Colorado

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Mesa Verde, Colorado

5 Places to See in Colorado When Mountains are Calling

I took a week-long drive through Colorado beginning in Denver. In that week, I’d travel to every corner of the state, stopping only to hike or sleep. After months of nothing but Chicago, I wanted to see something besides concrete. So I mapped out a plan, rented a car, and headed into the mountains. I’d never been to Colorado before and I wasn’t prepared for its savage beauty or wide-open vastness. Mountain roads nearly 14,000 feet high stunned me. The...

Maroon Bells, Aspen, Colorado

Discover Magic Hiking to Maroon Bells in Aspen

Hiking to Maroon Bells and Crater Lake in Aspen’s White River National Forest is worth getting up early for … real early. I rose before the sun and drove nine miles into the White River National Forest to see the most photographed mountains in North America. As I was driving in the dark down the long road to the trailhead, a deer nearly ended its life in front of me. I forged ahead undaunted and hoped it was the only...

Rene Hiking North Table Mountain; Golden, Colorado

Finding Bravery Rappelling Colorado Mountains

Despite being in my mid-forties and embarrassingly out of shape, I learned how to rappel on the North Table Mountain in Colorado. It’s not something I’d typically do, but in a fit of fancy, I booked the overly expensive, non-refundable adventure and chickening out wasn’t an option. Rappelling, also known as abseiling, is a controlled descent from a tall rock face or wall using a rope attached to something at the top. I should mention that I have an extreme...