Doc, Little Bird, and I just returned from our weeklong vacation to the Rockies! This trip was very different for us because it was the first time Doc has been able to go camping with Little Bird and because Little Bird is now potty trained, so there was a lot of putting on shoes and jackets mid-night and trekking to the bathroom.
We hiked from Bear Lake up to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lake. The footing is loose on these hikes so I told Little Bird that we couldn’t carry her because it wasn’t safe. She’s too big for a backpack carrier now, so she just had to tough it out.
We drove along Trail Ridge Road up into the alpine area and admired the views. We also sucked on lifesavers and drank lots of water to cope with the altitude changes.
We made s’mores. Frequently.
I built an awesome fire. Doc built the other fires that were also cool…but maybe not quite so ragingly cool as mine.
We hiked up to Alberta Falls where Little Bird did some bouldering and rock climbing. Seeing the “happy water” as she put it together was pretty incredible. This was easily my favorite thing.
We saw bears, elk, deer, marmots, ground squirrels, chipmunks, coyotes, dozens of birds, and amazing wildflowers.
We celebrated my aunt and cousin’s birthdays.
We drove A LOT.
We slept in a nice little tent.
The best thing about this trip though was how much better it made me feel about the time we’re making up with Little Bird.I love that my daughter is the type to want to climb boulders and be amazed at chipmunks and become irate when we explain that people killed beavers to make hats (her response was that beavers don’t want to be hats and want to be with their families and alive). I love that she can do 12 hours in a car like a champ. I love that she ignores the bridge and decides to try hoping across stones instead. I love that she has an incredible sense of adventure and still wants to hold my hand while we hike. I love that she sleeps in a tent like she sleeps at home and when I’m carrying her back from the bathroom at 2 AM, scanning for bears and trying to get back without falling over, that I can point at the sky and she gasps and says “there are so many stars! They are beautiful!”
Even though she is still grieving and has been having a harder time controlling her anger and sadness at losing her brother, she finds joy. She is in awe of the world. She loves fiercely. I’m proud of her.
