Colorado bound - hiking & biking

Whilst Karina stayed to shop & catch up with Emma in Chicago, I took a short flight to Denver, had a quick night stop with Ressie's buddy Troy. Ressie flew in the next morning from Hawaii with work & we set about making plans.

Time to be "Sport Billy" !

Ressie's flexible location meant we were able to get out & up into the surrounding Denver mountains to hike & then further on up into the Vail & Brekenridge area to Hike/Bike.
The flat irons were a good way to stretch the lungs & get used to walking at altitude. The 2 hour deceptively steep trail had me gasping to air all the way. If you look closely at the picture you can make out some crazy rock climbers going up the hard way - there was no way I was going to do the same!
Vail in the turning Fall colours of the changing Aspen trees. The warm Indian summer weather was starting to turn the green leaves to yellow, to burnt orange & red - wonderful scenery.
This third day, all day hike up the White River valley trail took us up to 12,000ft beyond these waterfalls .....
.... to a peaceful col lake in the baking mountain sun. I'd only brought along my woolly hat as protection as I'd been expecting snow like conditions at the top, how wrong can you get!