The Castles

The Castles

This was the view as we topped 12,460 foot Storm Pass. I think it is one of the most amazing panoramas that we have ever seen...perhaps more amazing as you have no idea of what the view is going to be like as you hike up and over the pass, which is def a tough days hiking with back packs. We usually hike about 2 miles an hour with the packs when it's up hill and the going is tough, but on the Storm Pass hike, it took us just over five hours to hike 7 miles...it was pretty steep in places - and very hard going - but the views from the top, as you can see, were worth it.

Then we had to come down...which was a different story!

I think the trip was under a cloud from the start - we hadn't gone more than a few hundred paces when the thunder rolled in and the clouds opened up...luckily we were well prepared, but relearned lesson number one from the Colorado Trail: always put your ducks back on your pack as you never know when it's going to rain heavily in Colorado!

The views on the way up compensated from the rain that kept rolling through, there were water falls every- where...maybe that should have clued us in to the fact that there was still lots of snow up on the ridges...but it didn't!

We found out though as we topped the pass and had to hike up the last 100 feet and then down about a mile, in snow fields of varying depths. At this point, judging by my smile, it was still fun - when our boots were full of snow and we couldn't feel our feet, we weren't so happy! Lesson #2: always carry your gaitors when hiking the high mountain passes!

The views were still pretty good though - which still made up for it all!















By 7.30 (8 hours after we started), when we still couldn't see the lake we wanted to camp at from the very steep switchbacks we were stumbling down in our exhaustion, we decided which just had to find a flat spot with water...easier said than done...but as is usual, we managed to find somewhere!

The next morning dawned with beautifully clear blue skies and not a cloud in sight! We were worn out but back on the trail by 8 ish. The views coming down weren't quite as spectacular, but they were beautiful in their own way.

Unfortunately, not long after this, we lost the trail...we later found out that the trail isn't very well hiked as it isn't maintained by the Forest Service (No s*!#!!!)...to cut a long story short, 11 hours after we set off, we arrived back at the Trail Head. (Lesson # 3: carry 1:24,000 topo maps on all back pack trips!) It was a long, slow, frustrating slog, bushwacking down through the forest and climbing over dead trees...Nick was a hero and carried my pack as well as his own the last three miles, as low and behold, those dreaded Colorado Trail blisters made a re-appearance!!! (Lesson #4: ALWAYS carry bandages and blister packs when hiking with Julie - even if it's just a day hike!) We even had to ford a river (Lesson #5: keep your river shoes handy for river crossings!) and hike across private property. Something we don't like to do, but there was no way I was turning around and hiking back up the forest road and spending the night when we thought that we may finally, after 7 hours, know where we were!!! (Lesson #6: Carry an extra days worth of food just in case you get lost!)



And as you can see, I was more than happy to be back were we started, 19 hours of hiking later!!!

Nick was pretty happy to get his boots off too!!!

All ended well, and we were able to get back to Crested Butte and toast not the most successful back packing trip we've ever had with an icy Corona! (Lesson # 7: Always have cold beer in the fridge for when you get back!!) Next time we'll head up the trail and camp at this nice little spot we found before heading up with day packs to Storm Pass for the incredible views and then heading back down the same way. But even after all that, we still think those views were something special...and may have been worth all the pain! Guess it depends on whether or not I can walk tomorrow! And I don't think we'll be back packing for the next couple of weekends - or at least until the bad memories have faded a little !!!

The Daily Grind and Commuting...

Crested Butte

So, the commute to my new job is REALLY tough....

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I get on my bike at about 10 am and then I ride from Skyland where we live, to the Crested Butte ski mountain.

I am serving tables on the patio from 11 -5....

The ride takes me out of our community to the edge of town, and from there, I catch the bike path up to the moutain.
This photo is near the school on the edge of Crested Butte - hopefully you can zoom in on it a little...










Here's the start of the bike path..it looks pretty easy from here...







I pass the wetlands...and head up hill! On the way out it's pretty much up hill all the way. So I huff and puff my way up there in about 50 minutes - we are at almost 9,000 feet after all, and I don't think we've quit aclimatized yet! After work it's down all the way....












The views are incredible...the camera just doesn't do the place justice...the skies are blue, the sun is shining, the hummingbirds are humming and zooming all over the place, everyone says "Morning" with a big smile...life is rough here in the Butte!

Nick's commute is pretty similar - the only difference is that he gets to drive up there in the company truck! I don't think either of us have been in the car or truck since Sunday when we got back from Twin Lakes - good job with the price of gas these days...the nearest we get to road rage is yelling at the butterflies to keep out of the way of the windscreen!! Rush hour just means there are more bikes on the road around town...now all we have to do is avoid the tourists!!!

First weekend with the canoe!

Here are some photos from our first camp trip of the year. We decided on twin Lakes near Leadville/Independence Pass so that we could use the canoe. Camped there Thursday night and then left for the Front range on Friday morning. Picked up paddles and various misc items that we desperately needed from REI (!) and then headed for Boulder. Had lunch at the Med (yum) Picked up the canoe and headed back....then the car broke down...




3 pm on a Friday afternoon - fortunately we have a great mechanic and once we were able to get it to him (good job we broke down in Boulder!) he was able to fix it and get us back on the road by 5.15









Saturday we hit the Lakes!










Here are Nick and I with the canoe - we didn't take the camera as I forgot the waterproof bag...!










Twin Lakes was beautiful - the weather was great - other than the wind that blew up in the afternoon and made me a little nervous on the canoe...







had the perfect camping spot - up on the ridge overlooking the lakes









So much for the camp food - we ate a the Med and then a little restaurant we know of in Twin Lakes...we found it on the Colorado Trail and went back to say hi...first time we have been back since - think it may now be a regular - especially since we have the canoe and she sits perfectly on top of Daphne (my car!)




Great weekend all round...where to next?

First stop, The Bahamas...

Well we sold the house and stuck a pin in the map (kind of) and this is where we ended up - temporarily anyway! First stop - Treasure Cay, The Bahamas. Here was our beach. We spent May 10th to May 20th there - yep, the old birthday vacation. Unfortunately it didn't look like this everyday, but it did for at least half the time. The storm that came in managed to put out the fires that were burning and spreading a haze over the island, but it churned up the water which meant the snorkeling was limited (even more limited in my case, since I won't go out of my depth or venture into areas where I can't see the bottom!) I blame it all on the ads we had on TV in England when we were kids warning us to keep out of the water - remember those? The figure of death coming to the water where the kids were happily playing and then the screamming as one of them gets caught on the reeds or something and starts to drown...talk about a way to scare your kids out of the water for life...Nick did more than I did, but what I did do was fun...

Anyway, The Bahamas was very relaxing...a little too relaxing for us perhaps, but we managed to get out and about. Rented a couple of bikes for a few days, and a scooter another - here is Nick and a friend in March Harbour, locally known as "The Big City"


and my view from the scooter!

The view from the condo was great too - we were right on the harbour and enjoyed many a sip of rum watching the boats come in and out...



we were just around from the restaurant and bar too which was handy on our birthday!

Green Turtle Cay was beautiful - we really liked this beach too...spent a couple of hours soaking up the sun and enjoying the peace and quiet... paradise!




And of course, there was BONEFISHING! Nick went on his own a few times and then with Vincent and a guide one day - the day he caught his first one...apparently our vacations are now going to be arranged around places that bonefish can be caught! I gather they are peskier than trout and take the whole line when you snag them - the setting doesn't really hurt either, does it? So if anyone has any secret bonefishing grounds that they are holding out on us on, please share as my life is now to be dedicated to finding the elusive little critters!

We came back from the Bahamas much browner and poorer (!) than when we left. Not the cheapest place we have ever visited for sure. Beer was $5 (hence the increase in rum consumption - it was only $8 a bottle!) and pizza was around $40. We had a good time though!

Next on the list was New Mexico and Arizona to visit some of Nick's family....