Steamboat Lake, Colorado

I couldn’t have found a more perfect spot to unwind for a week than Steamboat Lake State Park. My campsite sat on a grassy hill overlooking the lake in one direction and Hahns Peak in the other. The only interruption to that tranquil setting was the occasional fishing boat or kayaker passing by.

A little further away, but within view, sat the Continental Divide. I spent many hours looking up at its prominent ridgeline thinking fondly of my long distance hiking days. On the road into the lake I actually passed a Continental Divide Trail hiker road-walking around a fire closures in the Zirkel Wilderness. I know she was a CDT hiker, she had the telltale ultralight backpack with thermarest sleeping pad flapping on top and Smartwater bottle with Sawyer filter hanging off the side. My tribe. Although, driving along in a 25 foot RV looking at her I felt at the same time completely connected yet strangely distant.

It’s surreal to think that when I walked this stretch of the CDT just 2 and a bit years ago, I had no plans to have a baby, quit my 23-year ski industry career, sell all my assets and possessions and move to Australia… and certainly not to be looking up at the Continental Divide from an RV. Ha! That’s what’s so great about this wonderful life we’re all living though, we have the opportunity to change the status quo and embark on new adventures and directions in life. Carpe diem, dear reader! I digress…

Anyway, I was SO HAPPY to be here. Oh, my gosh, the past few months have been insanely insanely busy. Selling almost all of my assets, wrapping up at my job and saying farewell to so many people I’ve come to know was exhausting. Oh, yes, and a newborn baby I was raising on my own too.

So, yes, I was really happy to be here. I had reservations for 4 days but stayed 7. It felt so so so good to just relax and hang with my kiddos, Atlas and Millie. Our routine was pretty simple, sleep in, play with Millie all day, walk Atlas on the lakeside trail in the afternoon, sit outside and watch the sunset, and then go to be early. When Millie took a daytime nap, I’d work on some trip planning details or just sit and look at the view and do nothing. Doing nothing has never felt so good. I also got in some big long sleeps, courtesy of my very amazing baby who sleeps 10-hours a night like clockwork. I’m one lucky Mama!

Luckily I had an electic hook-up site, so propane supply wasn’t an issue, but I still needed to deal with visiting the dump station during my stay to empty the black and grey water and refill with fresh water. Doing so further solidified how challenging this trip was going to be with a baby along for the ride.

Millie cried like bloody murder while I emptied the tanks, and what could I do? She woke just as I was starting and there’s no going to hug a baby when you’re in the middle of emptying the sewer tank with a line of RVer’s waiting their turn! It broke my heart hearing her crying but I just had to get it done as quickly as I could. The minutes seemed like an eternity and when I finally finished and pulled off to the side, she was hysterical. All I could do was hug her and promise her I’d do better next time. Moving days were going to be stressful.

I pulled up anchor again on Thursday morning, which enabled me to resupply in Steamboat and then find a spot up on Rabbit Ears Pass before the weekend warriors filled the first-come first-served campsites. What a great stop to have spend a week. Feeling rejuvenated!

Thanks for reading -Elevated.