Road Trip - Black Canyon of the Gunnison

After a relaxing time in Denver we headed up Interstate 70 for a night with Alyssa in Frisco, CO. We spent some time drinking beers, I found out I didn't get my fellowship, and then we got some more food and more beers. As usual, any stop in a town came with showers and laundry :)

The next morning we headed out en route to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Black Canyon is the fourth newest of the national parks, but has been a national monument since the early 1900's. It is pretty spectacular how quickly this canyon drops to the river floor and how sheer the cliffs are. I don't know if I'd spend more than the two days we spent there, but it was definitely an amazing site and a great time with Alyssa and Scott. We didn't get a chance to hike down too far into the canyon because it is apparently pretty grueling, but the scenic vistas and small crowds were great!

Oh yeah, and we saw one of the best sunsets we've ever seen. I'm not sure this picture does it justice, but Lacey did a great job documenting the event!

After a couple nights in Gunnison and saying goodbye to Alyssa and Scott for now, we headed off to Telluride for a night before entering the hot deserts of Utah :(

Road Trip - Rocky Mountain National Park

Let's just say that the Benson Family has been good to us on this trip so far. We got a hold of Julie and Andrew the day before we arrived in Denver, CO and they set us up with their Aunt Jennifer for a place to stay. I'd stayed with Jennifer before and was excited to see her and her cats again. Archer (R.I.P.) is not with us anymore, but the kitten that Jennifer has now (Mack) is awesome. He smells everything, climbs on shoulders, and loves being petted. Anyway, enough about the cats. While in Denver, we indulged in one great meal at Shells and Sauce. It was a great stop to hang out with the Benson's, do some laundry, wash some dishes, and recharge our batteries (literally and figuratively). 

The next morning... off to Rocky Mountain National Park! As we drove up the mountains and reached Estes Park, CO we knew this was going to be a special place. The park was unbelievable! First things first, we were very excited to meet my big Sis (Denise) at the park and go into the backcountry. 

We packed up our stuff in the packs (that was an ordeal), and headed up into the mountains on the Fern Lake Trail. The trail was great, although the elevation was pretty tough. We started the hike at 8,160 feet and made it up to about 9,500 feet before reaching the campsite. Let's just say that turned out to be a problem for more than one of us.

We checked out the lake that evening. It... was... awesome!

The next morning, despite Lacey not feeling so well because of the altitude, we went for a short hike up to Odessa Lake at 10,020 feet. The lake was spectacular!

We hiked out and camped at Aspenglen campground before taking the long way out of the park and seeing everything it has to offer (from the car at least). On the way out of the park we got a nice group picture at the park sign. It'll be sad to see Denise go tomorrow, but it was a great time having her here with us. Have a safe drive home D!

Next up for us, a Rockies game at Coors Field and then up to Breckenridge to see Alyssa. Can't wait!