One thing I love about America is you can wear a cowboy hat to the supermarket and not stand out! It seems appropriate that the first CITEL (Colorado international Teachers Exchange League) event - Cowboy poetry allowed me to wear a cowboy hat! Any country or organisation that gives me a chance to wear a hat's gotta be pretty cool! So it was a given that a hat would be involved in the Citel snowshoeing at bear lake today!
Rocky mountain national park!!! My day started with my first sighting of elk in the main drag of Estes Park!!! thought they were a statue!After an American breakfast with Mari and Joe, organisation of rentals and carpools by Susan and Barb and Marlyn we headed up the windy trail ridge road watching the snow thicken a we ascended, passing a relaxed coyote strolling towards the road. I was a little amazed to have the snow throwing itself at our faces as we piled on the layers for the start. Where was this blissful Colorado winter we have heard so much about? Noone seemed concerned. After regulatory group photos we headed off with our adorned snowshoes. It is a little like walking in thongs (flipflops not underwear!). I was worried my mother was gunna scream 'stop dragging your feet Niccy!' but noone did. In fact, the locals put on snowshoe skill displays including running and flipping down hills! What a brilliant way to see the park. the pace is great with the chance to chat as you flip flop along. Thanks to Diana the leader. The sights were worth writing home about (which is what I'm doing now!). sweeping snow covered ridges, frozen lakes with captured waves and ripples, Stella jays, baby pine cones and misty 14000ft peaks! Really in the end its about people though, and the generous of mind and spirit are found in exchangee's, past exchangee's and CITEL.
What a lovely bunch! Larry even carefully helped me fill the gap between my mittens and sleeves after I had fallen enough times to have fill it with cold snow! It was nice to meet more people including Andrew and Lisa, Melissa and Karl, Melissa, Russ and Alamea and watch the most dextirous Alden flip, roll and lollup his teenager way through the twists and turns and slopes! Catching up with the other Aussies Karen (who put me up Friday night) Sharon and her kids and Helen. Angela and Rob continued to be a reliable source of local info and were the snowshoe running experts. Lizzy spent most of the day on her butt sliding down the slopes while we scaled them plod after plod!
Emerald lake appeared like Mecca with its surrounding mountains including Hallets Peak at 12 700ft and we began the return dreaming of the awaiting chilli!And it lived up to the imaginings; hugh pots of steaming chilli in Lynnes warm and welcome mountain home on Fish lake road. How nice it is to be invited into american homes and hearts so quickly after arrival! I love this exchange thing! Thank you CITEL!
Oh.. the hat? A beanie with hornes, like the Coloradian long horn sheep! Love it!
Rocky mountain national park!!! My day started with my first sighting of elk in the main drag of Estes Park!!! thought they were a statue!After an American breakfast with Mari and Joe, organisation of rentals and carpools by Susan and Barb and Marlyn we headed up the windy trail ridge road watching the snow thicken a we ascended, passing a relaxed coyote strolling towards the road. I was a little amazed to have the snow throwing itself at our faces as we piled on the layers for the start. Where was this blissful Colorado winter we have heard so much about? Noone seemed concerned. After regulatory group photos we headed off with our adorned snowshoes. It is a little like walking in thongs (flipflops not underwear!). I was worried my mother was gunna scream 'stop dragging your feet Niccy!' but noone did. In fact, the locals put on snowshoe skill displays including running and flipping down hills! What a brilliant way to see the park. the pace is great with the chance to chat as you flip flop along. Thanks to Diana the leader. The sights were worth writing home about (which is what I'm doing now!). sweeping snow covered ridges, frozen lakes with captured waves and ripples, Stella jays, baby pine cones and misty 14000ft peaks! Really in the end its about people though, and the generous of mind and spirit are found in exchangee's, past exchangee's and CITEL.
What a lovely bunch! Larry even carefully helped me fill the gap between my mittens and sleeves after I had fallen enough times to have fill it with cold snow! It was nice to meet more people including Andrew and Lisa, Melissa and Karl, Melissa, Russ and Alamea and watch the most dextirous Alden flip, roll and lollup his teenager way through the twists and turns and slopes! Catching up with the other Aussies Karen (who put me up Friday night) Sharon and her kids and Helen. Angela and Rob continued to be a reliable source of local info and were the snowshoe running experts. Lizzy spent most of the day on her butt sliding down the slopes while we scaled them plod after plod!
Emerald lake appeared like Mecca with its surrounding mountains including Hallets Peak at 12 700ft and we began the return dreaming of the awaiting chilli!And it lived up to the imaginings; hugh pots of steaming chilli in Lynnes warm and welcome mountain home on Fish lake road. How nice it is to be invited into american homes and hearts so quickly after arrival! I love this exchange thing! Thank you CITEL!
Oh.. the hat? A beanie with hornes, like the Coloradian long horn sheep! Love it!
