I hope y’all had a great weekend. I have to admit: weekends are at least 20 times more enjoyable when you don’t have school looming over your head! I went to a good friend’s wedding on Saturday night and then headed to the hills on Sunday. Will, a guy I met on my June Columbia trip to Havasu Falls, is in town for a few days, so we decided to head up to the mountains and catch some of the late-changing aspens. Brandy came along too, so we geared up yesterday morning and headed out!
Since we had a late start, I didn’t want to go anywhere too far or difficult. Besides, Will is still acclimating to the altitude and Brandy is trying to get back into the swing of things, so I didn’t see any need to kill either of them! I pulled this book from my bookshelf (for the first time ever!) and picked the Lost Lake trail outside of Nederland.
.JPG)
Nederland is a semi-bizarre, small mountain town just west of Boulder. It has Eldora Ski Resort but more importantly, there are quite a few secret trails for hiking and mountain biking. Unfortunately, the trail we chose isn’t so secret and I had to quickly accept the fact that I would be hiking with groups of people all day! I swear, I am nice and I do like people…but I prefer solitude in the mountains. I guess I can’t really expect much else when I pull a trail out of guidebook!
(Lesson learned: going back to my tried-and-true technique of just driving down random dirt roads until I find a new trail, waiting to be explored!)
Again, because of our late start, we only did the shorter hike to Lost Lake and back. It was just over 4 miles round trip and the grade and elevation gain was minimal. However, my legs were pretty spent from some tough workouts, so it was a great active recovery day. Even better? Tals got to try out some new gear!
 |
| Aww, look at my lil’ model dog! |
Ruffwear sent her some awesome toys a few months ago, and we have been trying them out ever since. A review of the Palisades Pack will be coming soon!
I did discover a few minimal backcountry campsites which would be great for a beginner backpacker. The sites were all situated around Lost Lake which is a small but beautiful body of water. I grabbed Tals and we all hiked to the top of the nearest hill to take in the beautiful view.
 |
| Brandy and me |
 |
| Will and me |
Not too shabby, huh?
In short, it was a beautiful and relaxing way to spend my Sunday. I think I am liking this whole “no more school” thing!