Monday, June 30, 2014

Hiking in Pagosa

We tried out several new hikes this year.
Reservoir Hill, Piedre Falls, and Silver Falls
Reservoir Hill was in town and a very easy hike. We hiked up to the star that looks down over the downtown area. Not by water but it does have a cool view. The parking lot is also the start of the frisbee golf course. You could make this hike as long or short as you like as there are many different trails all starting here.
 Katie attacking the family from behind a tree.




 On the way down from this hike poor Nana slipped chasing the boys and horribly sprained her ankle! Not a great way to start vacation at all!:(

Our next hike was to Piedre Falls. This took a lot longer to get to than we thought it would. It was over 20 miles to the turnoff and then another 8 miles on a narrow dirt road. It took about an hour and half to get there.  We still thought it was worth it. The hike was beautiful and great for all of us. We carried Gray but he is 2!
 My kids freaking out about something in nature. They definitely have a flair for the dramatic!




 We were on a slope by the falls and Levi was terrified of falling in. The falls plunge into a large basin right behind us and we were on a slope.


Silver Falls was a short hike but straight up the mountain. We made it up and back, but the kids had to slide on their bums most of the way down. The top was really cool, but we spent most of the time making sure the kids didn't slip. Another 8 miles in from the main road on a dirt road, amazingly beautiful so we would do it again!
Pictures to come!

Sand Dunes 2014

On the way to Pagosa we decided to detour to the Sand Dunes. What a fun adventure!  It is about 2.5 hours from our house and a perfect mid-way stop on our trip.  We stopped at a campground called the Oasis on they way in and rented a sand sled for $21. We got one for our whole family. The water was still running in the creek and was so much fun. At the end of June it is a slow trickle, but the kids still loved it. 
Things to remember for next time: closed-toe shoes for everyone for hiking on the dunes. My flip-flops were breaking and the sand would get under them and burn my feet. Bring baby-powder to get the sand off. It dries the sand right up and the sand brushes off so much easier. Go to the Dunes first and play in the river second. It was quite a hike to the dunes and as the day got warmer it got hotter and hotter and the kids were pretty wiped out.  Bring a rope to help haul the sled back up.








 Gray's face in this picture cracks me up.