Breckenridge Part 3

Thursday we ended up doing another fairly challenging hike. Ideally we would have broken things up more, but since our plans to hike Mohawk Lake on Tuesday fell through and since we could not do the Vail Adventure Pass on any day except Friday (because they weren't open other days), we ended up hiking McCullough Gulch on Thursday.

This hike was also beautiful, and our kids did quite well considering all the hiking they had just done the day before. Austin was particularly enthusiastic about it. The trail took us up a canyon just south of the one we had climbed up to Mohawk Lake. There we saw the beautiful White Falls and the Upper Blue Reservoir.

White Falls

Upper Blue Reservoir

After our hike, we went back to our unit, ate lunch, and then headed into Breckenridge. We visited the old firehouse museum, which was full of cool old equipment and some interesting pictures of firemen pulling the fire wagon. Apparently, the horses were busy in the mines and the mine operators wouldn't let them be spared to help put out fires, so the fire wagons were pulled by man power.

After leaving the museum we looked for some souvenirs before returning to our unit for dinner. However, upon arriving, we discovered that the power was out, which made it challenging to see and make our dinner. Luckily we had a gas burner and had planned a spaghetti meal that we managed to pull off with the help of a lighter and some flashlights. We were grateful that the power came on sooner than had been estimated, so we had light, heat, and running water in the apartment before the kids were in bed.

Friday, as previously mentioned, we went to the ski resort in Vail and got their adventure pass for the family. Nate didn't tell the kids what we were doing right away that morning, saying that it would be a surprise. Austin immediately pipped in enthusiastically, "Is it a hike?" He is obviously my son...

Our adventure pass allowed us to ride the gondola up the mountain and participate in a number of activities. Going off season resulted in very short lines to no lines for everything, so we definitely got our money's worth out of the pass.

On our way up in the gondola

We started with the bungee  trampoline jump. Emma and Nate liked this one.

There was a children's zip line and ropes course.

There were obstacle courses for adults too, but we didn't get as many pictures of that since Nate and I did them at the same time while the kids watched. We did one in the morning and a different one in the afternoon. These pictures are from the afternoon.

We also did some tubing and rock climbing.

We were told the mountains in the background here are actually the ones
used in the Coors Beer logo

Everyone especially enjoyed the mountain roller coaster though. We went on it over and over and over again.

We also took a short trail at the top call the Eagle's Nest Trail with informative plaques and activities along the way.

How a deer hears

How big horn sheep climb and live on mountainsides

My favorite thing about it all though was the amazing views and incredible color. It was seriously amazing!

It turned out to be a fun day and a good last note to end our trip on.

Breckenridge Part 2

On Tuesday we planned to hike Mohawk Lake. Things unfortunately did not go as planned though. We were confused about where to start the trail, and ended up hiking up a very rough dirt road a ways. After questioning other hikers and calling some family who had done the hike before, we decided that we were going the wrong way. We found the trailhead we had been looking for back at the first parking lot. We decided we didn't have time to do that long of a hike any more that day, so we moved on to some other things.

We decided to head up around a scenic loop up to Loveland Pass. On our way there, we stopped at the Sapphire Point Trail and walked around that loop. There were some really beautiful views along the way.

While at the main overlook, an older couple were feeding sunflower seeds to the squirrels. They gave Austin and Emma some seeds to feed squirrels with as well. We didn't let them feed many to the animals though, since feeding wildlife is something we always avoid. So, instead, our kids ate the seeds themselves. At the end of the hike, Emma said to me, "They forgot to put a see in one of my shells!"

After our short walk around the loop, we continued on to Loveland Pass. We ate lunch in our car here while it rained. The rain mostly stopped when we had finished, so we attempted to hike up the ridge.

The kids only got about a quarter mile up before they were done with the high winds and the cold. Nate went back to the car with them while I hurried up another quarter mile to the top of the ridge so I could see the view from there quick.

The storm clouds obscured the view a lot, but it was nice to see all the same.

After I hurried back, we continued back along the loop toward our hotel. We stopped once more at a scenic overlook dotted with some beautiful color.

After returning to our unit, we went for a swim in the salt water pool. There were some huge windows looking out to the Quandary Peak from the pool. It was a stunning view and I wish I could have captured it with the dramatic lighting it had that afternoon. But alas, I wasn't able to at that point. All I ended up with was this picture taken at another point in time. But the view of the mountains from our location was really awesome. We had a great view even from our unit window.

We returned to Spruce Creek Trailhead Wednesday morning to once again attempt hiking Mohawk Lake. This time we made it! Austin and Emma did awesome considering it was a challenging 7.5 mile hike for them. It was well worth it too...this hike was incredibly beautiful. We saw three gorgeous mountain lakes, witnessed the cascading Continental Falls, and observed the ruins of an old mining establishment...all amid brilliant fall colors!

A Gray Jay at Mayflower Lake

Mayflower Lake

Continental Falls

Continental Falls

Old mining operation equipment

Here we are at Lower Mohawk Lake - only four tenths of a mile more
until Mohawk Lake!

Mohawk Lake was particularly stunning with its deep blue hues. Under its golden ripples large rocks lay visible beneath the clear waters near closest to the shores until they disappeared in the depths of the mountain lake.

We enjoyed these views as we ate our lunch together here.

After lunch, Nate headed back down the trail with the kids while I attempted to go up the trail a short ways further to get a couple more pictures of Mohawk Lake from above.

 

By the time I reached the top of the ridge, I realized I was right next to the next lake...or really pond...along the trail. So, I took a few pictures of it too before turning back to catch up with everyone else.

The pond after Mohawk Lake

After we finally reached our car again, it was pretty late in the afternoon. However, having promised the kids ice cream if they did well hiking, we couldn't go back on our word. So we headed to town to grab everyone an ice cream cone from a fun little shop called Higgles before returning to our unit for dinner.