Men in Kilts and a Man on a Mountain

This picture was taken at another event with Joe & Ellen

Since I last wrote over a week ago there have been a couple exciting Colorado events we enjoyed. This past Saturday we went with our friends Joe & Ellen to the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival up in Estes Park, CO. Some highlights from the day were men and women both in kilts everywhere, Irish games, mountains all around, fun with friends. Some parts of the Scottish Irish games were men throwing telephone pole length beams, tossing hay bales over tall poles, flinging heavy plunger-type looking items far, and jousting. I clearly don't know the technical terms for any of these events. And plunger-type item was the best way Caleb could describe the heavy things the guys were throwing.

We watched light armor jousting for a bit during the afternoon. Later on there was an intense full heavy armor competition. Three knights were unhorsed during the competition. Two were sent to the hospital, one with a shoulder injury after falling and another guy was knocked out cold when he fell, so the medics had to take him in to get checked out. 

 Estes Park was a beautiful location for this festival. You have 360 degree views of the mountains surrounding you in all directions as the town is located right in the mountain ranges. The clouds came rolling in which commonly happens in the afternoons in the mountain during this time of year. It was nice to have a break from being in the sun as Caleb & I were already burnt a little because of our lack of sunscreen.

With Brighid after her Irish Step dance competition

We also enjoyed catching up with friends to see Brighid dance at the Irish festival! She is an excellent Irish step dancer. Her mom was in nursing school with Caleb in South Carolina, and they moved out here to Colorado Springs a month after we moved here. It's fun having some other Greenville people living here enjoying the mountains too! Brighid and her mom Joanne hiked Pikes Peak with some friends two weeks ago and Caleb hiked Pikes Peak this past Monday. I'm impressed with all of them hiking it! I didn't feel up for the challenge of hiking a "fourteener".  A 14er is a mountain peak that reaches over 14,000 feet in elevation. The highest 14er in Colorado is Mount Elbert at 14,400 feet. Although we have easy access to Pikes Peak with it being out our back door, it isn't one of the easiest 14ers to hike so I decided I better try another one to hike first. 

For some people that don't know, usually around 12,000 feet in southern Colorado the trees stop growing and once you get higher than 12,000 there aren't trees. In northern Colorado it can be as low as 10,500 feet where the tree line is seen. There is still alpine vegetation above the tree line which consists of some different grasses, mosses, and plants. You can clearly see where the tree line is on Pikes Peak from down in Colorado Springs because it is all rocky at the top and is a different color from the lower part of the mountain where the trees are.

Near the summit of Pikes Peak looking out at the view

Caleb and I got excited this week because Colorado fall has arrived! We are back to the 60s and 70s and loving it. We both can't wait until we see snow in the forecast, but for now we'll definitely enjoy this beautiful weather in the mountains.