hiking2christ

It was a beautiful Autumn day in the middle of October 2011. The weather was perfect and the kids were excited. This was going to be a 3 mile hike with a huge reward at the end. I would define this trail as a moderate level trail. There are a few ascents but nothing too difficult for a 7 and 9 year old. Around 10 am, Laural, the kids, and I set out with great anticipation.

An absolutely gorgeous fall morning outside of Steamboat. We parked at the Mad Creek trailhead(the trail we took the day before with the barn). We had to hike a quarter of a mile along the county road(be careful) to the old and abondoned county road. After going through the cattle gate and hiking along the road for another .25 mile we saw the sign(pic above) for the trail.

The world around was literally alive and bursting with color. There is no greater artist than God and he was showing off for us on this day.

After we passed all the beautiful trees and bushes we started our ascent up the mountain. The rocks came out and the forest closed in as we hiked next to a small creek.

The forest cleared and gave way to a beautiful meadow that had the reminents of an old cabin and a life of adventure that has passed. I love it that the kids get to see the adventurous spirit of people who are not afraid to pursue their dreams no matter what challenges lie in front of them.

What I loved about this trail besides our destination is the teaching moments we had with our children. We were able pick Old Man’s Beard off of trees which the kids saw Bear Grylls use on Man vs. Wild. We also ran into this along the trail which help us teach them about nature, situations, and the circle of life.

The kids studied their discovery and wanted to get a little more hands on. They however did not when we told them we were not too far from our destination.

I have never seen the kids so excited to reach our destination after a long hike. We were all excited to unpack our packs, put our suits on and jump right in.

This is Strawberry Park Hot Springs located six miles outside of Steamboat Springs, CO. You can get here by vehicle or a shuttle bus. We of coures prefer the road less traveled and hiked the 3 miles to the park. This place is a little piece of heaven on earth. There are 3 different pools that vary in temp from 95° to 105°. We sat in each one and there is a little waterfall that connects one pool to the other. The waterfall is warm and you can sit behind it and feel what it is like to be behind a waterfall, an awesome experience. The creek runs right through the park and actually cools the natural hot spring because it is so hot. The kids had fun running back and forth between the hot pools and the very cold(40°) creek. The only drawback to this experience is hiking back. After sitting in the pools for a couple of hours; your legs begin to feel like jello. This one of the most enjoyable and relaxing hikes we have ever taken. Highly recommended.