by Deborah Leedale-Brown, Lifestyle & High Performance Coach
7 Day Blog Series of the Inaugural Women’s Wellness Camp.
DAY 5 – Hiking the Rockies & Massage
Having had a slightly easier afternoon the day before the women felt somewhat rested and ready for their first hike of the trip in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Fern Lake Trailhead in the heart of the Rockies is a popular hike that starts gently beside the Big Thompson River through aspen and mixed pine it meanders to The Pool – Cub Lake – Fern Lake Trail junction (1.8 miles : 8,365′). Because it’s such a popular trail we set off early to avoid the crowds. Unfortunately we had one lady nursing a slightly painful knee and so it made sense for her to miss the hike, rest and ice the knee and then join in the afternoon’s massage activities.
So with our group of 5 hardy women temporarily down to four we headed out on the Fern Lake Trail. My plan was to hike to the Pool, then take a time check and see how everyone was feeling. Once at the Pool our options were to take a more strenuous circular loop around Cub Lake or return on the Fern Lake Trail. Everyone was still a little tired, and so I made a group decision to return the way we came. Our total hiking time ended up being a little under 3hrs, but with the breathtaking scenery all around us, it felt like we were back at the van in no time.
After a lunch break back at the house I drove all the women down to Estes Park for an afternoon of massage therapy at a facility I’d booked out called ‘Massage on the River’. The women were treated to healthy drinks and snacks and a 90minute full body massage. While half the group were experiencing their massage treatments, the rest were taking the opportunity to sit down with Lisa (dietitician) and discuss one-on-one their nutritional analysis.
With the afternoon of massage and dietary analysis underway, I took the opportunity to take a bit of “me timeâ€, the first chance I’d had all trip. I went for a trail run near Estes Park at Black Canyon Trail. However having only been at altitude for a few days, a hard and fast run was out of the question, but Black Canyon trail and the surrounding area of Lumpy Ridge was so stunning that just being out running was a totally enjoyable experience. With my run complete I headed back to town to meet my extremely relaxed and rested group of women. We drove back to the house in time for happy hour and then a healthy organic dinner of pork loin, cauliflower couscous and green salad.
There were no scheduled presentations and the women enjoyed a restful free evening.
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