BRECKENRIDGE...THIS YEAR's ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH

Maybe John Denver was onto something when he sang about "Rocky Mountain High, Colorado."  I could relate to his sentiments of the peacefulness and the beauty of the Rockies this past week when I was on vacation in Breckenridge.  It was a 6-day family get-together at a large house we found on VRBO.

We enjoyed day hikes every day.

Sunday, we hiked Spruce Creek.

Along the Trail with the family !

Me and my sibs - Mary, Anne, Eileen and Paul

The soothing sound of the water flow.

Our toughest hike was the next day, Monday, when we decided to park at the Ski Resort, Lot #9, and hike up the Black Diamond Runs that are popular with skiers in the wintertime when they are covered with snow.  Believe me, the trails were steep!

Nell scampers uphill, followed by Anne.

I have one eye on my footing as I ascend, the other eye on the flowers.

A home-made wreath of yellow flowers that Gerry is forced to wear

Jose is "the Man."  Yep, he did Crystals and Grits and is proud of it.

We took two hikes on Tuesday, both of them started at Boreas Pass.  This was my favorite day of hiking.  We embarked on a 3 mile hike along Black Powder Pass Trail.  Then we did a shorter, 1 1/2 mile hike in the opposite direction.

Loving this vista from the trail

A friendly pica peeks out from the rocks

Wow!  The brilliant purple flowers caught my eye

My niece Nell is on top of the world! 

Eileen and Jose, my sister and brother-in-law from VA are thrilled to be here. 

My brother Paul and Jose share a moment.

My sisters and Nell scamper across the flower meadow.

We hiked Wednesday at Blue Lake and Thursday on trails near Hoosier Pass.

On the rocky scramble near Blue Lake

Pretty flowers on our final day of hiking, near Hoosier Pass

The clouds roll in on the Hoosier Pass Hike, but we managed to stay one step ahead of the rain. 

And let me not forget to mention that there was a game room in the Breckenridge house.  My 83 year old mom is quite the master at ping-pong!

Indoor Fun!

A group photo on our final day.  Too bad we didn't think of this earlier in the week when my nephews and niece, Stephen and Dylan and Nell, were here...

On couch are Uncle Neil, Aunt Ann and Mom.
Jose, Laura, (front left sitting) Eileen, Paul, Anne, John, Mary, Gerry (back row standing)

GOLDEN TROUT WILDERNESS WEEK

We were in the Southern Sierras last week, for the Golden Trout Workshop.  We took fabulous day hikes each day with very knowledgeable naturalists, Adam and Rebekah.  It was wonderful to be "unconnected" to any electronics; instead, we were deeply connected to nature!

 Camp is at 10,100 feet elevation.  We backpacked in 9 miles on Sunday, and carried in our sleeping bags, pads, clothing and essentials we needed for the week.  (It was only supposed to be a 3 mile backpack in to camp, but we started in on the wrong trail...)   But the extra miles were scenic, and we still got to camp by 6:00 pm.

Much more green than the last two times we were here.

Beautiful flowers - pinks and reds - on display.  Only a preview of the glory that awaits us. 

Average daily hike distance was perhaps 7 or 8 miles with the destination of a scenic lake or mesa.  We took several stops along the way to learn about animal tracks, the various pine trees, and the variety of flora and fauna of this area.

My four favorite flower shots are below.  (photo credit to my husband, Gerry Hans.)

Elephants Head. 

Not sure what this is, but it's a bright yellow that catches the eye. 

Alpine Phlox - definitely "Eye Candy!"

Larkspur (purple)  - love the yellow in the background too. 

My favorite day was Thursday, July 7th, when we hiked 12 1/2 miles. The trek was to New Army Pass and back.  It was an excellent trail, and we didn't have to do much boulder scrambling.  (Boulder scrambling is not my strong suit, as those who hike with me will vouch.)

I'm loving this view as we pass by Long Lake.  Minutes ago a coyote scampered by.  Then we caught a glimpse of a few deer.  We see several marmots throughout the day. 

I'm looking up toward New Army Pass, which is less than a mile away from this viewpoint. 

 Three variety of pine trees make their home in the Southern Sierras:  Lodgepole Pine, (at lower elevation, needles in groups of two),  Foxtail Pine and Limber Pine (at higher elevation, needles in groups of 5)  The Limber Pines have longer needles than the Foxtails.  The trees are  over 3,000 years old and quite beautiful.

Gerry at the base of a Lodgepole Pine as we hike to the peak known as Wooly Back.

Check out this gnarly wood.  Lovely textures and colors. 

Who would have thought a dead pine tree could be this beautiful? 

We discovered a sheep skull on Wooly Back. (quite appropriate.)  No wonder they named the area "Wooly Back."

This is perhaps a few years old...

It's heavier than I thought.  It feels like it weighs 10 pounds. 

Wooly-Back.....
and We'll Be Back!

Probably next year.... it's too good of a trip to miss.