What goes up...

For our anniversary this year, Mike and I treated ourselves to some camping gear. We are now equipped with a tent, two-person sleeping bag, sleeping pads & pillows, and hiking packs. Eager to try it all out, we brought it along to Colorado, and went camping at Stanley Canyon Reservoir with Steve, Chelsea, and the motley canine crew of Crockett, Cheyenne, Sydney, & Cody.

We had hiked Stanley plenty of times during the college days, so I was not nervous about the hike itself. Heck, I wasn't even thinking about the challenge of carrying an additional thirty pounds on my back. I did anticipate being tired, because I was training for a half marathon, and my training schedule dictated an eleven-mile run prior to our ascent up the trail. Well, the altitude won out in the end, and I only managed about seven miles for my run, so still, I was not anticipating the climb being much of an issue. Ha.

I really struggled. I don't know how you pregnant people carry that belly around without complaint. In between the weight on my back, the heat, the altitude, and being tired from the run, I fell behind and watched as my dear husband had no trouble and effortlessly scaled the hills like a mountain goat. (To his credit, he offered to take some of my gear, as did Chelsea, but at that point, I just wanted to do it myself to prove that I could.) I could see sympathy in the eyes of the folks coming down the trail, because I was probably wheezing and panting worse than Crockett in the car, and that only made me feel worse. Thank you, Steve, for staying behind with me and allowing me the occasional cuss word. Misery loves company.

The hike ends at a small reservoir, so the boys set up camp on a beach near the water, the dogs ran free, and Chelsea & I stuffed ourselves with jerky and other delicious (unhealthy) snacks. You are not allowed to build a fire up there, so we had rented a small propane burner and made up a concoction of chili, rice, and hot dogs for dinner. Our meal was dubbed "Chili Dog Stew" and was quite delish. Mike caught some fish, the dogs swam, and Chelsea & I pondered what we would do if a bear, moose, or other creature came out of the woods to eat us. We never came to any conclusions, so its a good thing we didn't come across any wildlife.

Family Shot

Stanley Reservoir

Boys setting up camp

Steve, Cheyenne, Chelsea, Sydney, Me, Cody, Mike, & Crockett

Chili Dog Stew!

Tired pups

Mike's fishing success...too bad it wasn't big enough to keep for breakfast!

Crockett standing guard

The hike down

When the time came to go to sleep in our tent, we wondered what Crockett would do in such an enclosed space. If you've read my posts on him enough, you know that the most ridiculous things can set him off, making for a very unpleasant experience. However, the swimming and hiking must have tired the old boy out, because snuggled in and slept like a baby.

Thank goodness for Sir Isaac Newton, who wrote the law that coined the phrase, "What goes up, must come down." The hike down to the car was much easier than the hike up the canyon. Overall, a very fun time, and a good start to our vacation.