Touching down at the Denver International Airport really set the tone for how beautiful this trip would be. Almost immediately we could see multiple 14,000+ ft mountain peaks and despite it being a hot Denver summer, it was a relief compared to Houston’s heat. We took a snack break to prepare ourselves for the two-hour drive to Minturn then loaded up in the rental cars and began our journey.

Our eyes were fixated on everything, and thanks to our awesome bingo cards we knew exactly what wildlife and geological features to look for as we traveled through Colorado’s wonders. Audrey Putnam pointed out a hogback and explained to us how different layers of rock with different erodibility forms its iconic hog-like appearance. In addition to the hogback we saw some flattop mountains too. We made a pitstop at the Bison Overlook for lunch but sadly no bison could be found! Disappointment wasn’t in the air for long though – we got back on the road and spotted waterfalls, bark beetle damage, sun-bathing marmots, turkey vultures, and even a few deer. The landscape was mesmerizing.

Through the meandering highway and ups and downs through elevation, we all were dead set staring out the windows. As we got closer to Minturn we started to see new mines, old mines, and even some old abandoned mining equipment. It was clear we were approaching an old mining town.

When we arrived to the hotel we were blown away – it was a front row seat to the Eagle River! We each picked a room, unpacked, and eagerly went to explore it. The river was fast-flowing this summer which created a soothing white noise all day and all night long.

A few of us walked around Minturn admiring its small-town charm but quickly rushed back to the hotel as our delicious dinner was awaiting us. Rocky Mountain Taco! Who knew Colorado had good Mexican food? It was excellent fuel for our first Colorado excursion – a trip to a nearby beaver dam.

We met our tour guide, Reese, at the start of the trail. He gave us a quick informative lecture about beavers before we started our hike to the dam. The biggest take away was that beavers are vital to society and biodiversity. They create a wetland ecosystem by flooding nearby lands with their dams and the result is calm water that allows for many things to thrive. The land is so wet that it can stop fires from spreading and give sanctuary to wildlife during fires. The results of a beaver dam are very beneficial to humans as well as. Most importantly it creates an abundance of self-filtering water storage and recharges our ground water. If we weren’t already advocates for beavers we definitely left this hike as such. My favorite part of Reese’s lecture, though, was seeing Mia dress up like a beaver.

 

The sun was setting quickly so we began our hike to the beaver lodge. This lodge has been around nearly 40 years! We scanned the pond constantly with our binoculars unsure if we would be graced with a beaver sighting on our first night. We saw hundreds of mayflies, fish jumping up from the pond, a mother duck with her ducklings, and other birds swooping down to the pond for their dinner. Then finally, at last, we spotted a beaver swimming with a branch in its mouth.

 

We lingered a while soaking up the peacefulness of the pond. It was a wonderful way to end the night but begin our adventures in Colorado.

Written by Annie Huddleston