We are escaping the Arkansas heat this week in one of our favorite spots in the whole world.
Crested Butte, Colorado.
We headed out this morning for our first real hike of the week. Judd Falls. We drove through the tiny settlement of Gothic, Colorado. Students of all ages were out in the fields studying, courtesy of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. This collection of cabins has got to be one of the coolest places on earth to spend a summer.
We came through this same spot six years ago with my family. That was back when there were only six grandkids (3 more have since been added to the mix). We had a wild and crazy time camping at Emerald Lake several miles above Gothic.
I think that was the summer I fell in love with summer in Crested Butte and the joy that is a pack of children playing in fields full of Colorado wildflowers, fishing in streams and imagining endless uses for rocks and sticks of all shapes and sizes.
We reached our trailhead soon after passing Gothic. We hiked through Aspen groves and past little streams to get to Judd Falls.
Simon is on his own feet these days and finally out of the pack, which brings its own challenges, but I loved watching him discover the rocky trail on his own. He found several stick and rock treasures, spotted four chipmunks and was overjoyed to reach the falls at the end. His enthusiasm is contagious, and while most of us are in constant awe at the surroundings no matter how many times we’ve been to Colorado, there are a couple among us who need his eyes to show them the way to pure joy.
After reaching the falls, we came back for lunch to our home for the week, a condo that has been graced to us by dear friends. I fixed soup, gloriously happy that it’s cool enough outside to enjoy soup. Then four of us headed into town on rented bikes while Simon napped with Taido.
The bike trail between Mt Crested Butte and Crested Butte is a highlight of this area. We hit up a charming spot for ice cream and into Blue Moon Books to read and rest on the cushy chairs. Then Simon and Taido met us at the town park, but not before Simon got some ice cream. Because he is not about to be left out of ice cream.
Did you enjoy this post? Perhaps you’d like to see other posts on hiking with kids. Or you can subscribe to the Chino House via RSS feed or by email and never miss a post!
How fun! My BIL moved to Colorado this year and is loving it. We need to go visit and see some of those fun things! Love the ice cream pic.
[…] love to be in the mountains. We love to hike and bike in the summer. We love to ski in the […]
[…] Remember all those different blog posts about our trip to Colorado last summer? […]
I absolutely love Gothic…if you did a search around you may have seen two buildings on the left of the road, both called Savoy…My great grandfather built his cabin and the school house in Gothic along with other things 🙂 He always hand carved the bench at the top of Judd Falls and dragged it up with his mule and my Grandfather. 🙂 You can never go wrong with Colorado, especially Gunnison and Gothic. 🙂 Thank you for the pictures, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been able to go.
My Great Grandfather’s name is also Joseph Savoy, I happen to be the 4th.
He also built***
That is so fun!! What a neat history! We love the area around Gothic and have camped there many times over the years. It never disappoints!
Gunnison and Gothic are my two most favorite places in the world…I’ve actually had the pleasure of having dinner with J.C. Johnson Jr. (His Dad was the founder of RMBL) before he passed away. My Grandfather and him were good friends.
Last time we went to Gothic we saw the newly built “New Savoy Cabin” but it was locked and weren’t able to go in and look around. Gorgeous place! And only a few miles down from Emerald lake. Gorgeous place!
[…] We did a favorite hike to Judd Falls. […]