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
  • The Narrows
  • Angels Landing
• Sequoia National Park
• Yosemite National Park
  • Half Dome
  • The Four-Mile Trail That Isn’t

There are some incredible views from the trail. If one wanted to experience the trail but not commit a lot of time, taking a bus to the top and just hiking down is a nice option.

They probably were tired after the four-hour hike, but that’s not the reason they didn’t finish. They didn’t finish because they, much like myself, were scared stiff by the last few hundred feet of the trail.

A great view on the approach to Half Dome, about a mile from the foot of the granite wall.

Depending on the route you take, the famous Half Dome trail in Yosemite National Park is about 17 miles round trip with more than 4,000 feet in elevation gain. The trail is relatively gentle, barring a couple major elevation gains around the Nevada and Vernal Falls, until the abrupt granite wall at the end. There you’re greeted by a series of cables to pull yourself up the face.

People, only specks in the distance, scrambling up the first ridge of the granite face.

Scott bounds up the the scary part of the trail, which is pretty well hidden until you hike past the first ridge. Many people at the base of the granite face were talking about the tourist killed when he fell on June 16, just days before our visit.

I feel a little defeated by the adventure Monday. Maybe in another life my irrational fear will be of dogs, crowds or escalators. But until then, I will have to live with my inability to conquer the Dome.

For a better sense of what it looks like, check out this video. It’s a little cheesy but the kids look like they’re having a great time and they captured parts of the trail very well.