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Slow Hiking in the Foothills of Colorado’s Front Range
After arriving in Colorado on Saturday, I’ve been on two beautiful hikes
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.
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.