Smits Family Outing - Rocky Mountain National Park

Back when Elizabeth was just a bump on Mommy belly, Kate and I made an agreement that we wouldn't let 'everything Elizabeth' dictate our lives and would instead spend our free time (mostly) the way we did before she came along - only now we would share everything that we have come to love with her. So far, i'd say its working out pretty well - we've had to tone things down a little bit and pack more stuff for less time, but we are still getting out, enjoying God's incredible creation, and sharing all of it together as a family!

It was with this idea in mind that we loaded up the car and headed off to one of the most spectacular nataional parks in the USA - Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, for a hike and Picnic.
After a short hike up from the Bear Lake trail head we came upon Nymph Lake. So far little Ellie was enjoying the ride and the view. While the backpack looks HUGE, its actually quite comfortable and light - at least for now - she is growing fast!

On the way up to Dream Lake we encountered a little bit of snow still lingering from a heavy snowfall winter. While it looks wintery, it was actually quite warm - almost 60 degrees and sunny. Apparently though, they got about 5" of snow only a few days ago up at the higher elevations (the area we are hiking in). Dream Lake - our destination for today's hike. The majestic mountains reflecting off the lake were breathtaking and well worth the hike.
We found a nice little flat spot for Elizabeth to get out and stretch her legs and have our picnic. She found several chipmunks that were very interested in her - particularly the trail of food that she inevitably leaves behind. The park ranger didn't find it all that amusing seeing the chipmunks running around with goldfich crackers in their mouths, but we honestly wern't feeding them intentionally. Judging by how many and how fat they were, it would appear they find plenty of food to make it through the winter. While Kate and Elizabeth were eating and playing with the local wildlife, I was off doing a little fishing for some small but incredibly beautiful green-back cutthroat trout. Unfortunately I didn't have much time before Elizabeth was pretty worn out. So we packed everything back up - including Elizabeth and headed back down to the car.
It didn't take long before I heard someone snoring a few inches from my ear.

As with most great days in mountains, this one ended with a nice cold beer and a dip in the hot tub - or at least our own variation on the theme!