On June 20, a humid Wednesday in the District of Columbia, I schlepped my internal frame pack, my daypack and a carry-on, all exploding with two weeks worth of clothes and camping gear, to Baltimore Washington International Airport. Two bumpy rides later, I landed in an even hotter, but dry, Denver. My first real vacation in a couple of years had begun, and I was with my best childhood buddy.
Scott and I were off to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Four days later, we met up in Boulder, Colo. with Abigail, Dave and Meredith — my best friends from college and high school — for backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park, and camping and hiking in Zion National Park, Sequoia National Park and Yosemite National Park.
Along the way, we crossed both the Great Western and Continental Divides, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Scott and I spent our first night with Drew and Michelle in their adorable house in “downtown” Alma, Colo., just a few minutes south of Breckenridge. They own the coffee shop/natural food store there. If you’re ever driving through the state on southbound CO 9, don’t blink the thirty seconds you’re in Alma and you’ll see their store on the right. Visit them; they’re the definition of “good people.”
The three nights in Telluride were incredible. I can’t imagine a more picturesque setting for a bluegrass festival than the box canyon in the San Juan Mountains that cradles the town. The highlight for me, predictably, was the short Avett Brothers set Thursday afternoon. I also really enjoyed Sam Bush, Bela Fleck (with and without the Flecktones), Peter Rowan, Tony Rice, Yonder Mountain String Band –who was new to me — and Chris Thile.
But for me, the heart of the trip was with the larger group on our tour of national parks.
Below are links to posts with pictures from our various hikes. I took more than 600 photos with my new (and awesome) Canon Powershot G7, the first point-and-shoot I’ve owned that is actually worth carrying. I’d much rather shoot with a digital SLR, but the G7 is portable enough to take on hikes and overnight trips. I’ve included only a handful of highlight images below. Enjoy.
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Zion National Park
- Sequoia National Park
- Yosemite National Park
Need more photos.