Rocky Mountain Therapy
I’m going to start off by sounding like a HUGE brat here. It’s been cloudy and gray for the last two days here- and that is something that just doesn’t happen in Colorado! It even rained on Sunday morning, which is also weird. It often rains briefly in the afternoon/evening but never in the morning. Our wonderful state has over 300 days of sunshine each year. Of the 92 days that I’ve lived here, it’s been sunny for 89 of them. Putting it in that perspective makes me see that I have no right to complain… but man, I want that sunshine back! Hopefully Mother Nature will make that happen for me today.
It was beautiful and sunny last Saturday, so Greg and I made sure to take full advantage! We headed up north to Estes Park with Paige, Shane and their friends (and our new friends!) Katie and David. I had heard Paige talk about how beautiful the hike to Gem Lake is and I was excited to check it our for myself! We packed up some lunch, grabbed our backpacks and headed out on the trail.
downhill
I loved this trail right away. It was the perfect balance of strenuous climbing followed by flat sections (followed by more climbing). There were beautiful views along the trail as well.
mountains
We stopped a few times to climb around on some rocks and do a little posing…
rocks
gals
The boys went on ahead (because they are all super human and speedy) and it was good to have some girl talk.:)
Paige showed us her “favorite tree” in all of Colorado:
tree
Or… at least she thinks that’s the three. 😉
When we made it to the top, we were rewarded with beautiful Gem Lake! I love mountain lakes!!
gem lake
The water was actually not too cold. There were a lot of people wading around, but it was still a bit chilly for any of us to want to get in. Instead, we enjoyed a picnic lunch on a nearby rock (which included some delicious Colorado craft beer):
ipa
We had some visitors try to join us. These little guys are not shy!
chipmunk
This guy was such a piggie- he was trying to steal all of our food (and his cheeks were already stuffed!)
standing
The chipmunks are definitely entertaining!
We were all having a great time- and reminding ourselves of just how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place (all six of us have moved to Colorado within the last year).
girls rock
greg
Some of the guys decided to climb up high on the rocks (I did not join in on their shenanigans).
david
red rock
I just soaked in this beautiful view until it was time to head back down.
lunch view
Speaking of beautiful views, there were definitely more on the hike back to the trail head!
view
We made our way back down pretty quickly and I was sad to see the hike end! But I have to just keep reminding myself (still) that there’s no rush. There’s plenty of beautiful hikes to come for a long, long time.
Thanks for a great Saturday- you guys are the best!
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Hiking is most definitely therapeutic for me. It’s impossible to be in a bad mood when I’m out on the trail (especially when the sun is shining!) and I never take it for granted!
If you haven’t yet checked out the awesome KIND giveaway I’ve got going on- get on over there!
What’s your favorite “therapy?”
July 30th, 2013 | Tags: Colorado, Favorite Things, Hiking | Category: Uncategorized
15 comments to Rocky Mountain Therapy
Missy
July 30, 2013 at 5:39 am · Reply
Haha! The chipmunk–so cute!
Trisha
July 30, 2013 at 6:34 am · Reply
OMG. You’re Colorado posts make me miss living there SO MUCH!!! Lived there 10 years ago while I was going to massage school in Boulder. I would move back in a heartbeat! It still holds such a special place in my heart! Good for you for making the jump! 🙂
Heather Balogh (@AColoradoGal)
July 30, 2013 at 8:08 am · Reply
Heading outside for me too– best therapy ever! And I’ve actually been loving this rain– so nice for a change, even though it did ruin our weekend plans!
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More
July 30, 2013 at 8:41 am · Reply
Such beautiful views – wow!! But I think I’d be freaking out if that chipmunk was trying to eat my lunch…or drink my beer!!
Katy R
July 30, 2013 at 8:50 am · Reply
Those views are amazing! I’m so jealous of all your hiking & outside activities in CO!! I need to come visit!!!!!!! That chipmunk is adorable!!!!!!!!!!!
Jill C.
July 30, 2013 at 10:19 am · Reply
I need you to scoop up one of those sweet chipmunks for me! Sooooo cute 🙂
Annette Perkins (@FitnessPerks)
July 30, 2013 at 10:38 am · Reply
Such beautiful views! I LOVE Estes park & the chipmunks. they are so so darn cute!
Natalie @ Free Range Human
July 30, 2013 at 10:45 am · Reply
Backpacking is definitely my therapy. There’s nothing quite like throwing on a backpack and disappearing into the mountains for a few days!
Erin @ A Girl and Her Mutt
July 30, 2013 at 10:58 am · Reply
I’m into dog and retail therapy. 🙂
Cute little chipmunk! There really is such a thing as chipmunk cheeks!
Corrie Anne
July 30, 2013 at 12:08 pm · Reply
PUPPY Therapy. Okay and retail like Erin. Lol. So gorgeous. And yeah. What’s up with the gray????
Heather @ Better With Veggies
July 30, 2013 at 1:01 pm · Reply
That looks like a beautiful hike – just gorgeous!! And I’ve been complaining about the weather too, I think that means we’re real Coloradans now. 🙂
lynne @ lgsmash
July 30, 2013 at 3:23 pm · Reply
i thought the same thing on Saturday night when it rained from 11p-5a – so unusual! I definitely don’t mind it though. I definitely love the sun but it’s nice to have a cloudy day every so often!
Apples and Arteries
July 30, 2013 at 5:32 pm · Reply
Lovely photos!
Walking my dog, running, yoga. Actually baking and cooking are very relaxing for me.
Heidi Nicole
July 30, 2013 at 8:34 pm · Reply
When we were in WI this weekend it was gloomy for the majority of 4 days. that is fairly normal for WI (although, its usually in the winter, not July) but we were complaining! Where was the sun!? At least it wasn’t humid while we were visiting!
We did that Gem Lake hike a few weeks ago when we weren’t brave enough to venture into the chaos of the main RMNP entrance, it was really pretty and peaceful. Did you feed the chipmunks? Not to sound bitchy, but please don’t feed the chipmunks! I know people do it all the time but when they get fed a ton of (unhealthy-to-them) food in the summer time they are completely unprepared for the winter weather and are far more likely to die of starvation! Sorry, I had to say something, it drives me batty when people feed them, especially parents letting their kids feed them right next to signs that say “Don’t feed the wildlife”!
Lauren
July 30, 2013 at 10:42 pm · Reply
Ha- I KNEW that someone would comment about not feeding the chipmunks (I almost wrote something in the post!). Trust me- we weren’t feeding them- they just kept trying to steal our food. I know ALL about why you shouldn’t feed them. 🙂