The morning started how every morning should, a hearty breakfast and strong coffee from Absolute Bakery and Cafe. Throw in great company and you’ll hardly remember the poor quality of camping sleep from the night before.
With satisfied stomachs the four of us and Ranger Mike, headed to Mesa Verde. Zak picked a hike he’s been wanting to do, Knife Edge Trail. (There’s a lot of folklore out there about how it got its name, ask Zak to tell you the story on our porch sometime.) The hike ended up being significantly shorter than we had expected, but it was still a lot of fun. Ranger Mike gave Ellie some great ranger advice and Ellie did her best to bs her way through the inane questions we threw her way.
After hugs goodbye and wishes of safety this summer, we bid farewell to Ranger Mike. I’m so thankful for his friendship. He’s one of the few friends who we all consider family. Our paths crossed five years on the ranger led Fiery Furnace hike in Arches and he’s been the best mentor to Ellie since that hike. We’re lucky, she’s lucky, and we all all know it. ❤️
The rest of the day was fairly low key. We did a couple shorter hikes at Mesa Verde, read on the hotel patio, grabbed a drink and played cards at Wild Edge, and ate dinner on the deck at COhome. I mentioned a while back that we teamed up and take turns making a meal to enjoy on the deck. It was Zoe and my turn and I think we did a darn good job. We made salads with buffalo chicken, blue cheese, tomatoes, and cumcumbers. For dessert we served strawberry shortcake. I think it’s going to be a hard one for Zak and Ellie to beat!
Ahhh, the knife’s edge. The tragic starving story that ends with Cheetos. Oops, should I have said spoiler alert?
#secretdetails