My kayaking season had to begin somewhere with flowing white water, and the class III Shoshone run on the Colorado River seemed like a nice way to ease back into the cold April water. Plus, it seemed fitting that the van’s first long voyage away from Loveland Pass should take it Glenwood Springs just like it did last year!
I met up with Vlad on Saturday afternoon, and we did two fun but chilly runs down the one mile stretch of rapids. And I was able to get a few photos and videos with my new waterproof Olympus Tough 8000 camera! I’m looking forward to lots more boating and water photos this year.
Once again, I camped at the Glenwood Resort campground within 20 feet of the river. The exhaustion of kayaking the cold river in 45 degree temperatures coupled with a late Friday night out seeing the Wailers must have really caught up to me, because I slept 13 restful hours Saturday night! After some coffee and quiet reading Easter morning, I headed up the highway a few miles to the Hanging Lake rest stop. 
I have intended to hike up to Hanging Lake on many occassions, yet it never happened until Sunday. It’s a moderate, 1+ mile hike from the rest area, and the trail was covered by snow for about half the distance. It is definitely worth it though. The lake is perched on the side of cliffed wall with water pouring over lips into the aquamarine pool. If you have 2-3 hours, be sure to check it out for yourself!