Today was our second rest day in Denver staying with Asia’s friends, the Leedes, and what do we do on our rest days? More exercise! One of Maceo’s friends in Boulder had invited us to go hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, so we got up early to meet them in Boulder before the forecasted thunderstorms closed in. Maceo’s friend, Maria, and her friend, Drew, were awesome company as we wound our way up into the red canyons, along the roaring rivers and waterfalls, past breathtaking views of the mountains around us, and eventually, up to Ouzel Lake at 10 or 11 thousand feet. The lake turned out to be only about 2-3 ft deep, so instead of swimming, we improvised by using the tubes Drew had brought to paddle out to the deepest part of the lake and flip ourselves so we could actually get underwater, and tubing down the section of rapids immediately below the lake to get our daily dose of adrenaline. Ouzel lake: terrible for swimming, fantastic for tube shennanigans with Maria and Drew.
Later that evening, we returned to Denver for another evening of amazing food and company from our limitlessly generous hosts. Thank you Leede family!
Inflating tubes for the coldest (and shallowest) alpine lake I have ever experienced
Cheesing for a mid-hike pic