FunColoradoHikes Blog

This photo is at Summit Lake on the Mt. Evans Highway.

Silver Dollar Lake is another one of Colorado’s beautiful alpine lakes. Silver Dollar Lake Trail is a popular hike just south of the Guanella pass campground (south of Georgetown).

 The Silver Dollar Lake Trail is another good family hike.  It was a new hike for us last summer and worthy of being posted on the Fun Colorado Hikes website. There is a new parking lot which is a super-nice addition.

 We hiked in late June and there was still snow on the trail in shady areas.  Because of the snow, we lost the trail in several spots, but recovered because it is well-traveled and there were several people out there who had been there before.

We hiked to the first lake (Nylor Lake), but didn’t continue further up the trail to Silver Dollar Lake. Nylor Lake was just far enough for our kids. It was the perfect setting for a picnic overlooking the lake and the snow covered peaks above.

Try it this summer (late summer). It’s a fun hike!

Posted by funhikes under Around Colorado, Hikes, Hiking Trails
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Tired of being inside and not getting exercise? Well, get up and get out the door.  There are plenty of lowland hikes where there is melted snow revealing the trails.  We got out this past weekend (February 2nd) and got the whole family out on a hike! That’s our earliest hike ever! We usually wait until spring, but this year we are just itching to go.

 If you go during the winter, you will need to dress like you are expecting a blizzard.  Get the kids in their snow boots (expect mud and snow on the trail), coats, hats, mittens, snacks and water. Pick a hike that is not too long and where you are sure you will find your way back to your car quickly (especially if you are taking the kids).

As every Coloradan knows, the weather can change in an instant and you don’t want to get stuck without being prepared. Be smart. Winter hikes are dangerous if you don’t take into consideration the weather, your gear, and the area.

Have a nice hike! Our winter hike was Glendale Farm Open Space (photo at right is trail in summer). The top photo is Lair O’ The Bear.

Posted by funhikes under Family Hiking Tips, Hikes
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You may have noticed that the Fun Colorado Family Hikes website was down for most of 2007 and there were few new posts to this blog.  There were two main reasons for this: our 6 year old son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (what a shock; there is no family history of it), and the second reason was, we had a baby (our fourth)! What a busy year!!

 Our first time out on the trail with our diabetic son was an interesting learning experience. Because we were new to the blood sugar control and insulin regimin, we really didn’t know what to expect (how much extra food, snacks, lunch, timing the hike and eating, how to carry the supplies, etc.).

We managed the day through trial and error and figured out how his body works and how much extra foods, juices and test strips to pack.  (Needless to say, on another hike later in the year, we found ourselves on top of Guanella pass on the Mt Bierstadt trail with an empty test strip bottle at lunch time - that caused us a little anxiety).

 We have since figured out how to continue our hiking weekends without diabetes stopping us. Our son has been a real champion dealing with the finger-pricks and shots, highs and lows, etc. 

Any parent with a newly diagnosed diabetic child knows how difficult it is to figure out the insulin thing. But, I would recommend that you just get out there and do it! Keep on living and doing fun activities! You’ll figure it out, just be prepared with extras of everything.  We haven’t graduated to the pump yet, but if anyone has advice about hinking while on the pump, please post it here!

Posted by funhikes under Hiking with Diabetic Children
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