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Tourist in My Own Country

The joy of blogging while exploring your home country. A slice of your life, Food, culture, nature and more.

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Slow Hiking in the Foothills of Colorado’s Front Range

5 min readApr 17, 2025

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The hogback formations at Devils Backbone. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2025

This is my first visit to Colorado since our family stayed in Estes Park over a dozen years ago. On that visit, we hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park and enjoyed every minute of our time there.

We stayed at the YMCA of the Rockies in one of their hotel-type lodges for a conference my husband attended. I kept the boys busy during the day by taking a few ranger-led hikes, going to the craft barn, and attending archery lessons.

YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2010

In Estes Park, we saw beaver dams and elk. We rode horses and made tie-dyed t-shirts. But the thing I remember most about that trip was that I had altitude sickness, which lasted two — three days.

That was then, this is now

I learned from that trip. I learned that I cannot go hiking in the mountains the day after arriving in Colorado. I learned that the headaches associated with altitude sickness are painful. I learned to take it slow.

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Tourist in My Own Country
Tourist in My Own Country

Published in Tourist in My Own Country

The joy of blogging while exploring your home country. A slice of your life, Food, culture, nature and more.

Carol Labuzzetta, MS
Carol Labuzzetta, MS

Written by Carol Labuzzetta, MS

I write about the environment, education, nature, and travel. Having two master's degrees, in nursing and environmental education, I am a teacher at heart.

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