My birthday was a little bit odd this year. To start off with, I turned 31 - quite literally two odd numbers - something that hasn't happened since I turned 19! What made it even more of a strange birthday, though, was my birthday was on a Monday - do you celebrate on Saturday, Sunday, …
Estes Park, Colorado is home to one of the two entrances to Rocky Mountain National Park, with the other being Grand Lake on the west side of the park, and the town sees a large number of visitors year-round because of this. It's home to other landmarks, such as the Stanley Hotel, which has been …
I attempted to summit Old Baldy in early July last year, not realizing at those elevations that snow would be such an issue. I trudged through hip deep snow for a while before deciding that I just wasn't going to make it. Ever since then, I've been wondering about what was beyond the snow and …
Continue reading "Second Attempt at Old Baldy / Diamond Lake"
Some people might say that waking up at 4am on a Saturday morning to go hiking is crazy, but I say it's the only way to experience the best of some of the more popular trails in Colorado. That's especially true when you get into the I-70 ski resort area of Breckenridge, Copper, Vail, etc., …
My hike Sunday and this post are dedicated to my Grandma Branch that passed away on Friday. When I was little, I used to write one or two page stories for her to read, and almost every time I talked to her growing up, she would bring them up and how much she enjoyed them. …
Continue reading "Hiking the Second Creek Trail to Twin Cones"
Waking up early and heading to the mountains for a morning hike has been my escape of choice over the last couple of months. There's something about breathing the cool mountain air and getting some exercise that brings about a feeling of freedom and accomplishment to my weekends. I think that's what keeps bringing me …
Carly and I have been dating for over six years and married for just under three now, which seems like such a short time when I write it like that, but we've packed a whole lot of adventure into those 6 years. In that short time, we've also started to develop some family traditions. There …
https://youtu.be/hAFV1xV2ZhU During my parents visit over the Fourth of July weekend, the plan was for us to visit the main part of Rocky Mountain National Park that my mom, despite her many trips to Colorado already, had not visited. Unfortunately, we realized too late that you needed a reservation for a timed entry, due to …
I've explored a number of different hikes in the front range near Denver, and I decided to put together my list of personal top 5 hikes - even though as the title suggests, there's way too many more places to explore for this to be anything but a "way too early top 5". I've had …
Continue reading "Top 5 Hikes Near Denver – Way Too Early Edition"
With the pandemic taking its toll on everyone, it's been a while since Carly and I have had much contact with anyone other than each other, so it was nice when my parents decided to come to Denver for a long 4th of July weekend. Planning a visit from my parents during this, though, proves …
Continue reading "Family Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park"
