RMNP Day 2

Our first full day of being in the mountains. 

We made sure to warn the kids that today, it was going to be a lot of hiking. The night before, Courtney and I mapped out the few places that we wanted to hike. 2 that were smaller hikes, but 1 hike was going to be a pretty hefty hike for us.

To start off the day of hiking, we started off with one of the smaller hikes. The Holzwarth Historic Site. 

We had no idea what the historic site was, but heard it was a perfect little hike. And it was!! It was so beautiful there and going into it, we had no idea the history behind it.  

To get to the Holzwarth site you had to walk across the Colorado River! It's not only beautiful, but the sounds. You have the rushing of the water, the sounds of the birds, just the sound of nature, all together. It's breathtaking. 

Walking up to these lodges was very cool. We had a talk with the kids about life back then, even showing them where they had to use the restroom if they needed to go. They were pretty shocked by it and were very happy that they have a restroom like we do nowadays. 

 

After our first hike, we found a picnic table and enjoyed some lunch. Knowing that our next hike would probably take us a while, we ate a good lunch and drank plenty of water before hitting the trails again. 

We knew that this was going to be a tough hike, but wow... it was nothing like I expected it to be. For most of the trail you were going on an incline. Now, that we have lived here awhile, we are used to the elevation change, but dang... it still doesn't prepare you for it when you are hiking these trails. 

While on the trail, we were always on animal alert. When reading about this trail, I saw that many people have spotted moose roaming around. We came across many areas of moose poop, but at our half way point, we encounter a moose grazing in the grass. We were so excited!! We probably hung out just watching the moose for a good 10 minutes or so. Moose are amazing creatures and I could probably sit there all day just watching them graze. 

At the end of the trail was a big clearing. We knew once we got there, it would be a perfect time to sit down and enjoy some snacks, along with taking in the scenery. 

The kiddos took full advantage of the hammock Courtney set up for them and enjoyed their snacks while swaying together. 

The hike back didn't take near as long, but by then we were all pretty worn out for the hike up, but we were focused on just getting it done and getting back to the car. On our way, we did come across another moose and her baby. But, they were roaming in the trees, so because of that, they weren't in a good place for me to take any pictures of them. 

But on our way out of the park, we did come across a couple other moose. The mommy moose was lounging in the high grass, but her baby, which I called a teenage moose because it wasn't so much a baby anymore, was just munching away right next to the road. 

What an incredible moment to see them up close like this. We really wanted to see a male moose, but we didn't get too this time around, so hopefully next time will be our time. 

Last but not least, our last hike of the day. It was a very short little hike, but it took us to a water fall that everyone has mention is very beautiful. Everyone was so exhausted from our latest hike, but we found the energy somehow to make it up all the rocks to see Adams Falls. 

It was beautiful. I think my favorite part of it, is that it's surrounded by all these wildflowers. We didn't stay long, because we were all tired and ready for dinner, but I am so glad that we were able to get that last little hike in before leaving the park.

It was a very long day of hiking, but dang did those kids of ours do great. We did have some melt downs that they were tired and didn't want to walk anymore, but they all pushed through it. We are very proud of them and I hope these are going to be memories that they will cherish for a long time to come!