Taking the Kids: And Fulfilling a Long-Held Goal

By Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Media Services on Aug 30, 2012

I was glad we opted for hotels -- especially the casual, yet deluxe, Little Nell in Aspen (www.thelittlenell.com) at the base of Aspen Mountain that welcomes both pets and kids (look for free night deals this fall).

Like us, Zhong-Yin Zhang, a biochemical researcher at Indiana University, and his wife, Lily Wu, were seeking some one-on-one time with their daughter Sarah, 24, a Denver teacher. They also opted for hotels and impressed us that they hiked both ways, staying a couple of nights in Crested Butte.

Zhang suggested the hike when he knew he had to be in Snowmass for a conference. "I thought on the trail there would be no distractions and she'd talk to me," he said. Sarah, for her part, said she much preferred the hike to being cooped up in the car on a road trip -- her dad's other scheme for time together.

We met them at 6 a.m. on a summer Monday, on the shuttle from our hotel in Crested Butte to the trailhead about 13 miles out of town.

Tip: I was really glad I'd ditched my old backpack for a new Mountain Hardwear one (www.mountainhardwear.com) designed for women that proved far more comfortable on the trail.

Hikers all along the way were encouraging and friendly. Some had their dogs; some were hiking with middle-schoolers. The wildflowers were as beautiful as promised -- purple and yellow and white and red (check out some of our photos on our Facebook page). When we made it up to the pass, the mountains spread out before us in all their glory! Wow! We thought the hard part was over after the first four miles uphill, but we had another 8.2 miles to go to Aspen! We stopped for a short picnic -- fresh bread from Crested Butte, cheese and hummus and some new yummy organic nutrition bars.

Melanie, of course, kept asking us to pick up the pace. When I fell, she insisted after I got up that I "look around at how beautiful it is! See where you are and enjoy it!"

And she was right, though as a little extra motivation, I'd booked us late-afternoon massages at the St. Regis spa (www.stregisaspen.com), where the attendants serve up extra oxygen in the relaxation room.

Unfortunately, my plan was foiled by all the big rocks that made us take it slowly. Just when we thought we'd passed the hard part, there were more rocks, more creeks, more uphill! "At least four more miles," one backpacker heading in the other direction said.

Then the thunder started, just as we hit the Crater Lake Trail, about two miles from the trail head and a popular short day hike to see the spectacular Maroon Bells.

I couldn't believe we missed the rain -- apparently it was pouring in Aspen. "Good job, Mom!" Mel said giving me a hug at the trail head.

I almost cried again.

As for those massages, they were blissful -- the next day.

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