Adventure August: Part I

I just got back from about two weeks out in Colorado, doing the climbing and hiking thing, and it was incredible.  :)  It was exactly what I needed after a bit of a rough summer (minus some awesome patches).  The coolest part about this trip was going with two of my closest friends for an all-ladies trip.  We all seemed to need this trip for different reasons, and it was so cool to come together as a group before we all split off across the US once again.
Highlights of the trip include:

Seeing our old Duluth friend Peter!

He gave us a local's tour of Boulder Canyon in Colorado, and we had an incredible time climbing amazing rock and staying at his place!

Finding another Duluthian, Hannah, who did quite a few days of climbing with us even as she settled in to Boulder herself!

I jumped on my first V5 in Rocky Mountain National Park, and was literally one move away from finishing it successfully after only a handful of tries.  I left it as a project- guess I'll have to go back again!  Ooooh darn... ;)

We were in town for the Boulder farmer's market and craft show, where we got to try sample after sample of organic, non-GMO, natural, gluten-free everything.  It was a little crazy!

We ate so well on this trip!  My friend Amanda was an incredible cook, and every meal was full of delicious fresh veggies that she cooked up effortlessly, usually without a recipe.  It inspired me to begin eating wholly and well again now that I'm back home, especially since I felt incredible the entire time I was eating out there!

There were some fun little exciting bits, as well.  I mean, you can't have a climbing trip without some "huh" moments!  For instance, I did a very long moderate 5.9 that became slick and tough when it started raining on me mid-route.  I had to clean the draws, then when I was lowered, we realized exactly how long the route was when this was how much rope there was left!  At least I made it... :)

On our rest day walking around Fort Collins, we went to a chocolate shop similar to the one in the movie Chocolat and tried a flight of chocolate (similar to a flight of beer).  I've never really done anything like that before, and it was delicious!  We were all dissolving into giggle fits as we enjoyed the chocolate tasting, and each of us walked off with some truffles and hot chocolate to enjoy when the weather turns.

We ended the trip bouldering in Rocky Mountain National Park again.  I absolutely loved the hike in, and it only solidified how much I truly love the mountains.  And long approaches.  And climbing incredible rock.  And trips with friends.
This trip was exactly what I needed put my head and my thoughts back in order, and to gain back that positive and happy energy that I felt had dwindled after such a rough summer.
It's amazing how therapeutic climbing and friends can be when you need to heal your soul. :)