Aspen and White River National Forest

On vacation we took another day trip to Aspen. However...we didn't really even stop in Aspen! We just drove there and right on through it! We were lucky because Independence Pass opened the week before we drove there, so we decided to take that route! On the way, we also went through Tennessee Pass and right by the 10th Mountain Division and 99th Infantry Batallion Memorials.

Here is some of the scenery along the way.

Then we made a stop at the top of Independence Pass as we went over (or through) the Continental Divide. I completely forgot to pack anything warm to wear for the day, so Holden is sporting a tank top for his first snow experience!

After a quick stop to play in the snow and enjoy the view, we drove on through Aspen to the White River National Forest. We stopped at the Maroon Bells to do a hike. We got out of the car and all geared up for our hike to Maroon Lake...which ended up being just up the sidewalk from the parking lot. So, we had driven all this way and were geared up to go, but should we stop? So, we questioned a few hikers returning from Crater Lake and decided we'd go for it.

The hike up to Crater Lake was probably one of the most difficult hikes we did while we were in Colorado. It was at 10,000 feet and an extremely rocky trail. We kept having to watch every step we took. Coming down was much faster, or course, but with children strapped to us, we just couldn't move quickly through any of it.

See how rocky the trail is between me and Jesse (taking this picture)?

As we got higher, there was some snow and ice to walk through as well.

A couple from Sioux Falls, SD of all places (my birthplace) took these great family pictures for us before they passed us!

Finally we made it to Crater Lake! Fletcher enjoyed throwing rocks into the lake while I talked to the couple from South Dakota and took pictures for them. Then we turned around to head back down the mountain.

Here's another shot of the rocky path we were on.

Here's the little walking trail by Maroon Lake before we got back to the car to head back to Avon. Even though I fed and changed Holden right before we left, the little guy showed off by crying the entire way back to Avon...all one hour and forty-five minutes! Ugh!!! We were glad when we were "home."