Girls’ Weekend; Colorado-Style at the Columbine Cabins
I live a pretty cyclical life — my summers are spent roaming the country + world while my winters are spent working my leggings off in a resort town. This lifestyle isn’t exactly conducive to a small, close-knit group of friends due to constant movement + a crazy work schedule. Instead, it gives me the opportunity to meet all sorts of awesome people that float through my life from time to time. Every once in a while a handful of these cool kids get the same days off work. This happened last month [after a lot of co-worker bribery]. To celebrate we headed into the backwoods of Northern Colorado for our version of “girl’s weekend”.
Our group of ladies had a healthy mix of experience levels so we opted for an overnight trip to the Columbine Cabins. We could drive right up to the door + had access to fancy amenities [hot water, electricity] but were still outside the bubble of cell service. We even had an excuse to pee outside; because, why not.
Early on Wednesday morning we packed up two cars + pointed them westward. Yes, a Wednesday, because we work in a resort town + it’s far easier to get week days off then weekends. Oh, the rough life of seasonal, resort work. Or not…we did end up seeing exactly two other people the entire time we were roaming the wilderness. That’s a win, in my book.
Our destination was the Sister’s Cabin in Columbine. We had plans to go snowshoeing, to eat lots of cabin food + to play all of the card games. We arrived about 5 hours before the official check in so we did what we do best — lounge around the porch eating snacks until we’d convinced ourselves we’d eaten “lunch”. With tummies full of mini muffins, trail mix + crackers we dug up our mittens + beanies then headed out to hike along the trails leading toward Hahns Peak.
Northern Colorado, aka “Wyorado”, is criss-crossed with snowmobile trails. Just across the highway we found a nicely groomed snowmobile trail. We followed it about 1.5 miles up the ridgeline below Hahns Peak, flitting between bright, blue skies + thickly treed shade. In true “girls’ weekend” fashion our hiking was meandering + our conversations ranged from work rants to relationship debates to embarrassing stories. Eventually we decided it was time to return to the cabin + settle in. We talked about heading back out to the trail after plugging in the crock pot. Because, adventure. Alas, that never happened.
Instead, we broke out the boxed wine, whiskey + card games. Thanks to Exploding Kittens + Cards Against Humanity we learned a thing or three about each other’s vindictive strategics + corrupt minds. It’s the quiet ones that surprise you! Ahem, Katie + Hannah!
As true party animals we argued + laughed our way through about 8 rounds of cards before inhaling dinner…then crashed into our beds before 10pm. If this is what “adulting” is like, maybe it isn’t so bad? On a side note, cabin food gets quite elaborate when you have access to electricity + running water! Heck, cabin/yurt/hut food it always one of the best parts of the trip…
…corn chowder + sausage in the cockpot for dinner + eggs, hash browns, sausage + mimosas for breakfast!
We kicked off the last day of our our mini “weekend” with big plans — breakfast + a hike! Except that didn’t happen. Well, breakfast did, because, priorities. But instead of the hike we got distracted with the Clark General Store’s coffee + the Strawberry Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs. Somewhere in the drive between the Columbine Cabins + Steamboat Lake we convinced ourselves we had hiked just enough the day before. It was now extremely important that we soaked in natural hot springs to allow our bodies to fully recover.
Oh, the best kind of friends are the ones that know exactly how to make wimp-out excuses sound legitimate. Trust me. I know! Boy, do I know!
Regardless, those hot springs were glorious. One can never go wrong with an afternoon in hot springs before inhaling pizza by the slice. It’ll get you set up for a nice, snooze’y drive back to civilization + reality. Unless you’re the driver…then you should definitely have Mountain Dew for lunch + snack on chocolate covered espresso beans! Again, trust me. I know things!
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