James Peak
James Peak has an elevation of 13,294 ft, making it our first 13-er. There are several different ways to get to this peak, but we took the route through St. Mary's Glacier, which is 8.3 miles round trip, with an elevation gain of 3,064 ft.
The trail starts mostly rocky until you reach the lake at St. Mary's Glacier. From here, you ascend 1 mile up the 'glacier', which is more so an ice field on an incline. Don't wear Nike running shoes like I did. If you do this anyway, bring gloves so your hands are not constantly diving into ice every time you slip and fall. It doesn't feel good.
You can see the glacier to the right.
Once you reach the top, you will see James Peak directly ahead with Mt. Bancroft just to the left of it. The land here approaching the mountain plateaus for a bit. There have been reports of different types of wildlife being commonly found in this area, but we didn't see anything on our hike.
When you begin to ascend James Peak, you will see breathtaking views of neighboring Mt. Bancroft to the left.
This guy looks a little lost. ;)
We didn't get any shots from the summit because the second the reached the top, lightning and thunder struck, so we didn't stick around. We were out there late, and it started getting dark by the time we made it back to glacier. Again, proper shoes are highly recommended. I actually lost my camera out here that night, and it somehow survived 3 days on the glacier unscathed. (Shout out to Debbie in CO for finding it and returning it to me! I'm beyond grateful!!)
If you go:
St. Mary's Glacier to James Peak
Rating: Moderate - Strenuous
Elevation: 13,294
Distance: 8.3 Miles, round trip.
Elevation Gain: 3,064 feet
Highlights: Breath taking views, slipping and falling on the glacier, great camping area near the lake
The trail starts mostly rocky until you reach the lake at St. Mary's Glacier. From here, you ascend 1 mile up the 'glacier', which is more so an ice field on an incline. Don't wear Nike running shoes like I did. If you do this anyway, bring gloves so your hands are not constantly diving into ice every time you slip and fall. It doesn't feel good.
You can see the glacier to the right.
Once you reach the top, you will see James Peak directly ahead with Mt. Bancroft just to the left of it. The land here approaching the mountain plateaus for a bit. There have been reports of different types of wildlife being commonly found in this area, but we didn't see anything on our hike.
When you begin to ascend James Peak, you will see breathtaking views of neighboring Mt. Bancroft to the left.
This guy looks a little lost. ;)
We didn't get any shots from the summit because the second the reached the top, lightning and thunder struck, so we didn't stick around. We were out there late, and it started getting dark by the time we made it back to glacier. Again, proper shoes are highly recommended. I actually lost my camera out here that night, and it somehow survived 3 days on the glacier unscathed. (Shout out to Debbie in CO for finding it and returning it to me! I'm beyond grateful!!)
If you go:
St. Mary's Glacier to James Peak
Rating: Moderate - Strenuous
Elevation: 13,294
Distance: 8.3 Miles, round trip.
Elevation Gain: 3,064 feet
Highlights: Breath taking views, slipping and falling on the glacier, great camping area near the lake
Denver Eats: GB Fish and Chips
Yesterday we stopped at GB Fish and Chips on South Broadway for a small bite to eat. Every now and then I get a craving for fish and chips, and this happened to be one those days ;)
The restaurant is relatively small with a handful of tables and counter top seating available. Orders are placed and picked up fresh from the counter... easy and hassle-free. The menu consists of two types of fish (cod or tilapia), other battered types of seafood, and various popular English specialties.
We split the full sized basket of the cod fish and chips, and it was definitely plenty of food for the both of us. I've never been to England, so I can't provide a true comparison to how 'authentic' it tastes, but the fish was awesome and super fresh! The batter on the fish was very crispy and not at all greasy, and the fish itself was very light and tender.
Overall it was a fun, enjoyable experience, and we'll definitely be going back.
For menu and directions click here
Dealing with Hard Water Hair + Dry Climate
Moving from southern Louisiana (aka the humidity capital of the country!), I had envisioned how my perfect my hair would be once we moved to a dry climate. Soft, shiny, smooth, straight, zero frizz, right?
Then I discovered hard water for the first time.
Within a few weeks, my thick soft hair had turned into straw and started falling out any time I did something with it. As a naturally dark brunette who has been going blonde for the past 11 years, my hair is more susceptible to dryness and damage than most people's. My hair was finally starting to get long (and healthy!) again, and now I had to deal with this. I first noticed when I washed it, it no longer felt silky or smooth after conditioned. And you can forget trying to get a comb through it. Once it dried, it was flat and gross at the roots and parched and super frizzy on the ends. THIS COULD NOT BE HAPPENING. I frantically scoured the internet for every possible explanation of what could be happening and I came across this:
Hello Colorado, my hair hates your water.
I spent quite a few days researching every possible solution, and after exhausting through a lot of them, I have found what works for me.
The number one recommendation I found was to install a water softener. Unfortunately, this wasn't an option for me since we live in a small one bedroom apartment in the city. Nexxxt! If you are able to do this though, it would be your best bet. We did install a filtered showerhead, which even though it's not technically a 'water softener', it has made a world of difference! I was actually crazy enough to wash my hair with only bottled water for a few weeks until this shower filter came into my life.
I know there are more popular brands/types that may work even better, but I just couldn't give up the 'rain' style showerhead. This one works perfectly for us.
I've also read a good bit about doing a rinse with either apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to help remove mineral buildup. I opted for the lemon juice to avoid any potential discoloration of my blonde hair.
I've been doing this following a clarifying shampoo every 3-4 washes, and it works perfectly at getting build up out of my hair. I'm also following up with a deep conditioning mask.
Alas, this product is my new-found obsession. It's the NOUNOU Pak from Davines- this is their repairing mask. Moisturizes unlike anything I've ever tried before (which is a lot!).
I also sleep with avocado oil in my hair the night before I wash it. The longer it soaks, the better. I find this keeps my ends from getting too parched.
Unfortunately, I did have to trim a good 1.5 inches off to get rid of the hard water damage that those first few weeks caused, but everything has been smooth sailing since! Has anyone else had hair troubles like this with a change in climate or water? What's your experience been?
Then I discovered hard water for the first time.
Within a few weeks, my thick soft hair had turned into straw and started falling out any time I did something with it. As a naturally dark brunette who has been going blonde for the past 11 years, my hair is more susceptible to dryness and damage than most people's. My hair was finally starting to get long (and healthy!) again, and now I had to deal with this. I first noticed when I washed it, it no longer felt silky or smooth after conditioned. And you can forget trying to get a comb through it. Once it dried, it was flat and gross at the roots and parched and super frizzy on the ends. THIS COULD NOT BE HAPPENING. I frantically scoured the internet for every possible explanation of what could be happening and I came across this:
Hello Colorado, my hair hates your water.
I spent quite a few days researching every possible solution, and after exhausting through a lot of them, I have found what works for me.
The number one recommendation I found was to install a water softener. Unfortunately, this wasn't an option for me since we live in a small one bedroom apartment in the city. Nexxxt! If you are able to do this though, it would be your best bet. We did install a filtered showerhead, which even though it's not technically a 'water softener', it has made a world of difference! I was actually crazy enough to wash my hair with only bottled water for a few weeks until this shower filter came into my life.
I know there are more popular brands/types that may work even better, but I just couldn't give up the 'rain' style showerhead. This one works perfectly for us.
I've also read a good bit about doing a rinse with either apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to help remove mineral buildup. I opted for the lemon juice to avoid any potential discoloration of my blonde hair.
I've been doing this following a clarifying shampoo every 3-4 washes, and it works perfectly at getting build up out of my hair. I'm also following up with a deep conditioning mask.
Alas, this product is my new-found obsession. It's the NOUNOU Pak from Davines- this is their repairing mask. Moisturizes unlike anything I've ever tried before (which is a lot!).
I also sleep with avocado oil in my hair the night before I wash it. The longer it soaks, the better. I find this keeps my ends from getting too parched.
Unfortunately, I did have to trim a good 1.5 inches off to get rid of the hard water damage that those first few weeks caused, but everything has been smooth sailing since! Has anyone else had hair troubles like this with a change in climate or water? What's your experience been?
Chief Mountain Trail
A little over a week ago, we headed out to hike Chief Mountain Trail near Evergreen, CO. It's roughly an hour outside of Denver, relatively easy to get to, and has amazing views.
It's about 2 miles round trip with a 900 ft elevation gain. For more details, click here.
Fall in Colorado is a beautiful thing.
If you go:
Chief Mountain Trail on Squaw Pass Road
Rating: Moderate.
Distance: 2.0 Miles, round trip.
Elevation Gain: 900 feet
Highlights: Panoramic views of the foothills, valleys, and Rockies.
It's about 2 miles round trip with a 900 ft elevation gain. For more details, click here.
Fall in Colorado is a beautiful thing.
If you go:
Chief Mountain Trail on Squaw Pass Road
Rating: Moderate.
Distance: 2.0 Miles, round trip.
Elevation Gain: 900 feet
Highlights: Panoramic views of the foothills, valleys, and Rockies.
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