So we love Colorado and the mountains. I think we've established that. Since we met, we've expanded our mountain time into the winter by learning to ski and snowboard together. In my first winter of self-imposed exile to the East Coast, I've learned that the "mountains" out east are marginal hills at best, and that the ski slopes are just some of those hills covered in white snow-like ice pellets blasted by giant cylindrical devices. So, I need to make an annual trip out west for some real winter mountain time.

Sarah and I had a lot to fit in this Colorado trip. We started off with a beautiful snowy day in Denver, where Sarah's Aunt Karen took phenomenal engagement picture of us in and around Red Rocks Park. They turned out great and showcased all of Sarah's beauty and joy. Karen's photography skills are so good that I didn't even look like a grinning dufus like I usually do in pictures!

After visiting Sarah's parents, we headed out to Breckenridge to see what all the fuss was about, but when we got there, we had just enough light to test out our latest outdoor hobby: snowshoeing!

I first got this idea last winter after our Colorado ski trip. We loved how the mountains looked under a blanket of snow, so why not hike into the wilderness in the winter too? We had a long hike planned in a few days, but first just a short jaunt east of Breckenridge.

Sarah sneaks a surreptitious pic of me putting my snowshoes on the wrong feet

Great overlook to the valley and slopes beyond

That evening we bundled up against the single digit temps and met our friend Kasey in town for dinner. Kasey happened to be escaping the East Coast at the same time and had been in Breck for several days. The town is great, but definitely in the rich-ski-resort vein. But it did have a distillery! Good bourbon and vodka.

The next day was all about the skiing/snowboarding. Breck is a truly impressive ski resort, with 5 peaks, over a dozen lifts, and hundreds of trails. Kasey (grey coat) and her friend Sam joined us for some of the runs. It had a ton of people on it, but the lift lines were never long. Sarah and I made our way back and forth across all the peaks, pretty much going non-stop. The highlight was a bowl section that actually wasn't a double black. Turns out bowl skiing is fun when you don't have to worry about the dying-in-an-avalanche part!

After another great night at the Lodge at Breckenridge (outdoor hot tub with bourbon in sub-freezing temps!), we got an early start on heading down to Monarch Mountain. Breck had some great slopes, but Sarah and I love the more isolated places. Monarch is tougher to get to, but is never crowded on the weekend, has great all-natural snow, and costs less than half what the fancy-pants places like Breck and Aspen cost. Plus, it's near our favorite brewery!

We passed a whole herd of elk on the way through Hartsel

View across the ranch land of the Placer Valley toward the Mosquito Range

We had a fantastic two days of skiing at Monarch Mountain! I was content to start on the Blues, but Sarah soon decided to start bombing it on the black diamonds, and I tried to keep up. One of my favorite things about Monarch is that the lifts go right to the top of the ridge, which at that point is the Continental Divide. So every run starts at the Divide, and some run along it for a while. Every run we'd stop to take in the view from the top. We managed to escape both days without injury, although Sarah narrowly missed being hit by a runaway snowboard. Yes, a board, sans rider, came flying down the mountain, and she had to leap out of the way. Since the deltas that let the thing go didn't think to shout out a warning, I was happy to see the board break in half when it inevitably hit a tree.

I've grouped both days photos into a gallery below. Click on one to enlarge and you can click through them.

Of course, on the second evening, we had to spend some time at Elevation Beer Company in Salida, CO. The place has more great beers than ever, and we watched the sun go down on the Collegiate Peaks savoring the great brews.

So after three days of skiing and craft beer and spirits, we weren't done. We had to really give snowshoeing a real try with an overnight trip. As much as we like camping, we haven't yet gotten to the spending-nights-in-a-subzero-tent level of hardcore yet. Fortunately, there are many like-minded folks out there, and we have the 10th Mountain Division Huts.

The 10th Mountain Division was the first army division trained specifically for alpine warfare, and used to train in the Sawatch Range of Colorado. They have a fascinating history, and a group including many of their veterans have built and now manage a series of huts along the Continental Divide in Central Colorado. The huts are more than mere shanties, and most sleep 12-20 people dorm-style, with hand pump wells or cisterns and wood burning stoves. Reservations have to be made well in advance because of their popularity, but Sarah and I got spots at the 10th Mountain Division Hut northwest of Leadville.

We started up the trail from Tennessee Pass, about 7.5 miles from the cabin. I had all sorts of maps and my GPS, thinking that in the winter, route finding would be tricky. I needn't have worried, as the trail was well marked and there were plenty of cross country ski tracks leading the way.

The terrain was another story. No one part was especially steep, but hiking uphill in snowshoes is incredibly tiring. One doesn't have to walk bow-legged or anything, but even the reduced give in each step over snow takes that much more effort. We both started with parkas on, but it was a warm day, and soon we were down to our base layer.

There's the Divide...can't be much further, can it?

We were the first ones to the cabin that day, so after dropping most of our gear and all of our jackets, we kept heading up toward Homestead Peak for more views.

Up near what will be a lake in the summer with Homestead Peak in the background

Sarah took this of her ring in the setting sun

By the time we got back to the hut, the rest of that night's tenants had arrived. It was about a dozen Whole Foods employees from Denver on a group outing. They had apparently hauled everything (from Whole Foods!) but the kitchen sink up! We were aghast (but a little envious) to see that they had brought all the makings of massive gourmet meal, whole 12-packs of beer, even a guitar. But they were a friendly bunch. We turned down the offered pot (Colorado, remember), and enjoyed our simpler, much lighter, and probably comparatively less tasty meal of Mountain House packs. They spent an hour making a 4 course meal, while we sat on the deck looking at the stars.

The next morning we slept in a bit, and then started the much easier downhill trek out. Back at the Tennessee Pass trailhead, we were starving, and quickly made our way into Leadville, where we discovered High Mountain Pies, a terrific pizza place. We devoured a 18-inch pie by ourselves.

Small mammal tracks (dogs are not allowed on this trail, so prob not a dog)!  We were on the lookout for lynx or their tracks because they have recently been seen around this range. — Small mammal tracks (dogs are not allowed on this trail, so prob not a dog)! We were on the lookout for lynx or their tracks because they have recently been seen around this range.

After pizza, on our way back to Buena Vista to stay with Sarah's grandparents, we turned onto Highway 82 toward Twin Lakes on a whim. We admired the houses and cabins up on the south ridge, and headed up a country road to check them out. One of those cabins was the Wolf Den, which we learned later was a vacation rental. We liked it so much it's now where our wedding reception will be!

Breck and Collegiate Range, Colorado 2015

"I don't think we have enough outdoor activities, do you?"