Mountain Time in CO

Snow Field on Peak 8

Since my last post, Derek and I have traveled to Minnesota, Denver, Michigan, and I've traveled to Seattle. Our latest adventure a week ago took us to Denver, Colorado for a second time and the small mountain resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado.

If you've been craving fresh air, a cool breeze, challenging climbs, and rewarding views, you need to make your way into the Rocky Mountains, and preferably to Breckenridge. Since my twin sister decided to move to Denver last summer, I'm now forced (willingly) to travel to Colorado on a semi-regular basis and this past time, the entire Logel clan decided to make a family trip out of it. My mom secured a condo in the mountains and after a 1.5 hour drive from Denver into the mountain town of Breckenridge, we arrived to our weekend getaway.

Derek, Nick and Ryan

One of the Breckenridge ski resort areas

The town of Breckendridge is filled with quaint boutiques, local eateries and plenty of lingering-worthy cafes. It's surrounded by snow-topped peaks and blue skies. We started our adventure with a free ride up the mountain gondola, where we enjoyed a steep climb to a snow field and then enjoyed a cold local beer in the ski resort restaurant.

Lilly Pad Lake: Friday

View from Lilly Pad Lake trail head

On Friday we awoke with a goal of hiking an easy, altitude-adjusting hike near Silverthorne. Overlooking Lake Dillon, the start of the hike provided breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. The hike was about 1.5 miles one-way and was a great welcome to the mountains. I'd recommend this lake for anyone looking for a mild adventure, with gorgeous views.

That night, we visited the Breckenridge Brewery where we sampled some delicious local brew and then ordered take out pizzas for a night-in of board games.

Derek and I

Lake Dillon

Mountain wild flowers everywhere.

Along the trail

At Lillypad Lake

Mohawk Lakes: Saturday

The first Mohawk Lake

Recommended by a friend, Mohawks Lake was a challenging, exhilarating climb. Just five minutes from the town center, the trail head for this hike welcomed us into a pine forest with cool, fresh mountain air and an uphill grade almost the entire time. After about 1.5 hours, we came to a clearing where we were welcomed by the not-so-pleasant site of cars. We could have cut off the entire first part of the hike! But, it was all part of the experience.

We continued up the trail to a waterfall, mountain lake and old mining cabins. Climbing straight up a mountain with oxygen decreasing as the altitude increased was a challenge, but just taking a peek around to see the landscape was enough motivation to keep us going. Our end goal was the first Mohawk Lake, and when we reached it after 3.5 miles of hiking uphill, we were thrilled! It was gorgeous - reflections lined the lake, with snowy mountain peaks rising not far from where we stood, almost above tree line. For four of us - Derek, Ryan, Sara and myself, we had to keep going. If you continue to climb up, you'll find several more mountain lakes, each a little higher than the last. We walked about 15 minutes further and found the second Mohawk Lake. Another gorgeous site, the lake even ran into a stream that provided delicious mountain stream water that Sara and I enjoyed for the hike down.

Abby and Mom hiking along

Up we go.

And up some more

Abby and Ryan at the waterfall.

Derek and I at the 2nd Mohawk Lake

Heading down from the 2nd lake

Sara and I

Heading down from the second

All the girls at the first Mohawk Lake

Love this view!

First Mohawk Lake

Mountain flowers

Dad taking in the view

Although this hike was pretty tough for the rare mountain hikers that we are- it was definitely worth it! Wildflowers dotted the mountainside and big-horn sheep and goats dotted the mountaintops. Bring lots of water, a protein bar and hiking shoes, and you're ready to go.

That night, we visited the Wild Women Winery in Breckenridge town center. With Naked Pete playing the piano, the winery livened up with an atmosphere similar to a Howl at the Moon. We even got my dad singing by requesting some of his favorites. The winery even offered massages, so Ryan enjoyed a 10 minute birthday massage in between sips of his favorite Tempranillo vino. Overall, the weekend was a wonderful mix of exploration and relaxation. I'm ready to go back!