You know the postcards that read, “Wish you were here”? Well, I got a photo yesterday that made me wish I was there! Guides Beka and Lindsay took guests John and Astri up to summit Little Agnes last week, and sent me this photo to share the gorgeous view. Wow, I could take just getting planted down there for a couple hours, soaking in the panorama. The photo is taken from the top of Little Agnes, looking over toward Big Agnes and overlooking Mica Lake. I realize that the view I see right here at the ranch isn’t too shabby, so I’m not complaining. But, the Zirkel Wilderness takes spectacular to another level.
Just the other day, I was talking with a friend in Steamboat who has traveled a lot over her years. She told me this summer she and her husband just stayed put. Instead of going to Switzerland to hike, they took their backpacks and went up to the Zirkels and camped. Her point was, “Why do we leave this place to go see other beautiful places when this is our backyard?” Great question. Then, I ran into guest Jeff in town….he had come back to mountain bike for a couple days after having a ball biking the trails around Steamboat with Steve earlier in the summer. I was giving him a trail suggestion and he asked if that was my favorite ride, do I ride it a lot. Yes, it is a spectacular ride, but no, I don’t ride it a lot. All these folks are coming here for dude ranch vacations, hiking vacations and mountain biking vacations, and I dont seem to find the time to get out and enjoy what’s right in front of my nose!
All of this has made me decide to change things a bit. Instead of leaving town when I have time to get away, I’m going to go deeper into the areas that are right here. I’m going to take a day to hike the Zirkel Circle instead of going to a yoga retreat in Boulder. I’m going to camp up by one of those gorgeous lakes instead of leaving town to stay at a hotel. And, yes, I am going to find time to sneak out of the office in the next couple weeks to chase cows with the guests like Ben, Dace and Charlie have been trying to convince me to do. There. I wrote it down, so now I have to do it.
So, if you call to make a reservation and I’m not available…..I’ll get back to you as soon as I wipe the dirt off my feet and come inside. Summer is fleeting, spectacular and worth taking the time to relish! If you haven’t found time to treat yourself to summer yet, please make some time for it before it goes away. In fact, come on out here and play with us! There is still space for the September 25-October 2 week, and we also have a few spots for Terry’s horsemanship clinic October 5-9.
