I made an effort to just lay low and not fly this summer and enjoy home and relax, but I cannot deny myself a trip to the mountains during peak wildflower season, so I booked a room in Ouray, Colorado for a few days and invited Brian along to get in a serious mountain fix. I didn't go to one of my favorite places on earth last year because I went to Idaho, Wyoming, Northern California, Canada, Montana, and Washington and by the time I got around to Colorado, it was on fire.
There were a couple of things that we wanted to check off the list, definitely a hike up to Blue Lakes, the Telluride Via Ferrata, and a RZR ride up through the Alpine Tundra of the San Juan mountain range. I was just happy reveling in wildflowers and watching the later afternoon thunderstorms roll in.
Our first full day, we did the Blue Lakes hike. I'd hiked to Blue Lake behind Bridal Veil Falls a few years ago thinking that it was this hike, and was sorely disappointed when I arrived to a desolate black frozen lake. This time, I did my research and added the (s) to the end of my search and it was everything I'd ever hoped it would be.
The drive to the trail head was gorgeous and the hike was pretty much straight uphill for 5 miles, but was stunning. It started out in the woods and then climbed up through fields of flowers with views for days, and then came the first lake.
Another climb and a couple of waterfall crossings later, the second lake came into view.
I can't recommend this hike enough. It's a hell of climb and at high elevation, but so worth it.
Our second day was reserved for off-roading. I wasn't sure what to expect, but knew it would be pretty epic. Epic is an understatement. The terrain that we went through was absolutely incredible. The views are unlike anything I was expecting...from ranges that rivaled the alps to otherworldly tundra above the tree line, reminiscent of parts of Iceland. It seriously blew my mind.
Day 3 didn't really have much of a plan. The weather wasn't looking great, so we took the scenic route into Telluride and frolicked in the fields and aspens and daydreamed about what our lives would be like if we could procure a plot of land out there.
We got into Telluride and drove up the switchbacks to the beginning of the Via Ferrata and it suddenly dawned on me that the route was one-way meaning that we'd have to hike a couple of miles back up to the car once finished with our harnesses and ropes and helmets. This just didn't sound that appealing, if I'm being honest. The clouds were beginning to burn off, so it was hot and muggy and buggy and I decided to skip it so I could leave the car at the bottom of the route for Brian when he finished up, and then I unloaded my bike and rode back into Telluride and around for a couple of hours. Brian called me when he was finished and I made my way back up to the car and we managed to get back at the exact same time. We grabbed lunch in town and then finished out our trip in Ouray.
It was a short trip but we had the best time...we always do. It was so nice to get out of town for a couple of days because work has been stressful and we've been working way too much lately and our schedules have been all out of whack and the Airbnb has been so busy and overwhelming and we honestly haven't had hardly any time alone together in the last couple of months. It was perfect :)