Hiking in the Rockies

Off we go on our next Bucket List Adventure....

Week one was visiting our local Botanical Garden.

Week two we headed to the Carnival.

Week three we were at The Beach.

Can you believe it's week four? Time is flying by!

Last week only part of our family was at The Beach. We had a blast frolicking in the waves! The other half of our family was far, far away...

hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park in beautiful Colorado. We have driven through the mountains many times, but it's not the same as EXPERIENCING THEM FIRST HAND.

Our boys spent 7 days in the wilderness, completely unplugged from civilization with their church group and a couple of professional guides. That means no GPS, no internet, phones, watches, no showers or bathrooms. This is where boys become men. Or at least they come out smelling like them.

 I must warn you, this is not a trip for the light hearted hiker. It's a very serious 13,000 feet above sea level. A very far cry from the 700 foot elevation we have in the midwest. They hiked an average of 12 miles a day. Wow!

They got up at sunrise each day to hike to their next campsite.

One day they got up at 3am to hike to the top of the mountain and watch the sunrise. No wonder they call it "God's Country". Any John Denver fans out there? Are you singing yet?

These are my boy's pictures, I think he did a great job! I can almost see the trout jumping in the stream!

The mountains in July are beautiful. And cold at night. Temperatures dip into the 30's, despite the warmer daytime temps, and snow is a definite possibility.

Camping on the mountain side is very rustic. That blue thing is a portable chair. Each person had to carry in their share of gear, including all food, tents and sleeping bags. This means their backpacks were around 70 lbs. Good thing our boys are big and strong. They weren't able to have any camp fires at night due to the dry conditions, and they had to carry out any trash they had, including toilet paper. Yes, this is a gross reality. TMI? Did you know that deodorant attracts bears? Neither did I.

The tents are really more like coverings since they don't have a bottom to them. This made for lots of interesting stories. Like when a baby moose was being attacked by coyotes in the middle of the night, and the Mama moose was charging through camp, there wasn't really a place to run for cover. Near death experiences make this type of hiking all the more exciting. 

They finally got to use those Orienteering skills we worked on perfecting all those years. Did you know that moss only grows on the north side of the trees?

There was only one time when they had a small avalanche. Only one. 

I asked our boys what they learned about God on this trip:

"Well, I learned to rely on Him for everything. It's different than being at home with all the stuff we have. I also thought it seemed like God's a lot closer when you are in the mountains."

We are so grateful the boys were able to share this experience with a group of Godly young men. There are many things they learn at home in our teaching, but there are some things they can't learn from books, no matter how many we read. Some times you just have to send your kids up the mountain to God's country and see what happens. 

They can't wait to go back again next year!

Linking up today at Living and Learning at Home.

p.s. If you have young children who would like to experience a bit of mountain adventure, try reading the Jean Craighead George trilogy My Side of the Mountain, On the Far Side of the Mountain, and Frightful's Mountain. They are available at Amazon or your local library.