Great Day Guide
Experience is the best teacher…
but a wise man learns from other’s mistakes.
Aaron and I were 27 years old when we visited the Rocky Mountains for the first time – and just like The Song says, it felt like coming home.
We both had plenty of “outdoorsy” experience, but only in Missouri. During that first visit to Colorado, we got sunburned and dehydrated. We arrived late and had to hike an extra mile to the trailhead. We froze traveling over Trail Ridge Road because we didn’t think to bring jackets. It was July, after all!
Even so, we had a fantastic time and kept coming back. For a week at first. Then a month. In 2012, we bought a condo so we could stay the whole summer. And then in 2013, we surprised everyone (including ourselves!) and moved. Looking back, I can see that our path was always leading us here.
Now we live in Colorado full time and we love every minute. We are still exploring and learning and making mistakes, but our skills have improved. We’re pretty good at hiking and not bad at skiing and getting better at biking. We are not experts at anything. But we do believe that the more time you spend outdoors, the happier and healthier you – and your kids – will be.
If you are lucky enough to be a Colorado native, much of this guide may seem obvious or amateurish to you. But for those new to travel, or the Rockies, or even just to the Grand County area, I hope to help out just a bit. Share our experiences, maybe save someone from learning something the hard way, and most of all, to encourage you to get out, try something new, and enjoy the Rocky Mountains!