Hey everyone! We are so excited to share with you today a video we recently took that basically shows how weather in all its unpredictability can sometimes get in the way of travel plans! A few weeks ago, we drove to Denver, Colorado (a very long 16 hour drive from Austin, Texas) to hike Squaw Mountain and spend one night at the fire lookout at the top. For those who are unfamiliar with fire lookouts, they are towers with walls of glass that give a 360 degree view of the mountains. They are primarily used by forest rangers as a place to monitor forest fires off in the distance, but during off-times (in various parts of the U.S), they allow people to book them for an overnight stay which is exactly what we did when we came across the Squaw Mountain Fire Lookout.

Now we felt that this particular travel experience needed some extensive planning considering it is Colorado…there is snow…and it involved a short yet strenuous hike up to over 11,000 feet where we would be completely alone in the mountains. So we did everything we could to be prepared like checking the weather, giving ourselves enough time to acclimate to the high elevation, and even driving up to the Squaw Mountain Trailhead the day before to scope out the environment which turned out to be a really beautiful, clear day with warm temperatures. Though by the next morning, when we drove up to the mountain for the actual hike and overnight stay, the weather had turned into a blistery winter wonderland with temperatures in the single digits and winds that were up to 60 mph causing the windchill to be well below zero. We have to admit, it didn’t stop us from trying to hike, but a few minutes in the cold wind was too much for us. Our exposed faces and moderately covered fingers (we should have worn two pairs of gloves each) basically felt like they were going to fall off, so we had to turn around. We regret not making it up there to see what we can only imagine are amazing views of the Colorado mountains, but one thing we’ve learned when it comes to weather is don’t try to fight it!

Hope you all have a great week, and check back later for more from our trip to Colorado!