We left late on Sunday afternoon for a hike in the mountains. We drove on Canyon Road which snaked from Boulder up through the foothills to Nederland and then past the entrance to Eldora Ski Resort. I had never hiked in this area.
Gathering clouds threatened rain, but that didn’t stop our merry crew.
After bumping along the dirt road through the tiny mountain town of Eldora (which I didn’t know existed), we finally arrived at our destination.
Our first encounter was with a couple of serious hikers with a not-so-serious-looking dog. Check out her shoes. They were fancier than mine!
Roxy was so jealous!
We struck Colorado gold along the way.
Chills ran down my spine not only from the drop in temperature as we gained altitude, but from a short story I wrote over a year ago. I had created the setting without knowing a location like it existed near Boulder. I experienced deja-vu while we hiked. Everything I had imagined in my fiction appeared around us.
The story begins when a young woman drives into the foothills to clear her head. She camps out for the night…..ALONE……I know! I love setting up my unsuspecting protagonists. I will post the short story on Friday.
The trail meandered along a river.
After hiking for an hour and a half, we arrived at Lost Lake.
We would like to hike it again sometime and camp out.
Taking a break.
On our way back down, we happened upon an old hiker standing along the trail. He mumbled something and then trudged behind us. It occurred to me that it was getting late and we had no cell service and there was no one else on the trail and he was kind of creepy and we had no idea what he was carrying in his pack and then he stopped to take a break since he was an older gentleman and we never saw him again.
Roxy is camouflaged by the five pounds of dirt she picked up in her fur.
I think she was disappointed not to catch up with her hiking-dog friend. I bet Roxy would like to find out where she could buy those fancy shoes!
Roxy loves her “ghetto mittens.”
She can’t wait to put them on.
“I wonder if Mom will let me hike in my ghetto mittens next week. I feel a video coming on.”
Where do you like to go to escape?
A DOGGEH WEARING SHOES! Thanks for making my day! Love the photos too! so beautiful!
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Thanks for stopping by Jules!
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I clicked like, but almost didn’t in solidarity with Roxy for the mittens.
Beautiful images, and I love the gif. I’m a sucker for waterfalls.
Looking forward to reading the story!
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Roxy loves to put on her mittens. As soon as I pull them out of the drawer, she gets all excited!
Thanks El Guapo!
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Love the ghetto mits! Beautiful country Susie. Love seeing your photos out on the trails. And good job with the .gif file, works great! The other dog’s hiking boots are so cool, never saw these before. 🙂
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Those doggie hiking boots must have been expensive since they were made like real high tech tennis shoes with a gripping sole.
The gif file wasn’t working on the post so I pulled it and am waiting to see if anyone on Twitter knows how to get it to work.
on the blog… Thanks for clicking on it and hiking today John!
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Very cute! Glad Roxie got shoes. Glad you were wrong about the old man.
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Thanks so much for stopping by to virtual hike with me Scott! Roxie cracks us up. She loves sliding around in her ghetto mittens. Hahaha!
I think I have an active imagination especially when hiking in a remote area, when the light is fading and there is no cell service and there is a creepy guy walking right behind us….. 🙂
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Not a whole lot of imagination needed!
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Oh, Susie – this is so wonderful. I want to come over to your place!
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Come anytime! I was just thinking about you. Are you going into your springtime?
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Yes but it keeps raining!
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Send some our way! I bet it is emerald green there…
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Sort of!
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So happy you took us along on your hike…almost like being there!!
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Thanks so much for coming along!
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Love the photos and the Ghetto Mittens!
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Thanks SF!
Roxy has been begging to do another video and it hasn’t been pretty with all the drooling and jumping up on me. I may cave and do a vlog for Wednesday…Hahaha!
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Ooh, sometimes I get creeped out when I’m alone out in the wilderness like that, if some weird hiker is nearby I get a little freaked.
Love the doggie shoes!
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Aren’t those shoes a riot??? Apparently they take their dog on some pretty intense hikes and her paws have gotten ripped up, hence the fancy shoes. We aren’t that intense so Roxy is safe to go bare-paw! She was really coveting those shoes…. We had to break out the Ghetto Mittens when we got home.. Hahaha! Thanks Darla!
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I imagine any wolf would be intimidated by Little Blue Hiking Boots …
I see you can rename that lake as Found. It looks lovely.
Amazing about the story setting!
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You are so right! It should be “Found” Lake! Hahaha! I kept saying, “Are you sure it is way up there?” I thought we had made a wrong turn until we came upon some hikers coming back down the mountain.
Little Blue Hiking Boots. I love it!
The setting was uncanny. It was exactly how I imagined it. Talk about creepy! 🙂
Thanks for coming by!
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The shoes on the dog!!! I love it, so cute 🙂
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They were super shoes and the dog motored in them!
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That dog looks far too proud of itself for having those shoes! And I can’t help being a little worried for the high maintenance vehicle touring in those woods where the creepy hiker lurks 😉 Glad you made it out safe and sound (and, on a more serious note, I hope you are on the mend…) 🙂
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Looking forward to your story. What an exciting thing to happen… out of the blue. Beautiful scenery. What was Eldora like? Any ghosts?
I do hope Roxy is properly equipped for the next hike, so she does not have to be carried like a sack of groceries.
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Hahaha! I only picked her up for the photo! She holds her own.
We can see Eldora from Boulder. It is beautiful. I have skied there and had heard of cross-country ski trails, but had never hiked. There are about 5 more trails to explore. Danny did a long hike up there last year with some buddies and camped out. They had some fun when some ladies decided to go skinny dipping! Later, they complained that they weren’t young ladies…
I will try to pare down the story. It is a thriller! Thanks so much!
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Eldora was lush considering it was a dry year. Danny reminded me that the foothills got all the snow last year. The town was super small. Just a few cabins, but some were very beautiful. I don’t know if there is a main street or not. We just drove on the dirt road to the trailhead.
No ghosts, but a creepy guy!
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I’ll bet if Roxy had been wearing those snakey shoes, your mysterious hiker would have taken another path.
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Hahaha! I bet you are right! Thanks for reading VB!
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Those dog shoes–haha! smh.
I’m looking forward to reading your story. Those pictures of the gold leaves were inspirational for sure.
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I had never been up there when I wrote the story, but the similarities gave me goose bumps! I need to rewrite it and make it a flash fiction.
Those shoes rocked! I want a pair!
Thanks Ellie!
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Gorgeous pictures and hike! What an outstanding area and to have it so close to home. Love it!
Awwww love the dog shoes. We got a pair for Tess one year to wear in the snow because she picks up and creates these snowballs in her paws from her fur. The little devil refused to wear them…but it was some cute watching her try to get them off…and walk around like she had glue on her feet.
GREAT hike!
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Thanks Natalie! I know what you are talking about and you gotta believe that it gets pretty uncomfortable when walking on ice balls!
Thanks so much for hiking with us today!
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Your doggie is so adorable and wish shoes! Loved the photo essay, keep on hiking! 🙂
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Thanks M! I am hoping we can go this Saturday!
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Aw.. Roxy! Such a lovely post, Susie. That shot of the three of you is way too precious.
I love escaping into my writing and off to fun, new places. I’m actually in Seattle right now—my very first visit, and loving it so far. I’d LOVE to see you in L.A. in October! Please escape my way… 😉
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I love Seattle, but haven’t been in years. The fish market is the best!
I will keep you posted on my trip to LA. I’d love to meet up! Who else is in the area?
Thanks so much August!
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As the train weaved through Colorado I saw the mountains that you wrote about. Such beauty but like you.. where did that dog get his shoes??:)
HUGGGGGGG
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I looked them up, but can’t find them! They had to be expensive don’t you think?
The mountains here are spectacular!
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I want a photo essay every week, that is adorable! The picture of the three of you and the ghetto look, precious! I can’t wait for Friday now, dun dun dun!
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I better start that rewrite. As I recall it was sort of on the long side, being a thriller and all!
I am considering a photo essay every week. Thanks so much! They take me a while with all the photo editing, but are nice to chronicle our adventures. 🙂
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looked like a good time thanks for sharing.
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It was! Thanks for stopping by to hike along!
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I love deja vu type stuff. Whenever that happens I start thinking about past lives and different universes and I get all shivery about what is really going on out there. 🙂 I can’t wait to read your story. And I dig those ghetto mittens. I think you’re onto something there.
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I am like that too. I will have to do an edit to shorten it up, but thank you so much for the support!
She already did one video with them and is begging for another! Hahaha!
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Brilliant colors – and shoes, Susie!
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Thanks Hook! We get a lot of golds with all the aspen out here.
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I like hiking trails disguised as an old grumpy man and scaring folks. Other than that I sit on a bench overlooking a pond, watching Canada geese wander around harassing the the ducks. The dog must love you, if I tried putting mittens on Sophie the Cat, I’d be in need of medical attention.
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Hahahaha! I am belly laughing Tom! That was you I saw on the trail…
I think you may want to keep your hand away from the cat’s feet unless you hold a piece of fish in the other!
I think that sitting on a bench in front of a pond would be a pretty great escape.
Thanks so much Tom!
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Love the story and the pics! I also noticed that your trees are way ahead of ours in changing to their fall outfits. Guess that means (gulp) that winter can’t be too far off.
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The photos were taken in higher altitude which has a much shorter season, but I am already seeing a change here too. It isn’t too far off at all! We can get snow here in September. It is 90 today but will be a low of 40 by Thursday morning! Yeah!
Thanks so much Sylvia!
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The dog in the shoes is too cute! There are some really nice photos 🙂 You should submit some for Canon’s Project Imaginat10n: https://www.longliveimagination.com
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Thank you so much Allison!
I have some shots I took up in Aspen that I was thinking about entering somewhere, but hadn’t.
Thanks for the link! You are the bestest!
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You’re welcome! And good luck 🙂
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Thanks! They have one category left and haven’t announced it…. 🙂
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You’re welcome!!!
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