Have you had one of those moments in your life where if you knew going into something, how it would turn out or how the process would go...you would have said something along the lines of "HELL NO!" "NOPE!" or "Peace out!" I think we can all think of at least one time that we would have chose not to move forward or start something if we had known up front how it was going to go or end up.
A couple years ago, we made one of our trips out to Colorado to visit my brother and his family. They love taking us to some of the places that they have hiked or explored since they've moved there. We like to make a pit-stop at Jimmy John's on our way out of town, and picnic together once we reached our destination before heading out on our adventure. Yep, we really like to rough it. I remember as we were driving that day, I was reading the book, Light Is The New Black by Rebecca Campbell. I remember that feeling that took over my body, like it does every time we drive up into the mountains. It's a feeling that literally takes my breath away and brings tears to inner corners of my eyes. I can only describe as a felling of just pure awe, joy, and a sense of peace.
Well, when we got up to Brainard Lake there were a couple of things that happened that we very easily could have made the decision to turn around and head back home or to find somewhere else to go. When we got there, the road to drive down to the lake was closed. No big deal though, right!? There was a trail you could hike down to the lake. It had also started to rain as we pulled into the parking area. It's really not too uncommon for a rain shower to come through the mountains and it usually doesn't last too long. We waited it out in the back of our cars with the our hatches popped open.
Just as we hoped, the rain stopped and we got out the car to find a place to eat our lunch quick before starting our journey. We set out on our adventure very blind to what was ahead of us. What we didn't quite realize when we started our little family hike, is that it was approximately 2.5 miles from the winter lot we parked in, down to the lake.
The hike started off pretty great. Everyone was pretty excited to get down and explore the lake area and play. Like I said, we were pretty naive to the distance that we had to walk. If it would have just been us four adults...no problem. But we had four kids with us...the oldest being 5 years and the youngest about 5 months. It didn't take too long for us to start asking every person we came across how much further we had to go. I'm pretty sure no matter where we were or who we asked, I feel like we were always told about a mile.
What we would have missed, if we would have known at any point how long it was really going to take or the distance we had to travel, were all of the memories that were made that day. Dean sleeping on Hillary. Ivy holding on and savoring that pickle from JJ's. Looking for fairies in trees. Taking our time and sitting for breaks when we needed them. Collecting items to build Ivy's fairy house. All the random dogs the kids got to pet. A dance party in the road once we finally made it there. Moments of sisters and cousins building an even stronger bond. Finally coming around that curve and seeing the beauty of the lake with the snow capped mountains behind it. The girls getting into the freezing water as a part of their reward of making it there. Those are some of my very favorite memories.
Don't get me wrong...that's were the photos end, as well of most of the happy go-lucky times, but our journey still had to continue because we still had to make our way BACK to the car. We were also a little naive to the temps the water would be at that altitude. Yikes! The freezing temps of the water got to the girls after a few minutes. There was crying. And then the sense of just wanting to be back to the car already set in. It's kind of hard to take photos when each one of us adults were carrying a child. It was kind of a hot mess. We were passing around kids to give each other a break from the heavier ones. We were all pretty over it by the end and when we finally got back to Denver we all rewarded ourselves with some pretty amazing burgers and fries for surviving, which I'm pretty sure we devoured. There may have been some fro-yo as well.
This trip, this hike, this unexpected blessing, was very much the seed that planted the idea of wanting to offer my clients sessions in Colorado. I'm super proud of the story that I was able to tell through my lens, of that day. I would love to be able to help you tell your own story, to guide you on an adventure, and to give you memories that you can keep with you forever.
If you make it all the way to the bottom of this post, there is a link to book your own travel session. They will take place this June near Lake Dillion in Frisco, CO. I hope that you'll join me there!
4 adults + 4 kids, 5 & under + 5 miles + 4 plus hours + one lake = a million memories!
