First Hike of the Season

Today we joined our friends (and hiking guides!) Nicole and Emily for our first big hike of the season at Mount Falcon.  This located about 45 minutes south and west of us.  It was a gorgeous day to get out and explore.  Sunny, warm, with a slight breeze, but not super hot.

We took the easier of the trails, with 2 little girls and one pregnant momma.  This loop took us past the ruins of an elaborate stone house that burned down in 1918.  And gave us a wonderful view of Denver too.  We also got a chance to see some wildlife.  We saw mule deer along the road on the drive in and stopped to watch them nibble the grass. We saw albert squirrels, a magpie, some kind of hawks, and a heard a lot of birds.

  A view from the start of the trail.

 My little rock star!  The glasses lasted about 30 min into the walk...

 Finding pieces of nature to touch and explore (pine branches off the ground)

 How can we NOT love living with views like this??

 Spring has sprung!  Aren't they pretty?

 A little snack to make sure we are energized for the adventure to come.

 I think she looks like daddy here...

 Gotta have a walking stick, just like Grandpa!

 Exploring the ruins of the old stone mansion.  There was also an AWESOME view of Denver behind the ruins, but we didn't really get to a good spot for picture this time around.

 An albert squirrel

 She really was not grouchy at all...not sure what was up with this face!

 Hard to believe, but even with our warm March, still some snow at higher elevations.

Isn't she a cutie???

 Great rocks for climbing near our picnic spot.  The girls played "Puss 'n Boots" and "Kitty Soft Paws".