was ok, but the second ended after half a day with Maddie in tears as she shuffled unhappily through the Beaver Creek ski school mill.  Not wanting her to associate skiing with crying and unhappiness, we bought a harness and taught her on our own.  By the end of the day she was all smiles, cruising with little help though her stopping ability (none) could use some work next season.

 Maddie gets some pampering after a hard day of extreme skiing

Maddie's been extremely active here taking advantage of all that a larger, kid-friendly town has to offer.  Ballet, gymnastics, rock-climbing, soccer, parks, zoo, butterfly exhibit, guided kid hikes: you name it, Maddie's probably tried it.

I got a few post-call days to take advantage of unbelievable late season powder at Loveland where I skied anywhere from 6-17 inches of snow with no liftlines midweek.  Colorado had a record-breaking snow year and still the snowpack is around 200% of average meaning there will be snow on the high peaks essentially all year long.

 Naked Butt (what else is there to say except she's a cutie)

Typical evening at the park

 Maddie free-soloing (climbing without a rope) the red rocks at Settler's Park 5 minutes from home

 With Maddie's newfound climbing interest, Em and I had to join in the mix.  We took lessons, got gear and joined the rock gym where we hone our (poor) climbing skills a few days a week.  Conveniently, I can get a work out while on-call and still be within my required half-hour response time.  Soon, we'll be outside climbing without the confines of a gym.  Aside from convenience, there's no reason to climb indoors when you live in the nexus of the climbing universe.  Fun fact: Lynn Hill, probably the best climber of all time, climbs at our gym.  You think there might be some incentive to get better here?  By the way, if you live in Boulder, you can forget about looking good doing any outdoor activity.  Even if you're a high-level amateur, some sponsored pro is going to smoke your ass on that road ride that makes you nearly throw up from exertion.  The way I see it, the pressure's off.  I won't be the best, but I'm already better than 5 mos. ago.  With the outdoor community being so prominent here, it's hard not to pick up some cycling/hiking/climbing buddies.  Thankfully, I found some good guys that won't beat me up too badly on a ride.  Such as our recent 32+ mile 5500 ft. elevation gain mountain bike ride starting from Boulder and finishing in Lyons at Oskar Blues Brewpub.  Ahhhhhhh, the nectar of the gods after mountain bike ride like that, it can't be beat.

We traded Kukuiolono golf course for a different sunset view

While it's certainly been an adjustment moving from Kauai to Boulder, it's been mostly...Awesome!  Not to downplay Kauai's part in our life (because it was amazing), but Boulder fits our lifestyle much better.  The people and their personalities are very similar to us and ours...and what's not to like about walking distance to about 100 different craft beer taps?

Totally unrelated, but totally awesome (in a "ruining your kid for life" kinda way)

Kokee Cabins Oct. '10 (missed posting this as we were getting ready to move)

Em was off to New Orleans with the girls to collect beads by showing their...Oh, I'm sorry, I mean they went to New Orleans to spend time talking with each other in a clean, wholesome environment.  Therefore, Maddie and I departed posthaste for the solitude and cooler temps in the cabins of Kokee forest.  It was one of our typical weekends together alone, playing in the woods, getting dirty, eating smoked game meats, drinking beer, sitting by the fire, reading books together.  Maybe Maddie didn't drink that much beer, but she partook in the rest.  Anyway, we enjoyed the time away from civilization with no distractions.  Included below are some pictures from evenings in the cabin as well as sunsets from a few miles away overlooking the Pacific and Niihau.