December 18-21, 2010 - Colorado

I was looking for a fun winter adventure in December, and really wanted to go snowshoeing again - since I hadn't done it since my REI trip in Utah the year before.  My cousin, Mary, lives in Greeley, Colorado so I flew in to go hang out with her and her family for a few days.  

On our first day we drove out to Rocky Mountain National Park and went snowshoeing with a few friends.  It was snowing pretty hard on us, but we had a great time.   The views and scenery were just amazing.  

My grandparents lived in Cheyenne, WY at the time, so on our next day we drove up there to visit them for a bit, and then that afternoon we drove to Frisco, CO.  The roads got pretty bad as the sun was going down, but thankfully Mary is an expert driver and got us there safe and sound!  

The next day we met up with a guided group to go snowmobiling on the Continental Divide.  We started at Freemont Pass and the weather was pretty bad.  I was a bit nervous, as this was my first time on a snowmobile.  On the way up the weather got so bad it was almost white out conditions.  I could just barely make out the flags on each side of the trail and that was all I could see!  We finally made it to the top of the mountain and I just loved Mary saying - so normally this is an amazing view!  Ha.  I only saw white...   We hung out at the top for a bit, Mary had fun making snow angels, then we made our way down the hill.  Thankfully the way down was much better.  We were blocked by the trees so actually being able to see where I was going made the experience much more enjoyable!  We stopped at a hut on the way down for some hot chocolate and then finished our ride.  Hopefully some day I will try it again in a little better weather.    We got back to Frisco that afternoon and Mary and I went snowshoeing on the Mt. Royal Hiking Trail.  The frozen trees along the path were just amazing!

On our last day we took a couple more hikes along the Blue River in Silverthorne and then along a trail with great views of the Old Dillion Reservoir.  

Thanks Mary for a great winter adventure!  

Check out some more photos from this trip here - Colorado Photos