“Outdoorsy” is not a term I would use to describe myself. My brother on the other hand is my complete opposite and LIVES for the outdoors.
When he came on a visit this past week to Denver one of his goals was to hike. Again, I mention I’m not an outdoors person but wanted see the beauty of the place I started living in mid-February so I was game to try it with him.
My brother scoured the city for our to be hike and found Deer Creek Canyon Park in Littleton. Given my non-hiking background we planned to do a 2-2.5 mile loop.
Once we got there and perused the trail map I surprised myself by announcing that we should do a longer hike. Go big or go home right? My brother’s eyes lit up as he traced our new route in red more than doubling our original plan in distance.

At first I was excited but as I stumbled through 2 miles wondering just how far down I could fall off of the mountain I thought this may have been a mistake. Maybe I should have just gone home instead of going big but I’m glad I persevered.

The views were AMAZING! I can see why people love it out here and how beautiful this state really is.

The change in climate from desert to the forested areas was also one of my favorite surprises. We even stumbled across snow!
It was a fantastic experience for sibling bonding and a big accomplishment for myself stepping outside of my comfort zone.
I may have done it in ill-equipped tennis shoes, been completely out of my element, and hurt for two days after but maybe I am a little bit outdoorsy-ish.