Summer Dreams... Ripped at the Seams....

I hate to admit it, but I think Summer is officially over. It's been officially over for quite a few weeks, actually. This weekend was downright cold. And I really hate the cold. I really hate the cold. REALLY. But I guess it's too late in the year to be pretending; winter is nearly hear. How sad...

So, to cheer myself up, I will look at some of my favorite pictures from our summer hikes this year.

Lookout Mountain
View from Lookout Mountain. This was early in the season, so things were still pretty brown.

Me, nearly falling on the rocks on Lookout Mountain. My little legs make hiking hard sometimes!

Maxwell Falls

On the hike to Maxwell Falls. A fallen down tree; Matt saw a crazy picture opportunity.

We never actually made it to any "falls," but we came to this area which looked kind of like a tree farm.

Mt. Falcon

On Mt. Falcon. This place had a lot of different nooks that were fun to explore.

From the location of the "Summer White House." Or rather, the location where some crazy guy wanted the summer white house to be. It's awfully pretty.

Green Mountain

I felt like I was in a fairy forest. It was SO green.


This was the downhill part of the hike. It went uphill like crazy after this. I was too exhausted to take any pictures during the climb.

But we made it to the almost-top, and we got a pretty view.

Mallory Cave

This obviously isn't Mallory Cave, but it's a CRAZY tree on the way to Mallory Cave.

My dad came with us on a couple hikes this summer.

Part of this hike was pretty steep. This picture doesn't begin to do it justice.

Green Mountain (again - with the inlaws)

We liked this hike, so we took Matt's brother and his family up the other side of the mountain. I didn't really get any good pictures of everyone else, but here's a good one of us.

Pretty view from Green Mountain.

Camping at Kenosha PassMatt just set up the tent, so he gets a treat.


Cooking dinner. Yum... hot dogs.

View near our campsite.

St. Vrain Trail

River!

On the St. Vrain Trail. Right after I dyed my hair. Don't look at the crazy hair, just look at the great scenery.

Mt. Elbert and Twin LakesHa ha. Duct tape fixes everything! We went up the the Leadville area for our anniversary, and we tried to tackle Mt. Elbert!


On Mt. Elbert with all my hiking gear. This was a tough mountain! I'm not sure that I was prepared for it, but we handled it ok. Of course, we didn't make it to the top, but... oh, well.


This was as high as we made it. We topped the treeline, had lunch, and wen't back down. I'm pretty sure these two went much higher than we did.


On the "top" of Mt. Elbert.

View right out of our door at the bed and breakfast we stayed. I knew I'd be too tired to camp. And since it was for our anniversary, we treated ourselves to a romantic night on the Twin Lakes near Leadville, CO.

Ah, summer. Well, I guess there are good things about winter, too. Like cross-stitch. Cold weather is absolutely perfect for crafting. Plus the holidays are a lot of fun. And Matt and I are going to try skiing for the first time this winter. So, I must think positively, enjoy the few positive things about winter, and dream of warmer days.