Webster Pass Camping

This weekend I took Saturday off and Kyle and I went camping with Bridget, her husband Ben, and our friend Adam. We got a later start than we anticipated on Friday afternoon because it was raining during the hour we were supposed to meet up. Just the day before, Kyle, Adam, and I experienced what it was like to stand in the pouring rain because someone had misjudged the weather report and did not call off the scheduled volleyball games. We were not about to make the same mistake two days in a row! We let the storm pass and then we headed up the mountain, past Montezuma. I am so glad we did not skip out altogether due to those earlier showers. Once we were there, the weather was perfect!

Bridget and Ben own some land in a subdivision called Montezuma Heights. Now, don't let the name fool you. When I think "subdivision" I have the image of each street ending in a cul de sac, rows of identical houses, and newly planted saplings that barely give off any shade. That is pretty much the complete opposite of where they live. Most of the streets in their "subdivision" require four wheel drive vehicles for access, the unique and individualized houses are few and far between and mostly built into the side of a mountain, and the property lines of the area are surrounded by National Forest and county land open space. Definitely not your typical subdivision.

Because of our late start, we didn't have tons of time to set up camp before the sun went down. So, we elected to drive up to the top of Ben and Bridget's property and camp there. We had a spectacular view and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. It was a great spot!

Ben started the fire with a flamethrower (hooked up to a propane tank) and then he used a battery-operated pump to inflate their queen sized air matress. These two examples show you that Bridget's first experience camping as an adult wasn't truly authentic, but the rest of the time was pretty real camping: peeing in the woods, roasting hot dogs over the open flame, eating s'mores, and drinking beer while telling stories around the fire.

Adam had to work in the morning, so he took off before Kyle and I were up and about. The four of us ate some breakfast burritos and headed up toward Webster Pass for some jeeping. Kyle and I went in his Jeep Wrangler and Ben and Bridget rode in their little dune buggy thing. Houdietch, Ben and Bridget's dog, decided she would run alongside of us, rather than get in the back of the buggy. Her choice! We had an adventurous ride up the pass and when we got to the top, Kyle spotted some mountain goats. Houdietch decided to chase them up the mountain before Kyle got too many close ups. However, the spot they ran toward was a big outcropping out of the side of the mountain. They were all balanced up on the ledges, as if they were posing! He got several great shots of that. So, I guess we should ultimately thank Houdietch for scaring them into that good location!

We headed down the mountain and then up again, this time on Radical Hill. It was pretty sketchy in some parts! We got out of the vehicles and hiked to a crystal clear mountain lake. It was beautiful! I took my shoes and socks off to dip my toes in. Yikes, was it cold! But the view was incredible. After a little relaxing and enjoying the view, we hiked back and drove down.

We finished off the day together with a late lunch and by that time I think we were all ready for a nap. The sun, wind, and walking had tired us out. We had a wonderful time!