Adventure for Four: Running About in Colorful Colorado: Adventure #3: Candyland

Date: Saturday, July 19th 2014
Location: RMNP, Upper Beaver Creek, Cub Lake

We have plans for kayaking Sunday (tomorrow) but decided on Friday that wasn't enough and that we should head into Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday. The usual plan of attack is to get there really early since it can get fairly crowded and any parking near the numerous trail heads fill up fast. One of the most popular areas is Bear Lake, and rightfully so because there are several lakes in the area, the elevation is super high and the scenery is just spectacular. We had our eye set on a lake we had never been to before, but somehow we totally missed the memo about getting there early and even though we left the house at 7:45, what should have been just a smidge over an hour trip took us well beyond 2. Not sure what happened there, but by the time we made it up the parking lot was full at Bear Lake and we had to improvise. The great thing about all these adventures is that we are exploring new places, but that also means that with two kids in tow, improvising when something doesn't work out as planned doesn't always go the smoothest. Blah blah ya ya, we finally made it to a Upper Beaver Meadow trail head at 11:00AM.

Starting the hike, Logan noticed that there were a lot of down trees in the area so he decided that it should be called 'Fallen Tree Forest'. Well done Son, very appropriate. He got a kick out of this game, so we egged him on and kept it going for nearly the entire trail. We had 'Horseshoe Rocky Path', 'Sandy Pass' and 'Bent Tree (with like twelve other names attached to it) Forest'. We stopped under a tree on a big rock and squished close and enjoyed our packed lunch. With mouths full, the forest was so quiet so peaceful. Just a simple special moment all sitting there eating our basic sandwiches, couldn't have been more perfect. After hearing from a fellow hiker that a small creek was just ahead we proceeded onward. We stopped for a bit at the creek and both Logan and I went barefoot into the water. WOW, super cold! Like take your breathe away cold. That didn't stop either of us from horsing around and being silly. There were other kids in the creek so of course Logan said "Hi my name is Logan. What's your name?" He does this every time he meets a new kid, or an old one that he forgets. It's super cute, and to be honest most kids just look at him with a blank stare, but he's just so outgoing and verbal that he doesn't hold back. He does the same thing to kids when we spend our Friday mornings at Blackdog together.

So as it turns out, we ended up hiking to the trailhead for one of the lakes we wanted to see. Only problem was that the actual lake was 2 miles away and we already had 2 under our belt, with 2 waiting for the return trip. With Logan each mile takes about 30 mins. Krystal really wanted to see a lake this day, so she looked at me with those sad eyes and I said "sure, throw logan on my back and lets do this." Well well well, Logan isn't all that small anymore and after not even making it halfway to the lake and running low on water, I threw in the towel and said we should head back. About 200 yds later, Logan was totally spent and we mixed carrying along with slow walking to get back to the creek.

Now the best part of the trip. The car was still 2 miles away and there was no way the family was making it back. I set off on the return trip solo, and got to enjoy 2 miles all alone in the middle of the Rockies. It was so peaceful and I had more than one "I love this place" moment. In all my glory I wasn't exactly paying attention to the trail, and was hoping that the turns I made felt right especially with the family waiting at the creek and only one cell phone between us (good planning I know) and almost no water left. Then it began....wait...this is 'Sandy Pass'...then...'Horseshoe Rocky Path'...and just before the final turn there it was the original 'Fallen Tree Forest'. I felt like I was playing a real life version of Candyland. Going from theme to theme, all the while following the path. I love so much experiencing life through a child's eye and I never would have considered the subtle changes in scenery, let alone found my way back without my boy's fun little game.

I made it back to the truck, returned to pick up the family and headed back home but not before stopping at a pie shop in Estes Park and picking up the most delicious blackberry peach pie for dinner at the neighbors. The pie weighed like 5 lbs easy.