A JOURNEY THROUGH WATERTON CANYON - CO
A couple of weeks ago Calvin, Emet, and I traveled together to Denver, Colorado. It had been almost 10 years since we'd been there together. We love spending time in the mountains and being outdoors - this trip was well overdue. Our final day in Colorado, we decided to spend some time exploring.
We did some research and got some local advice for trails that would work well with a 15 month old. We decided on Waterton Canyon, it's a beautiful and enjoyable 6 mile hike showcasing the beauty and wildlife Colorado has to offer. This national park also doubles as the headquarters for the Denver Water Company and features a wider path to walk on so that their service vehicles can drive through (more on this later).
We left our hotel just after lunch and arrived at the canyon around 1:30PM. We knew from the beginning that finishing the whole trail would require a fast pace - we were up for the challenge. We started our hike averaging a speed of 3 miles per hour (we used a helpful little app called AllTrails to measure our progress). We were told that this trail could accommodate a stroller, but we decided that we wanted to carry Emet in the ergo, just in case we got extra adventurous.
Just a little ways into the trail and the views were unbelievable. I love all of the brown and green earthy colors everywhere in Colorado. Every step revealed another view worthy of a photo. I couldn't get enough.
One mile in, we decided to let Emet have some time to walk around with us on the trail. He kept up with us for a little bit, then he became very interested in every little rock and pebble on the ground and had to stop and investigate. This lasted for about a half a mile, and then Calvin decided to strap him on his back.
We ended up walking on the trail for 3.5 miles (over halfway in) and then the clouds began to get darker and darker and the sound of thunder became audible in the distance. We decided that it would be best to turn around and try to beat the weather back to the car. Slowly we began to feel large drops of water hit the tops of our head. We started to pick up the pace of our already brisk walk, but suddenly felt heavier rain start to fall - followed by cold hard pelts of hail.
At this point we were soaking wet, laughing, and all the while realizing that we had a long ways to go before we got back to the trailhead. Out of nowhere, a service truck from the Denver Water Company pulled up next to us (told you they would come up again). The serviceman rolled his window down and asked us if we wanted to jump in the back of his truck for ride back to the trailhead. We quickly accepted and jumped into the back with a pair of shovels and some rope to accompany us. The whole way we were thinking to ourselves how long it would have taken us to walk back all of that way in the rain!
We finally made it back to our car and got everyone settled in. As we started the car and began to pull away, I couldn't help but think to myself that I wouldn't have changed a thing about our little adventure.
What are some of your favorite adventures?
| Credits: Author - Jacintha Payne; Photography - Calvin and Jacintha Payne |