Today’s prompt on The Daily Post is success, patting someone on the back, being proud of one’s accomplishment. When my lil’ family went on our extended camping trip a few weeks back, my lil’ guy amazed me, made me proud, accomplished something he didn’t even know he was capable of doing. He hiked the majority of the Shavano Mountain trail – a gain in elevation from 9,700 feet to 12,200 feet and 4.4 miles EaCh WaY.
I was one proud, albeit tired, mama.
This past weekend, my lil’ family once again headed outdoors to enjoy a camping adventure. This adventure was a bit out of the norm for us. Instead of camping by a lake or a river or in a meadow among the mountains, we camped in a parking lot. Instead of hiking to the top of a mountain or to a waterfall, instead of fly fishing, we rode our bikes. For 4 days, Winter Park ski resort hosted the Colorado Free Ride festival. I was in awe of the skill level of these riders. At what point do you decide that you want to do 360’s in midair and flip upside down? At what point do you have the courage to try that first one? I just kept thinking…this is way out of my comfort zone as a cyclist. I did not take many photos, but thought I would share just a few.
Wildflowers were blooming everywhere. We rode one of the mountain bike trails at the resort and then rode along the greenway with my lil’ guy and one of his friends. This little flower was growing right along a creek where we decided to stop for a snack.
Winter Park had numerous activities set up for the kids. One of which was free face painting…
Camping in a parking lot leaves one in need of sleep, but what an amazing weekend we had as a family. Sometimes, it is the little things.
This week on Cee’s fun foto challenge, the category is locks, knobs, and handles.
When my lil’ family went on our camping trip a couple of weeks ago, we went on several hikes. You can read about our hike at Independence Pass here. For our next hike, we decided to do the short .5 mile hike up to Agnes Vaille falls, located in the Chalk Creek Canyon. Although the hike is only about 1 mile roundtrip, it does have an elevation gain of approximately 450ft.
Once we arrived at the top, we scouted out a place among the rocks and had a nice lunch.
I am joining Snapshooter once again for his In One Word photo challenge.
In sharing my family’s recent 6 day camping adventure, you read how my lil’ guy became a budding environmentalist and how we decompressed camping at Twin Lakes and hiking along Independence Pass. We then packed up our camper and headed to Monarch Pass. The pass crosses the Continental Divide at an altitude of 11,312 feet. For this post, I would like to share photos that capture my lil’ guy being mentored by his father on how to “catch and release.” Some of these photos were taken on several beaver ponds that were located at Monarch Park where we camped and others were along the Arkansas River.
Looking at these photos of special moments between my son and husband just make me smile. Sometimes, it is the little things…
Once again, my lil’ family headed to the outdoors to “decompress.” We started our 6 day adventure after celebrating the 4th with neighbor friends. The first stop was at White Star campground near Twin Lakes, the site where my lil’ guy became a budding environmentalist. These naturally formed glacial lakes are surrounded by mountains, including Mt. Elbert, at over 14,000 feet elevation.
Since this first destination was also near Independence Pass, one of the highest paved passes in Colorado, we decided to take our first hike here. Wildflowers were blooming and snow still made it’s presence on some slopes and peaks.
Stay tuned for where my lil’ family headed next…
simplylifestuff 
