catch and release

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.

IMG_0874 IMG_0959 IMG_0922 IMG_0893 Caught one! IMG_0880IMG_1092 Just playing Playing at Monarch Park campground at the beaver ponds Looking at these photos of special moments between my son and husband just make me smile.  Sometimes, it is the little things…

decompressing at Independence Pass

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.

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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.

Independence Pass IMG_0837 Independence Pass Independence PassIndependence PassStay tuned for where my lil’ family headed next…

My budding environmentalist

My lil’ guy loves to be outdoors.  He is always asking me to go on walks with him to help him find “treasures.”  His collection mostly consists of  rocks of various sizes and sticks.  He takes great pride in his finds.  While camping at White Star campground near Twin Lakes at the foot of Mt. Elbert, we took one of these walks.  Amongst the many tiny pine trees that were stretching their little heads up to the sky, he found one that he declared “the cutest little tree.”  So, he proceeded to collect rocks to gently and strategically place around the tree so as to protect it.  We took this walk for 3 days straight to check on the lil’ tree.  When we left the campground to head on to our next adventure, he asked me to take a photo, so he could remember it forever.