Travel

Adventure In England: Final Episode

in , ,

Oh boy, folks; prepare yourselves, this is going to be a long one.

On our second to last full day in England, we went for a long hike, starting in Windermere and winding our way through farms and over the hills in the Lake District. The morning started with a prediction (100% chance, in fact) for rain starting later in the morning, but we decided to brave it and get out there anyway.  

The clouds (and humidity) started to slowly roll in as we neared our lunch destination in Troutbeck, but luckily they still held off on producing any moisture. If anything they added to the incredible views, creating a much different, and moodier, type of atmosphere for our hike. 

Our pitstop for lunch was at The Mortal Man, where we enjoyed some simple sandwiches on incredibly fresh and delicious bread, and of course, local beer. The Mortal Man has been in existence since 1689, making it even more incredible that we were eating lunch on their grounds. 

After lunch we continued on, starting out on Nanny Lane. It was kind of surreal walking on that country lane, as I imagine it hasn't changed much in quite a long time, and countless people have walked it before us.

Eventually we ventured off the lane and made our way up the hills, crossing over the old stone walls as we went. It is mind-boggling how many miles of those walls must exist, zig-zagging all over the countryside, and how they were all built by hand over the years. 

We ended the day in Ambleside, after hiking close to 10 miles. Ambleside was a beautiful little (albeit touristy) town, with some stunning homes, and of course lots of history. We wandered around a little bit, treated ourselves to a beer at one of the pubs, and then ice cream and fudge at a local shop as well. We even stopped at the Roman Ruins that are in Ambleside, which was absolutely amazing to see. 

After all that, we began the walk to the bus stop and the moment we stepped onto the bus the skies opened up, letting loose a full downpour. The timing couldn't have been a second better, and even put a nice exclamation point on the end of our time in the Lake District. 

The next morning we jumped on yet another train, this time for a long ride headed to London. We had that evening to see the sites in London, though I didn't bring my camera with for that adventure. If you want to see images from that, be sure to follow me on Instagram (@aithom2), where I will be posting some images over the next few days. 

Adventure In England: Part Three

in , ,

Hello again! Time to dive into the third segment of images from our England trip this summer! Only one more to go after this!

After spending just over two weeks in Exeter we shifted gears and hopped on a train headed north with an end destination of Windermere. We made a pit stop in Birmingham where one of our friends is from, and he showed us around the city for the afternoon. I didn't bring my camera with, unfortunately, but I did take a bunch of images with my phone. It was really neat being in Birmingham for even just a little while, after spending all of our trip in smaller towns up to that point. This history and architecture of the city were incredible, and they have done some really cool things updating/modernizing areas as well.  

The next morning we were up and moving again, on the train heading still farther north to Windermere. We arrived in Windermere that evening with just enough time for a quick hike, so we took advantage of that, along with the good weather, and explored around a little bit.

I was in awe of the landscape there, with the vast rolling hills and intense green surrounding us. The views of the city, farms, and lake below us were absolutely stunning, and no matter which direction I looked it made me stop in my tracks just to take it in. It was also a really unique experience because the trails are on private farmland, amongst the animals, and you use steps placed in the stone walls to continue on the hike. 

Next Up: The final piece of our trip, with images from our big hike through the Lake District. Tune back in for some historic pubs and architecture, friendly farm animals, and stunning Lake District views!

Adventure In England: Part Two

in , ,

Time for the second set of photos from our trip to England this summer! The first set of images below are from Sunday of our first weekend there. We completed yet another hike to a pub, this time starting at Castle Drogo and hiking to Fingle Bridge Inn for a simple lunch and some beers. The landscape on this hike was drastically different from the previous day; instead of vast, rolling hills and ocean views, we were treated to dense forests and lushly green landscapes. 

After Sunday, we took a slight break from going to pubs every night and had some lazier nights in with our friends that we were staying with (which was much needed and appreciated). After a few nights of that, we were off to exploring again and walked to the Turf Hotel which is right in Exeter. Once again, it was a drastically different type of walk and landscape than some of our previous adventures, but no less beautiful than any of the rest. 

At this point our time in Exeter, unfortunately, was winding down, leaving us with only a few more days to explore. Two of those evenings were spent, at least partially, in Exmouth. The first trip there was quite brief, but we did stumble on a local neighborhood party where the streets were decorated and there was a stage with music. We weren't there long, but it sure was a pretty little sight!

The next day we were luckily back to Exmouth for most of the day and were able to make time for the first item on my list of things to do in England: fish and chips on the beach. Unfortunately, it started to rain slightly right after we picked up or fish and chips, putting a slight damper on things. We made the best of it, however, and the rain cleared up rather quickly, allowing me to walk barefoot in the sand and get some photos of the beach. 

Next up: Images from the next portion of our adventure, which brought us up to Windermere!

Adventure In England: Part One

in , ,

This post is long, long overdue (as most of them have been, I suppose). But as the saying goes, "better late than never," so here we are!

This past July Scott and I went to England for roughly three weeks, with the bulk of our trip being spent in the Exeter area (with plenty of trips to the surrounding towns). We are lucky enough to have friends in Exeter who are extremely hospitable and allowed us to stay with them for most of our stay. Staying with friends not only made the trip more affordable but also provided us with some amazing views and experiences, as we were right in the heart of the city and got "tours" from the locals. The two photos below were taken our first night there, and needless to say it was an amazing introduction to Exeter.

Our second night in England was just as amazing, if not more so. After a home cooked meal, we drove to Topsham to get drinks at a pub called The Passage House Inn. Walking through the narrow streets was such a treat for me, and I quickly fell in love with the architecture of the area. The golden evening light certainly helped with the romantic feel of it all. We were treated to perfect weather that night, allowing us to sit outside and be treated to a fully spectacular sunset over the River Exe. 

Our first weekend in England was also all too perfect. On Saturday we went on a hike that was nothing short of stunning. We started on the coast in Wembury, continued through some rolling farms (all the while with views of Wembury Bay), crossed the River Yealm in a water taxi, and ended at The Ship Inn in Noss Mayo. The color of the water there was an unreal turquoise; it was absolutely unexpected for England. We ate a simple, fresh lunch outside at The Ship Inn while watching the tide come in. It was truly a magical day. 

Next up: Shockingly, part two of our England trip! Featuring the second part of our epic first weekend, though with drastically different scenery, and loads more as well. 

Wyoming's Medicine Bow National Forest

in ,

Last fall I had the pleasure of traveling up to Wyoming, just south of Saratoga, to photograph a property for my company, Evolve Vacation Rental Network. The property is on both the Encampment and North Platte Rivers, and the fall colors on the banks and surrounding mountains were absolutely stunning. I made sure to take a few minutes to grab some photographs for myself as I was wrapping up the shoot, though I could have easily spent all day there. 

After finishing the shoot at the property I started the drive back, via the Snowy Range Scenic Byway, through Medicine Bow National Forest. I made a point of stopping at a few places along the way, since it was far too beautiful to only drive through. 

Flight

in

Time for some more images from the air! Last September we were lucky enough to fly down to Clovis, New Mexico to celebrate Scott's nephew's baptism and first birthday. It was the first long flight I had taken with him, and it was such a special thing to be able to fly ourselves on a mini vacation like that. 

Next up: images from an extremely brief visit to Medicine Bow National Forest, and west of there, near Saratoga, Wyoming. 

Fall In Lime Creek Canyon

in ,

Hopefully you all aren't sick of seeing images from this magical place. And if you are, take heart, because this will be the last round, since we haven't been back for quite a while at this point. 

Last September we headed back out to our favorite getaway, and as usual spent the time fly fishing (for Scott) and just enjoying the beauty of the area (for me). We had much better conditions for our September trip than we did for our July trip, with plenty of sunshine and near perfect temperatures. Plus, the plants had started to turn to that late summer/early fall gold that makes the landscape look richly magnificent. 

Up Next: Images from our longest flight yet, down to Clovis, New Mexico. 

From The Air

in

Last summer Scott successfully worked towards earning his private pilot's license, which meant that we spent a decent amount of time in the air as he built up flight hours. I have to say, it's quite the nice perk to have a boyfriend who can whisk you into the sky! This particular flight was on the Fourth of July, and we were treated to an incredible sunset on the flight back to Centennial Airport. 

Airplane Landing

Up next: a brief post with some images of alpine wildflowers and mountain views!

Spring In Ouray

in , ,

I've been anxious to share these images since the day I returned from this trip, but unfortunately I just recently was able to get around to finishing the edits. Back in March some friends and I took an adult spring break of sorts to Ouray, Colorado. Ouray has become a very special place to me; I have never left that area without images that I'm proud of, and this trip was no different. We had planned on spending the entire trip ice climbing, but due to warm temperatures the ice was a bit limited. Despite the weather we managed to do a good amount of climbing, and had an incredible time soaking up that pure mountain air.

The first day started out with warm weather, and a forecast of rain in the afternoon, which had us all a bit disappointed. We first hopped on the Kids' Wall (which is a shorter, easier section of ice, out of the actual canyon where the rest of the climbs are), since most of our group had never ice climbed before. After climbing a while, allowing people to get the hang of the process, we decided to switch it up and head down to the canyon to get on some of the more difficult ice.  

As we were walking down, dark clouds started rolling in; we were expecting that the rain was on its way, and therefore the climbing would likely soon be over for the day. To our surprise, however, the temperature dropped just enough and we were quickly surrounded by big, fluffy snowflakes. It was one of the most amazing scenes I have experienced. 

Day two was warmer yet, with much more sun. We headed a bit higher into the mountains, with the hopes of finding cooler temperatures and better ice conditions. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, so we were limited on what we could climb and how long we could climb it. The guys decided to try their hand at some dry tooling (climbing with ice tools on rock) once the ice was no longer safe to climb because of the heat and sun, and I happily snapped away as they climbed. We ended that day back out our rental with some guitar playing on the deck while we enjoyed the views. 

And with that, I am finally finished with all winter images! I can now get on to slightly more recent images that are more applicable for the current season! As always, thank you for taking the time to stop by, and don't forget to subscribe on the left, and share via the links below! 

Mills Lake Adventure

in , ,

Yikes; it has been almost two months since my last post.  I'd like to say that I waited to work on these so that when the early summer heat (I start to melt when it gets over 85 degrees) started to kick in I would have a way to daydream about cooler days. But in reality, my busy schedule and heavy editing load at work makes it difficult and not very appealing to edit at home. I have had a few little breaks however, and finally was able to edit some images from this past winter.

On an early morning in the middle of January, Scott and two of our friends, Katie and Ben, packed up our gear and headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for a day of ice climbing near Black Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. We planned to skin up (using skis with strips that attach to the bottom to allow you to ski uphill) to our climbing destination, spend the day climbing on the ice, and then ski back down to the car.

Unfortunately, the conditions that morning were not exactly ideal. The winds were blowing around 60 miles an hour, with temperatures well below zero and some light snow mixed in for good measure. We decided to head towards the climbs despite the weather, and set off skinning up the mountain. This was the first time I had skied in the back country, and only my third time skiing in the big mountains at all, which made the day even more interesting for me.

After a few hours of skinning we decided to stop and eat lunch in a somewhat sheltered spot in the forest. The sun managed to poke through slightly once or twice while there, and we got a tiny break from the wind as well. We boiled snow to make water for our instant noodles, stumbled around in the extremely deep snow, and just tried to keep warm as we made our lunch. 

After refueling with some instant noodles and granola bars, we popped our skis back on and continued up. We encountered quite a few people coming down the mountain that looked haggard from the weather, and let us know that they wouldn't recommend going all the way to where we were hoping to. One man told us that he had been completely blown over by the wind on one of the lakes, so I was fairly intimidated at that point.

When we got higher up, and the trees started getting thinner, the wind became even stronger. The visibility was extremely low at times, and standing upright was difficult when the big wind gusts came through. We reached a point where it was particularly bad and all decided it would be best to bail and head back to the car. 

After making the decision that we should head back, we opted to go down the main (and smoother) trail, instead of the "shortcut" that we had used on the way up. Before beginning our descent we had to stop and rip off the skins on our skis, and prepare our skis for the downhill portion of the trip. The wind was brutal at the spot we stopped at, with snow whipping our faces relentlessly. It was so windy that Scott had to stand and brace me as I clipped into my skis, since every time I tried to stand on one leg to do so I was getting blown over. 

We did manage to get down safely, despite my poor skiing skills, and were very glad to get in the car with the heaters blasting. The guys had some nice ice formations on their beards, a testament to the frigid temperature.

Next time: More winter adventure photos (this time a successful ice climbing day). Be sure to check back soon (I promise my next post will not take 2 months to publish)! 

Exploring The Catalina Mountains

in ,

This year (or I suppose it is this past year at this point) Scott and I made the long drive to Tucson for Christmas to spend the week with some of his family. His sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews live there, and his parents flew in from Kansas as well.

Scott and I have spent a decent amount of time in the Catalina mountains, and we were both really looking forward to getting out to climb quite a bit while there over Christmas. On one of our first days in Tucson, we went out exploring with Scott's nephew and their two Australian Shepherds to scope out some climbs for the next few days. They had a fairly wet fall in Tuscson, so things looked much greener than the other times I have been there. There was also water running down the entire wash area, which I had not experienced there before. The water made everything much more lush and beautiful, and the dogs loved having the water to cool off in. 

3422web.jpg

Next up: more images from Arizona, mainly some climbing photographs, as well as images of one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever witnessed. 

As always, feel free to share via the links below, and don't forget to hit subscribe to stay in touch! Thanks for stopping by!

Kansas Homestead

in , , ,

Happy Saturday everyone! We are currently getting slammed by a spring snowstorm here in Denver, and I'm curled up on the couch enjoying the forced relaxation. I'm also getting caught up (dare I say completely?!) on images and blog posts. Fare warning though, this is going to be a long post with LOTS of images (it was such a stunning place), so buckle up folks.

Last October I drove to Syracuse, Kansas to meet up with Myra and Brandon, two friends from grad school, to give Myra some company while she took images for her thesis work. Myra's mother's family is originally from Syracuse, and they still own the family farm on the outskirts of town (the focus of Myra's thesis). The house has been uninhabited for quite some time, and the land has only been used as grazing land for cattle, resulting in some serious decay and dilapidated conditions. 

The main obstacle to getting into the house was the bird situation. Numerous birds had taken up residence in the home, and they definitely left their mark, on absolutely everything. I have never seen so much bird poop in one area before. Before we entered the house, we tried to make a lot of noise to scare as many birds out as possible. Unfortunately, not all were scared away, which made for some startling encounters once we were inside the house. 

Lots of other creatures had made their home there as well, as well as plenty of tumbleweeds. These items filled the little basement house with lots of great texture, and they all caught the light in rather wonderful ways. 

They have a small tenant house on their land as well, which has also been vacant for a long time. It was falling apart more completely than the main house, with a section of floor completely caved in, and doors that didn't fit right. It still had some wonderful details inside however, and the timing with the sun couldn't have been much better. 

And that sums it all up! Needless to say, my light and shadow obsessed self went a little crazy with documenting it all. Thanks for sticking through that, and hopefully it was all worth it.  

Next up: a short post on my favorite subject in one of my favorite places: light in my parents' home. As always, feel free to share via the links below, and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss anything. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Mount Bierstadt (Documentation Of A Hike)

in , , ,

The final day of our camping trip to Guanella Pass was spent hiking up Mount Bierstadt. It was my second fourteener in two months (which I thought could be the start of a trend, but unfortunately was not), and I was excited to check this peak off my list. 

The day started off with an absolutely stunning sunrise, with colors and light that were unreal. We were still in the parking lot at that point, gearing up for the hike, so I grabbed some quick shots before we got started. 

The hike itself was a lot different than the other few fourteeners I have hiked/attempted. It begins in an alpine marsh, with tangled willows all around. The light continued to be amazing as the sun rose higher, and the frost melting off the grass caught the light in the most perfect way. 

We even walked through a small flock of ptarmagin, which I had never seen before. They were already in full winter mode, with their white coats and feathery legs. Their ability to blend into the alpine landscape is amazing, and they just stood and quietly watched us as we (well, mainly just me; Scott was doing fine) struggled on up. 

We reached the summit under great conditions, albeit a little on the cold side. The clouds were amazing, and as is always the case on top of 14,000 foot peaks, the view was spectacular. Unfortunately I was feeling pretty rough at that point, and didn't quite appreciate everything as I wish I would have. In fact, because I was feeling so miserable, I only took a few photos while we were up there. We spent some time at the summit to enjoy the view, and then started the long hike down. 

And, last but not least, a photo of me and Scott at the summit! I don't usually post these types of photos here, but I figure getting to the summit of fourteener number two warrants sharing a photograph of us at the top. Mount Bierstadt was a struggle for me, but this guy is so incredibly encouraging and patient, and stuck with me through the end. I am so glad I pushed through it and made it to the top, and cannot wait to check some more off the list this spring/summer! 

Next up: something completely different. Last October I traveled to a town on the border of Kansas and Colorado to join a friend in exploring her family's old, and now abandoned, home. We were attacked by birds (sort of), witnessed lots of dead critters, and also documented a really unique and beautiful place. Be sure to check back to see what I'm talking about! 

And, don't forget, feel free to share via the links below, and leave a comment to say hello! Thanks everyone! 

Alpine Camping + Fishing (Part Two)

in ,

Hello again! Time for part two of our camping trip to Guanella Pass last fall! I'm going to sum everything up and leave you with the images, so you can scroll without distractions. 

Our second day in the alpine was a nice, lazy day; we slept in (as much as you can while camping), made breakfast, and just enjoyed the beautiful day and campsite. The sun was was stunning, and everything was glowing that morning. Scott went back to fishing, and continued to catch little brook trout on the fly. A dragonfly even posed for pictures for quite a while, and I was able to inch closer and closer to get images of his amazing wings. It was quite the perfect morning. After a relaxing morning, we ran to town for lunch and supplies, and then came back to a partially rainy evening, which was spent boiling water for our hike the next day while enjoying a bonfire. Dinner was made while bundled up in our tent, which is one of my favorite things when camping in the cold. 

Next time: Images from our hike up Mt. Bierstadt, my second fourteener. Be sure to check back to see crazy sunrise light, amazing mountain views, and fluffy, white ptarmigans in winter mode. As always, thanks for stopping by! Feel free to share via the links below, and be sure to say hi! 

 

Alpine Camping + Fishing

in ,

Last October, Scott and I packed up the car and headed up to one our favorite camping areas (Guanella Pass) for a weekend of mountain air and hiking. We set up camp quickly and he put together his fly rod as soon as we finished. Our camp was right next to a set of ponds, and since we could see the tiny fish jumping away as we set up, he was anxious to throw his line in the water. 

Scott managed to hook a little Brook Trout (what I'm guessing/have been told it is) within a few casts. He was extremely excited, dare I say giddy even, as it was the first fish he'd hooked on the fly in Colorado. He spent the rest of the evening fishing, pulling in quite a few of the tiny fish. As usual, I was content snapping away the entire time. 

When the sun went down, we bundled up in our tent (it was quite the cool night) and read for a bit, before going full mummy mode in the sleeping bags and going to bed. I was about to settle in myself on that night, but noticed how perfect the light from Scott's headlamp was lighting the scene, and had to get a few images before calling it a night. 

Next up: day two of this trip which involved more fishing, and more time in the tent. I promise, the images are more exciting than that sounds (or at least I think they are). As always, thanks for stopping by! Feel free to share via the links below, and say hello as well! 

Lime Creek Canyon (Part Two)

in ,

Well, I fell behind again. But, in my defense, I was off on an "adult spring break" (i.e., a long weekend), and wanted to give myself a slight break from technology. I am back at it now though, and will be wrapping up the Lime Creek Canyon trip with this post (finally). I'm going to keep this one short and simple in terms of writing, and leave you with the images. Just one quick note before I dive in; there are some large panoramic images below, so I would highly recommend clicking on those (which opens them in a lightbox) in order to see all their glorious details as large as possible. I hope you enjoy!

Up next: More camping adventures, this time from Guanella Pass. Thanks for stopping by!

Lime Creek Canyon (Part One)

in , ,

My second favorite set of images from last year is quite different from the engagement shoot of the last post. Over labor day last year, a friend from Kansas and his brother came out to Colorado for a camping and climbing trip with us. This adventure took us to what quickly became one of my new favorites spots. Driving into the canyon (Lime Creek Canyon) was like a scene out of a movie. We arrived right as an afternoon thunderstorm was moving in, with low, heavy clouds rolling over the surrounding hills. It started to downpour, with thunder booming close. The storm only lasted a few minutes though, and once the rain stopped we quickly piled out of the car and set up camp, in case another storm rolled in. I let the guys handle setting up the tents (there were three of them, after all), so that I could wander around grabbing images of the stunning setting. 

After camp was set up, we went for a brief hike to explore the area. The clouds started to clear up as we hiked, creating some of the most amazing light that I have ever seen. We were pretty damp from hiking around after a complete downpour, but it was all completely worth it. The evening ended with a sunset fit for a dream, putting an exclamation point on the start of our trip. 

Next week: Part two of the Lime Creek Canyon camping trip, with even more amazing views. Slowly but surely I WILL get caught up on the huge backlog of images I have. Be sure to click the "subscribe" button off to the left in order to stay in touch! And as always, thank you for stopping by!

Mount Elbert

in ,

Time to go back to my first weekend living in Colorado again! And to give you fair warning, there are images of an adorable, sleepy puppy towards the end of this post, so prepare yourselves. 

As mentioned in the last post, my best friend, Blair, and I spent the weekend camping in Twin Lakes, CO, with the goal of hiking Mount Elbert. Mount Elbert is the tallest peak in Colorado, standing at 14,439', so it was an exciting goal for my first weekend as a Colorado resident. We drove to the trailhead as the sun was just coming up that morning, and started hiking in the brisk morning air. 

It was a long, rather deceptive hike, with false summit after false summit (or so it felt). But, we kept hiking away, slowly but surely, taking in the incredible scenery and views as we went. 

The summit was absolutely stunning, and made the long hike up worth it. Unfortunately, we still had to get down (the worst part, in my opinion). Blair and I were both exhausted, partially from Stella's (the puppy) seemingly never ending energy. Yet, as we worked our way down, even she started to look completely worn out (somehow not until around tree line though). When we stopped to take breaks towards the end of the hike, Stella would promptly lay down and nearly fall asleep. 

We eventually made it all the way down, drove to a gas station for firewood and other provisions, and then made the short drive back to our campsite. The clouds and light over Twin Lakes on the way to our site were beyond spectacular. So, despite our complete exhaustion, we stopped so that I could grab a few images before heading back to collapse and eat dinner. 

The following morning we, unfortunately, had to pack up and head back to the real world. We enjoyed a somewhat lazy breakfast, packed stuff up, and drove out. The water on the lakes that morning was like glass, creating a perfect reflection of the surrounding area. I snagged a few shots out of the window as we drove past, sad to be leaving that amazing place so soon. 

Twin Lakes, Colorado

in ,

My first weekend living in Colorado (two months ago at this point!) was lived to the absolute fullest, and in true Colorado style. My best friend's birthday fell right after that weekend, so we decided to go on a camping trip to celebrate her birthday, as well as the fact that we would be living in the same state for the first time in eight years.

We camped near Twin Lakes for two nights, and hiked Mt. Elbert, the tallest fourteener in Colorado, while we were there (images to come). We ended up having perfect weather for both days that we were out there, and somewhat spontaneously ended up on a beautiful hike the evening that we arrived. These images are from that hike, which followed along the edge of Twin Lakes. 

The hike took us to the historic Interlaken Hotel, a resort that was built in the late 1800s. It was a popular resort for many years, and was quite the luxurious get away at the time (featuring a six-sided privy with leather seats, and an orchestra performance once a week). The resort closed in the early 1900s, and when they built the dam on Twin Lakes in the 1970s, many of the buildings and artifacts were left behind, flooded by the new water level. However, some of the buildings were moved in order to preserve them, including the summer home of the owner of the resort, James Dexter (the first few images below).  

The Dexter House is open to the public, and we were able to walk through the beautiful building, all the way up to the glass enclosed cupola (which has 360 degree views of the lakes and mountains). You could easily tell it was once a rather lavish place. For example, Dexter imported eight different types of wood for the floor of his home (which you can see below), in order to make it look more Victorian. I can only imagine what this place would have been like in its prime, with an orchestra playing, a steamboat ferrying people to and from the resort, fine dining, and luxuriously furnished rooms. 

Sitting on the porch of the Dexter Home was a hiker who we ended up chatting with for a little while. It was the first time that I worked up the courage to photograph a stranger, and it was great to listen to his story as I snapped a few images (though unfortunately I failed to get his name). He had started hiking in Durango, Colorado, hiked over the Continental Divide, and was now resting for a little in Twin Lakes. So far he had hiked for four weeks, and was planning on going all the way to Denver. Depending on his exact route, that would be around 325 miles of hiking!

Next up, images from my first fourteener! Expect stunning mountain views, and more adorable pictures of the puppy. Thanks for stopping by!

Hiking Longs Peak

in ,

Hello again, everyone! I'm still completely buried under photographs, but slowly and surely I am getting through them, and will hopefully be caught up some day soon.

Not long before I moved out to Denver myself (well over a month ago at this point), I came out for an interview, as well as to visit Scott. That weekend, we spontaneously decided to drive to Rocky Mountain National Park in order to hike up part of Longs Peak. We had no intention of getting to the summit that day, as we had a pretty lazy and slow start to the day, and instead just wanted to get up to see The Diamond. 

It ended up being a perfect day for a hike; just warm enough, light winds, and without the typical afternoon storm. It was cloudy when we first started our hike, but when we were within view of The Diamond the clouds broke, creating some incredible light for us. 

Next up: a break from images of mountains, with a flashback to my time as a nanny. Expect lots more mountain posts after that, though!

Have a happy Monday!