Saturday was a lovely sunny day with clear skies. We got all packed and headed up the beautiful winding Loop Road (adventure 19- take a drive in the mountains) up into the aspen trees, the cooler temperatures, and the bugs. The girls were excited to finally arrive and find their friends but we were the first of our group so we had lunch and took a little walk to explore.
Jim took us to a yummy, refreshing spring where we got a drink and watched butterflies zooming here and there. Next we took a small winding path up into the pine trees. The girls were getting tired so we headed back to set up camp.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing, enjoying each other's company, exploring, and visiting with friends. There were a couple mishaps, Clover stepped in a cow pie, Sunshine and I had stinging nettle encounters, and we all got a couple bug bites, but the girls had an awesome time running and playing with their friends.
Early the next morning, Sunshine and Jim headed out for a morning walk. Clover was disappointed to have been left behind so she and I went over to see the lake. It was delightfully quiet, almost meditative. We watched the fish jumping to catch their breakfast and a small family of ducks swimming along the edge. As we headed back to camp, we found Jim and Sunshine, they had and even better story. They had seen a bear! Sunshine was so excited. I was just thankful the bear kept to itself.
Later, the whole group of us went on a hike toward Miner's basin. It was the same trail our family started up the day before, but with the encouragement of friends by their side, the girls were awesome little hikers and went much farther.
Part way up, we came to a small clearing. It was vibrantly thriving with life. We were surrounded with beautiful flowers and carefree butterflies. I wanted to just stay there and soak up the flourishing energy but the group pressed onward.
We journeyed up and up hoping to reach the top. Energy and spirits started to slow a little and there was no end in sight so we stopped by a big log to have a snack. When we were finished, we decided to head back down rather than trying to reach the top.
When we got back, we took down camp, packed up, and headed home enjoying the drive back down the mountain.