For The Love of Nature

Speaking of simple pleasures, is there anything like being positively submerged in God's creation to evoke awe, scope, gratitude, humility, grounding? This is the way we spent 3 glorious days in Pike National Forest. With no electronics, no Wifi, no cell phone service, no distractions, no other people. Just us, our gear, and the mountainside. It was wonderful. This is my kind of camping! No tent neighbors! I don't know how many times I mentioned to the kids how exceedingly blessed we are to live here - in the beautiful state of Colorado - where outings like this are so easily accessible. We surely are. Don't tell my husband, but I have a major crush on nature. ♥

  Camp.

The stream that ran right by our tent.

The kids going to collect wood for a fire.

Dinner night one: taco salad. (Night two was veggie burgers.)

They spent literally hours on end playing in the water and on the rocks around our camp.

Marshmallow roast.

Echo's first camping trip. He was a very good boy!

Brotherly chivalry.

The novel we we've been reading - we finished it around the fire, just before dusk. Highly recommended! It's one of our new favorite books.

The girl who turned 11 while out in the woods.

On a mission to leave the forest better than we found it, we collected lots....and lots...and lots.... of trash that folks who had gone before us left behind. Beer bottles, soda cans, shot gun shells, paper plates, water bottles, etc. So sad! Yogi bear would NOT approve!

Helping dad pack up.

Stopping to pick wild raspberries on our way out.