Backpacking on the CDT

Last weekend we went backpacking on the Continental Divide Trail to the 6 Fishing Lakes in Routt National Forest and it was amazing! We had previously done this hike (but camped on a different lake this time) and last year, it was raining/lightning almost the entire time. We got lucky and had spectacular weather the entire time! 

We decided to begin our hike earlier than we normally do backpacking (we typically don't start our hike until 2 or 3pm, but went out at around noon) and this gave us so much time in the afternoon to just relax and read and fish. We set-up our camp 3.5 miles into the trail at the 3rd lake we came to (Lake Elmo) and were the only ones there the entire time. The trail passes by our campsite a bit, but it was nice to have some passersby once and a while and still feel like we had the entire place to ourselves. 

At first, I was a little skeptical towards backpacking as being out in the woods by yourself and far enough away from anything & everything is a bit scary, but this trip was SO wonderful it really began to change my outlook towards backpacking. I also think this is a great trail for beginning backpackers (I've gone on maybe 10 backpacking trips & still consider myself a beginner) because it's not so remote that you feel helpless if something were to go wrong, but it's also a good distance from anything. 

We arrived to our campsite by 2 and cooked up some lunch (we typically just pack along some snacks and a few mountain houses to make clean up easy and keep our packs light) then set up our tent and relaxed! I think I probably read about 100 pages in my book on the trip and we saw maybe 30 fish jump (but sadly caught nothing...I'm beginning to think that there's some consensus between all the fish to not latch onto just our pole because others around us ALWAYS catch something). We also saw a giant moose pass about 200 meters by our campsite- it was so out of the blue that I didn't even have my camera on me to take a picture!

Sunset views from our tent

The views were so wonderful and my photos definitely do NOT do it justice! We got up the next morning around 7:30 and I headed out for my solo trail run shortly afterwards. I ended up getting stung by a bee on the top of my ankle about a mile in, but luckily I had my compression socks and that really kept the swelling down and I managed to get in 4.5 miles and reach the final 6th fishing lake, Long Lake (the biggest one) at an altitude around 9,200 feet (we camped at an altitude of just over 10,000 feet). 

The wildflowers were in bloom throughout our entire hike and the trails were really well maintained (it's a popular mountain biking trail as well). I'm so glad I was able to fit in some trail running because that's been on my wishlist to do for a while. This trial is also part of both a 10k that our local running series puts on (I'm thinking about signing up) and their annual 50/100 mile trail run! It's pretty cool to say that my training run was along these routes, as well as on the CDT. 

Overall, this was a perfect backpacking weekend. We got back to our car around noon on Sunday and that gave us the afternoon to do (what seemed like) a million loads of laundry and meal prep for the week ahead. HIGHLY recommend doing this as a backpacking trip if you're ever in Northwest Colorado- you can tie it into a loop hike for higher mileage (10 mile or 20+ mile round trip) if you want to. Happy hiking and trail running!

Road Trip Recap Part 4- Canada & Upper Michigan!

We got to our first campsite in Canada around 7:30pm (after driving since 7 that morning) and we were exhausted! We grabbed some fresh pasta, chicken sausage, and marinara sauce at the local store nearby and got right to cooking dinner!

We got super lucky and our campsite only had one neighbor and we were completely surrounded by water! The unlucky part was that we had to leave our campsite the next morning at 5 to catch our Ferry at 6am (the only time that we could reserve it), so we couldn't spend too much time enjoying the site!

We made the best of the situation and got in some much needed r-n-r while there though.

Verrryyy tired in that photo clearly. haha. We got to bed pretty early (maybe 9:30 or 10), but it was Canada Day and those Canadians seriously LOVE their fireworks! They kept shooting them off for the next 2+ hours....Which meant a VERY early wake-up call and also a beautiful sunrise.

We took the MS Chee Cheemaun Ferry from Manitoulin Island to Tobermory (both in Ontario). It was probably the favorite part of our trip! The Ferry takes up to 150 cars and has 4 different shuttle times throughout the day. It took us 1 hour 45 minutes from the time our car got on the ferry to us being able to drive off. There was also a TRACTOR TRAILER on the ferry with us! We parked on the bottom deck and were able to bring Stella up to the outer observation deck to hang out with us during the trip. 

We saw this one lighthouse on our trip and the ferry also had a cute little gift shop and cafeteria, so we got breakfast & coffee there. I also met a fellow runner on the ferry who was wearing her Boston Jacket and it turns out she lives in Canada, but her and her husband have traveled all over the US (and she's currently trying to get into the Big Sur lottery)- including Colorado! What a great world where runners can unite to the most unexpected places!

Once we got off the Ferry, we were on our drive again and it immediately started down pouring (and proceeded to downpour until we got to the Canada-US Border.

We arrived at our next campsite around 1pm, but decided to keep on going further since it was still super early (a decision that we would later regret). We ended up not being able to find any other campsites in MI and had to continue to drive until 8pm and could only find an Econolodge to stay in...

I hadn't been on a run in 2 days and had the serious itch! The hotel was directly across from the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds and I ended up doing my run Monday morning around the grounds!

I think we both definitely learned how beautiful Michigan was on this trip! It is seriously magical. I ran a total of 3.55 miles and started my run a little after 6 in the morning.

I couldn't resist getting a few action shots in front of some of the fun displays in the fair grounds before we left..

We were on the road again by 7 and per usual, hit the Central Time Zone within an hour of us leaving....Onto our last night of trip- South Dakota!

Road Trip Recap Part 3- Vermont

We left NH and headed off to Vermont to spend the next few days with Alex's parents. After visiting with them for a bit, we headed to Massachusetts to spend the night with Alex's brother and sister-in-law!

It was about a 2.5 hour drive to VT from Maine and then about a 2 hour drive to MA. We spent the night eating a fantastic barbecue dinner with chicken and corn-on-the-cob and playing some yard games! We left their house the next morning around 10 to get back to Vermont to spend time with Alex's parents. 

First stop back in Vermont- THE VERMONT COUNTRY STORE! This was my first time visiting and this store is amazing- everything you have ever thought New England was/is wrapped up in one place. 

They had a food truck outside and we had one of the most fantastic burgers ever. After shopping around (they also have a ton of free food samples inside, so I definitely recommend coming hungry) for a bit, we couldn't resist getting a black raspberry ice cream to share!

They were also having a tent sale when we arrived (I think it is still going on through the month of July) and I scored a beautifully knit Woolrich sweater for less than $20! 

We also couldn't resist not getting a kissing photo in the Kissing Bridge!

His parents live in a small southern Vermont town called Springfield, which is REALLY cute and you should definitely go visit! We went to the Hartness House for dinner that night (they were having live music- we made a reservation) and Alex & I split their Cheddar Cheese Potatoes & Fig Balsamic Pizza! The pizza was to.die.for. 

On Friday, we headed out bright and early to go for a hike up Mt. Ascutney. We drove up most of the mountain and it was a 1.5 mile hike up to the fire tower, where you had a fantastic 360 degree view of all the surrounding mountains (even Mt. Washington)!

We made the hike a full loop by taking the Hang glider trail on the way back (which is totally tree covered and we could never see how any hang-glider could get through the thick forest). It was definitely a pretty rugged hike (hello Vermont rocks), but totally worth it!

After we got back, I headed out for a run when I saw a short window of opportunity (everyone wanted to shower/get ready for lunch) and did a quick 30 minutes! It's so much fun to explore a new area (as long as it is safe) outside. I managed to sneak a peek of this horse eating the grass through the open window.

The run was definitely super hilly!

3.25 miles to round out our last day in Vermont! The last part of my run was downhill and I felt super badass to sprint past this 10 or 11 year old trying to run and keep up with his friends. 

We left the next morning around 7 to head on our way to Canada!

Road Trip Recap Part 2- Maine!

Being able to stay where I grew up was truly special and something that I know not everyone can experience! My mom was generous enough to open up the home (it's usually boarded-up) for us to stay there while we were in Maine and it was amazing. Stella also loved having so many places to explore! 

Saturday I went for a short 4 mile run around the roads before my Dad's wedding. 

Holy humidity! But also running at sea level was AMAZING! My paces were consistently 20-40 seconds faster per minute (without any extra effort) than they typically are at altitude. 

After my run, I quickly showered and we were off to the wedding! Luckily it was super close to where we were staying and we could just walk over.  

Sometimes we dress up and look fancy!

On Sunday, we went out to lunch with my dad before he left for their honeymoon and then we went kayaking on the Saco River! It was super beautiful out and thankfully the humidity started to die down a bit. 

We also learned how much Stella enjoys Jeep Rides (like us). She hardly ever moved from that spot and she couldn't be happier! Monday morning we planned to get up early to go for a hike, so I got up early (so rough) to get my run in. 

4 miles later, we were showered and off to go hike in Crawford Notch! It was a bit chilly out, but luckily no rain showers showed up. Alex had never been hiking in NH before, so I took him and Stella on a relatively easy, but beautiful hike to the top of Mt. Willard! I've done this hike a few times and the views from the top still get me every time. 

It was pretty muddy on our hike and unfortunately I only brought along my running sneakers, so it was slower-going than normal. The hike to the top also brings you by a set of small falls that pour into Centennial Pool- super beautiful place to stop and rest. 

Tuesday we split off and did our own things (Alex went to go visit his friend that lives in Maine now & his nana/ I went off with my mom for the day) and we met back up at night to go have dinner with one of my oldest friends! I got in a run that morning of 3.25 miles before heading off to do some outlet shopping!

Wednesday, I got in another run and a quick strength training session before we headed off to Vermont (about a 2.5 hour drive) for the afternoon (then onto Massachusetts for the evening)!

While our trip was definitely short and we didn't get to do/ see everything that I had originally planned, it was really amazing. I think it made us both appreciate the area more and how lucky we were to grow up there. 

The ample amount of roads to run on definitely made me a bit envious (since Steamboat doesn't exactly feel like it has many route options to vary it up), but I made sure to soak up the amount of running time I had there and managed to get in runs on 4 of the 5 days we were there, so I'd say that was a bit of a success.

Getting up early definitely contributed my being able to get my runs in because after we ate breakfast, we were off for the rest of the day doing fun activities and seeing family/friends! It was also a great way to kinda just 'zone' out for 30 or 40 minutes and think of nothing but how beautiful it was out. Running in New England is special.

Stay tuned for part 3- Vermont/Massachusetts!

How I filled my Weekend with No Running

No running this weekend meant extra time to catch up on my sleep, relax, and enjoy the outdoors! Saturday was spent by pampering myself with a mani/pedi, farmers market, and checking out the Mustang Round-Up to get my dad a gift for Father's Day.

After getting my nails done and running a few errands, I headed to the gym to do a quick strength session and 30 minutes on the elliptical. 

The gym that I go to also has a hot springs/pool area outside (Old Town Hot Springs if you're ever in Steamboat area) and it's so nice/distracting to be in the elliptical room. Unfortunately the treadmills are facing mirrors, but they do have tv so that's a bonus! After the gym, I headed home and we watched The Jungle Book. It was SO good if you haven't watched it before (the newer release, not the cartoon). 

Sunday was spent getting 10 HOURS of sleep then eggs and heading out for a hike out the Sarvis Creek Wilderness.

We hiked out 2.5 miles to Sarvis Creek, where there's a few different spots with small beaches/ rocks to relax on. We were the only ones here and it was so gorgeous out! We ended up meeting 20+ people on our hike back down, so we timed it just right. Stella found a GIANT stick and loved launching herself into the water to retrieve it (water was just a tad too cool to swim in).

She's really very skinny when she doesn't have all that fur! 

After the hike, we headed home to make lunch (pb 'n banana with popcorn for me) and finish up packing before we leave Wednesday afternoon! We are driving to Maine and are hoping to arrive there very late Friday night. So excited to have some r 'n r and see our fam!

How was your weekend?

Running or no running?

Anyone taking any fun vacations anywhere?!