Horn Creek - Day 6

We were quite worn out after our late night and were up early again with the kids on Thursday. But that morning it was not as hard to get up because we knew that in a few short hours, we would be on our anniversary horseback ride!!! We ate breakfast and played for a bit and then it was bye bye to the kids, who were spending the morning with Granna and Papa, and off to the stables. Matt and I enjoyed our hike through the woods to get to the stables. They had all of the horses out and lined up ready for the ride. The day before when we were at the stables with the kids, Matt had asked me which horse I would pick to ride on of any of the horses. After much thought, I finally narrowed it down... and when we walked up that morning, the one I had picked was saddled up and ready to be ridden. So I quickly chose Red for my morning companion. Matt chose a horse named Patience.









He was first in line behind the guide followed by me and two other girls from the camp with another guide bringing up the rear. The morning was clear, cool and windy as we headed off down the trail. We passed the path to the Tubing Hill they use in the winter as we headed up the mountain for our 2 hour trail ride. We wound along part of the Rainbow Trail above Horn Creek, through a rushing stream, and off into a meadow on the side of the mountain. The wind started to pick up here and embarrassingly my hat blew off. Thankfully, one of our two guides jumped down and retrieved it for me. :) Little did I know, this wind was a tell tale sign of things to come. As we headed further on into the mountain meadow, we were met with breathtakingly beautiful views, followed by some of the fiercest wind I've ever been in. For about 10 minutes, we walked our horses up the hill toward the next tree covering while holding on for dear life and working hard to see and breathe - the wind was so strong it would take my breath away and force my eyes closed! They asked if we wanted to trot to get to the tree cover faster but I was more afraid of trotting than I was of the wind so we just walked there as fast as we could! That part was definitely not so fun, but once we reached the tree cover again, we were able to relax and enjoy the ride again. The way we were lined up, talking wasn't too easy, but it was so nice to have a long stretch of time to just sit, think, and enjoy nature.

Heading into the meadow on the side of the mountain

Looking down into the valley below. The town of Westcliffe is in the middle of the valley.

We bounced along the rocky trail some more me trying to follow closely behind Matt and his horse, but Red liked to keep to the side of the trail and not in the middle. So I frequently had to guide him back to the middle of the trail to keep from running into trees! But I felt pretty confident on the horse since I had just ridden one last fall at our church's women's retreat. It was a great morning with Matt, with nature, and with my thoughts! I was a bit sore as I dismounted, but it was worth it! We got back to the Lodge before the kids and grandparents did so we spent a little while resting our sore muscles in the hot tub attached to the Lodge! That was definitely a great end to our morning!

The kids and grandparents had gone into Westcliffe for the morning and spent some time at the fun library we visited as well as getting ice cream (again, right before lunch - but we're on vacation, right!). We all met back up for lunch and then it was time for naps for all! Well Matt and I traded off on napping because Gabriella wasn't ready to sleep when the rest of us were. But that meant a longer nap for her later and we got to spend some good one-on-one time with Oliver. Matt and I hiked with Oliver up to some forts people had built in the woods. Oliver loved being outside playing with all of the sticks, rocks and pine cones.



Then that evening after dinner was the much anticipated Skit Night! All of the campers are encouraged to prepare a skit to perform for the group. Matt's Dad recited a fun poem about dinner time rules shared in the vain of Levitical law so it was quite amusing. Check out the short video clip below.

Matt's parents and the Nelsons also did a presentation showing pictures from a hike they had taken earlier in the week... along with a few photos that were a little bit "edited" (check out the picture in the background and imagine others like it from places like Mt. Everest, Mt. McKinley, etc.). I got to practice my Photoshop skills helping them prepare and we all had a good laugh!



Oliver got to stay up late again to watch the skits and he LOVED it. Here he is sitting up front on the floor with all of the kids like a big boy!


We had lots of fun watching all of the skits and then got to play another (much shorter) game of Hand and Foot again with Matt's parents and the Nelsons after Oliver went to bed. We were not up nearly as late this night as we needed to sleep to stock up for our last full day at Horn Creek the next day.