A whole lot of fun - the best way to vacation
As you all know, I was on vacation last week in the Rocky Mountains. We had a great time. We ended up not going to the winter park mountain biking extravaganza and opted for free fun of hiking all over the park.
For most of the hikes I wore my nifty GPS to track how far (and fast) we were hiking. It came in handy when you think you can't make it any more and you realize that Odessa Lake is only a half mile away! :) I love this site called "Gmaps Pedometer." If you've never played with it, you're missing out. Basically it uses Google maps to map out your run, walk or hike and it tells you the distance and the elevation gains.
So here is a quick overview of our hikes from last week. (I've included a few pictures from each hike I've mapped. Good fun. Here we go:
First Hike: To Ouzel Falls. This was our "acclimate" hike where you go out slow and easy to adjust to the high altitude. It was a very nice hike. I've included a picture of me by the falls, up close and personal. And one of my husband talking with a marmot. Very cute little furry guys found all over the park. The hike was about 6 or 7 miles there and back. We started at an elevation of 8,500 feet and got up to 9,764 feet. (Click the pictures for bigger size)
Second hike: Odessa Lake, Fern Lake and the pool. The second hike we went with our friends Justin and Erin. This was a long all-day hike. We got a late start, but had a great time and luckily no afternoon storms cut the hike short. Here's the highlights of the hike: We hiked about 8.5 to nine miles on this trail. We started at an elevation of 8,100 feet and got up to 10,045 feet. Nice elevation gain.
Third Hike: On our last day my husband and I got up semi-early (for vacation at least) and drove up Old Fall River Road to Chapin Pass. This trail starts at an elevation of 11,000 feet so you can only imagine how quickly you can get winded on this hike. Unlike the other trails, it was difficult to map this one because it's off the "beaten path" so I guessed and this is my estimate - we hiked about five miles up to 13,000 feet. Wow. We wanted to go farther and summit both Mount Chiquita and Mount Ypsilon, but dark storm clouds kept us away. When you're above the treeline like that you're a great big target to lightening.
This was such a great vacation. Thanks to my healthy lifestyle I was able to hike all these beautiful trails and enjoy the breathtaking views. Trips like this are the best because you're being active and having a great time doing it. Try to make your next vacation an adventure! Happy hiking.
