Backpacking with the boys

When we took our little stroll on the AT back in the Shenendoah National Park Caden asked if we’d be able to go backpacking once we were back home in CO.  I was tickled pink that he was the one asking me to go backpacking and I thought for sure we’d have plenty of time.  But after returning home the days of summer slipped away until the the next thing we knew school was in session and soccer in full swing.  However, it turned out that Labor Day weekend was wide open on our schedules and the boys lobbied hard to get a backpacking trip in.  AND, they wanted to go for more than 1 night.  Its a pretty popular weekend so there were no permits available for Rocky Mountain National Park or the Indian Peaks Wilderness.  But, the James Peak Wilderness is also right in our backyard and does not require permits so we put Roger’s Peak Lake in our cross hairs and set off.  I should also point out that I tried to get the boys to play hooky on Friday but Caden didn’t want to miss school or soccer….what kind of kids am I raising?!
The beginning
Read more

Touchdown

We got Ava packed up for the last time and hit the road at 9:15 for the very familiar drive from Phillipsburg to Longmont.  There was a detour that cost us about 30 minutes, some poorly coordinated bathroom breaks, lunch break and a stop at the Welcome to Colorful Colorado sign for a picture.  I spent a lot of the drive time exercising my memories of the trip and tried to avoid thinking about the task of moving back into our house.
Wooohooo Read more