Rocky Mountain National Park

This past weekend we went hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park.  I am continually amazed at the beauty that surrounds us here in Colorado! 

I'm an animal lover and the wildlife that we've seen is just fantastic. Yes, I get happy and excited just seeing a pretty little bird, but to actually see elk up close just hanging out...Well, that is just indescribable. The elk we saw this weekend were just so majestic! These pictures can't even come close to doing justice to their beauty.

Ed at 12,143 ft.

Of course, I can't forget to mention how good the hiking is here too.  Ed and I are still working on getting in shape and getting acclimatized to the altitude.  It just about killed us, but we did manage to hike at over 12,000 feet above sea level! 

And finally, I'd like to introduce you to my new hiking boots...

Hiking

This past weekend Ed and I went hiking at Eldorado State Park. Wow! The beauty of the area was just stunning. Best of all, it was only a 20 minute drive from where we live!

We enjoy hiking, but of course, being in Colorado there are a lot of rock climbers too. I like to watch them, but man are they insane! These are just a couple of the many climbers that we saw.  These two don't seem too bright as they don't appear to have any safety gear. The majority of the climbers we saw actually had harnesses and safety gear. 

I was surprised that we were able to hike for as long as we did. I guess we're finally getting used to the altitude! Our plan is to try and go hiking every weekend. This will serve two purposes...It will help to get us in shape, and it is really cheap entertainment! Yay!

While Ed and I had a great time and managed not to fall off the side of the mountain or anything crazy like that, unfortunately, my hiking boots were not so lucky. After a wonderful day of hiking and sightseeing, as we were walking back to the car I kept feeling like someone was kicking the back of my foot.  When I turned around to see what the deal was, I looked down and saw that my poor boots did not quite make it back unscathed...

Thank goodness this happened when we were within sight of the car!  I'd like to take time now to say thank you to my old hiking boots.  You may be broken now, but you were there with me for some great times.  I can't believe that you made it to 12 years old before you gave out. You had your first hikes in Australia in 1998. You protected my feet and ankles from injury. You were good and I will miss you.