River Walking

Last weekend, we got to go on a mini-vacation to Snowmass (just outside of Aspen) with our friends.  It was so perfectly relaxing, calm, and cool.  9000 feet cools things way down- we needed it! 

On Sunday, we ventured out, drove toward town, chose a random road and headed up the mountain side.  We found a pull-off close to a calm spot in the river.  I was raised river-walking- if you pass a river that you can put your feet in, you put your feet in.  This was the perfect time for the girls to have their inaugural dip.  So we pulled over, stripped the girls of their pants, and dipped in.

They did not think it was the perfect time for the inaugural dip (see “9000 feet,” “cool,” and “pants-less” above) and not-so-politely informed me that it was wicked cold water.

I had to walk in the water about 10 feet to get to the sunny-and-calm spot that was safe for the girls.  Admittedly, my feet ACHED by the time we got there. 

Addy didn’t mind too much, surprisingly, and probably would have been willing to wade deeper into the water if I had let her.  Instead, I kept bringing her back to the bank- she signed “water!  water!  water!” over and over again.  I don’t think she knew that water existed in such quantities (yes, this little river that was less than a foot deep is BIG for us who live in the middle of Colorado.)

Piper wasn’t very thrilled with it and was marginally willing to stand on the warmer-ish rocks in the sun.  She did not see what was supposed to be fun about this little trip.

Learning to play in the frigid mountain streams requires that you slowly build up your endurance and pain/cold threshold.  We’ll be back. 

…but not until it warms up again!