Camping - Day 2

We woke up on a chilly day 2 . . . took inventory of everyone to see if they were warm enough over night. Of course Dude said he was toasty and Princess said she was chilly. So she and I traded sleeping bags for the next night - she got my nice toasty warm 0 degree mummy bag and I got her regular sleeping bag with 4 blankets thrown on top Dude said he needed a different pillow - so I gave him one of mine. In a 5 minute span I gave up a pillow and my sleeping bag - what’s up with THAT?!

After a yummo breakfast of pancakes and strawberries out on the picnic table, we got ready for our hike. We chose a medium difficult 3 mile hike to Panorama Point. Duma was so excited to go with - she got to wear her back pack for the very first time - I think Dude was happier about that than Duma was, but she did great with it.

Dude and Duma off on the hike. I love how much Dude and Duma love each other - they have so much fun together. Duma just can’t stand to wait in the morning when she gets up before he does! The minute he walks out of his room she mauls him with kisses and grabs a toy to play with

Anyway, back to our hike. We had some great scenery to look at as always - it’s hard not to see some great stuff when you’re hiking in the Rockies!

Here we are .5 mile into our hike. That hillside is AMAZING in the fall . . . those lighter green aspen trees turn a deep golden yellow that blends in with the dark green pine and just screams GO PACKERS! At least that’s what my mind hears

We saw some great old cabins and beautiful flowers on the way. The kids were dying for some rocks to climb on or trees to climb on. Instead, we got to cross a stream a couple of times . . . Duma had a great time playing around in the water (which is not against the rules). She also had a great time not being tethered to her leash (which is against the rules). But seriously, she’s so much better off leash - she stays close, comes when called, and is soooooo good. And, we saw a total of 4 other people on the hike - yes I’m trying to justify my rule-breaking But does she look scary to you?

That log  behind her? Dude and Princess had a blast walking cross log behind Duma . . . those years of gymnastics that they were in for fun payed off! We also got to see tons of these beautiful flowers . . . they’re called Golden Peas.

We hiked up and down quite a few steep slopes, but the kids never complained. Dude was waiting so patiently for us to come across some boulders to climb on or SOMETHING! Finally, about 1/3 of the way into our hike, he saw an awesome old tree to play on . . . and being the monkey he is, he just had to climb on it.

After we finally pryed Dude off of this tree, Princess took the opportunity to grab Duma’s leash and walk her. She LOVES to walk Duma, but rarely gets the chance because Duma’s usually sans leash. Aren’t they totally cute together walking through this little clearing!

At mile 2 we finally came out of the trees after our last incline. Princess was very happy for that - she was getting hungry and had to use the bathroom at Panorama Point. We ended up walking along the gravel road along the trail for a little while to get to our ultimate destination . . . we stopped to read a trail map and were a bit confused. We thought we had gone around the loop the OTHER way! We must have looked a little confused because the ranger stopped to see if we were OK . . . we said ya, we had figured it out (I secretly wanted to go get lost later so he could come find me . . . OMG was he a HOT ranger!) But, we made it to Panorama Point and enjoyed our view of 100 miles of the Continental Divide . . . it is absolutely beautiful!

That picture above is about 1/4 of the view . . . you could take 3 more photos to the left and not be to the end yet. Notice that grey in the upper right corner? That’s a nasty rain storm - the stuff to the right was DARK and nasty looking. We were lucky that it kept moving north. We took a little break to take in the view and have a snack before heading out on the last 1 mile of our hike. I could seriously sit and looka t the mountains all day every day . . . and I DO get to see them every day - I’ve lived here on the Front Range for the past 14 years and STILL think it’s one of the most beautiful things ever.

On our hike back, we saw this awesome tree . . . everyone had to get up in it to take a little break

Dude and Princess were happy as clams when we came across a fallen tree that actually had quite a bit of a drop under it . . . more balance beam action for sure! And the danger of actual injuries if you fell off made it even that much more exciting.

Due waited patiently for Princess to make her crossing then went across on his own. They weren’t allowed on there at the same time because they would bounce it for the other person and cause all kinds of trouble “on accident”

We made it back to the camper just as it started to thunder, lightning, and rain. Poor Duma was EXHAUSTED only because she usually gets to nap a few hours every afternoon and she hadn’t had her nap for a couple days. We put her banket up on the kids’ bed and she CRASHED while we hung out in the camper and played Farkel and Uno. We hopped in the Jeep and headed to the Visitor Center to get Dude a Junior Ranger booklet to complete and to check out the fish pond, and after a couple hour rain delay, it cleared up nicely just in time for the neighbor girl to crack her head open on our picnic table and for us to make a fire for dinner. Yummy chicken sandwiches, green beans, fruit, and lemonade - mmmmmmmmm! Oh, and no chicken was flipped into the fire or onto the ground - this entire meal was dirt-free - BONUS!

Of course, no campfire is complete without S’MORES!

We enjoyed sitting out by the fire drinking hot chocolate (with Peppermint Schnapps for the adults) talking and watching the skies.  Another wonderful day with the family. We considered ourself very lucky with the weather - it was supposed to rain a lot more than it did, so we were very happy with the way things turned out. Another chilly night of sleeping under the wet rainy sky.

Princess still has a tooth in her mouth. We’re planning another hike on day 3 . . . a difficult rated trail. Check back to see how it goes!