Hanging with the Hirsts: #hirstcoloradoadventure Day 3

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

This day ended up being one of our big adventure days and we had so much fun! We knew we wanted to do something special we wouldn't normally do so we started throwing out the idea to go horseback riding in one of the towns we visited. We decided to do it in Vail since we were staying 2 nights and had a full day. There were a lot of good looking stables but we ended up going with a 1 hour ride at Vail Stables and it couldn't have been more perfect.

Our ride started at 9 am on Monday morning so we got there around 8:15 and watched them get the horses ready for the day. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day and we couldn't wait to get on the mountain! The employees at Vail Stables were so nice and accommodating - they really helped me feel confidant on a horse and I loved how they treated their horses.

Stephen was getting some go pro footage for us

We finally got on our horses - I had a super sweet and calm horse named Yeller and then we were off!! We couldn't believe we were like legit climbing a mountain with a horse but thankfully, the horses were pros. We went for an hour ride through a mountain with the most beautiful views! An hour ride was really the perfect amount - we were hurting by the time we got done lol

After our horseback riding, Stephen wanted to hike a trail that he did with his intern friends one summer. He told me it'd be 2 miles up to a waterfall and then 2 miles back down. I figured this would be no problem... except 2 miles in FL is 100% different than 2 miles in the Rocky Mountains. Oh my goodness, it was basically a vertical climb 90% of the way and so difficult. Stephen didn't remember it being that hard and poor guy had to hear me complaining and gasping for air the whole hike up. Thankfully, the falls were beautiful and we got some great pictures.

All smiles before we knew what we'd be facing...

The falls were beautiful but we were so glad when we made it down off the mountain and headed over to Vail for lunch. We ate at a Big Bear Bistro in Vail then walked around the town before heading back to our hotel for naps. After waking up, we heading back to Vail Village to walk around and get dinner. We split the best pork shank at Mountain Standard before calling it a night.