December 10th - Royal Arch in Boulder, CO

One of my favorite things about living in Boulder is the incredible Open Space system. Hundreds of miles of trails right in my backyard. Want to take a trail run after work? The trails are only minutes way! Want to spend a few hours hiking on a Saturday without going very far? The local mountains call.

This past Sunday, had the chance to hike with some fellow thru-hiker alumni. POD was in town visiting some friends and we coordinated for a hike. Her AT friend MacGyver joined us. Also along for the day was a newly arrived person to the Boulder area, my CDT friend Love Barge!

A hiker trash get together doing what we do best (besides eating): hiking!

The location chosen was Royal Arch. A little bit of Utah found in Colorado. The perfect hike for those who want to spend some time outside and spend some time together.

We walked along the hiking trail talking about the great year we had, laughing, teasing...and falling down a lot on the ice covered patches. Just made us laugh some more.

The hike was enjoyable. So good to be outdoors with friends with who I have a strong bond.

We took a different path back to the car that was a bit less icy and then drove to Pearl Street (another quintessential Boulder experience).

Lisa (Love Barge) said one reason she moved to Boulder was because of how much I talked so highly of it on the trail. Hope she enjoys it here after all my PR! :)

Life ain't bad at times. Not bad at all.

ALL THE PHOTOS