Hope you’re not too sick of hippies and hiking and tree pictures just yet because I have one last blog post about my week in Mammoth Lakes! There were plenty of adventures unrelated to running & coffee to share :)

I was so ready for a week in the mountains, and the half a dozen lakes we visited were just the therapy I needed. Transitioning from a full-time student/intern/athlete into a full-time corporate employee has been a little challenging for me and my schedule is still getting worked out so my sanity is dependent on these little getaways.

Last Saturday morning, we caravanned up to 9,000 ft. elevation and checked into our penthouse condo for the week. Dave McCoy, the founder of Mammoth Mountain Ski Lodge, used to live in the condo that we rented. It had gorgeous views at the foot of the ski lifts, a fireplace, a bar, and a loft for me! Everyone was ready for “vacation mode” and we had TONS of snacks and drinks, constant music, trips down to the pool and jacuzzis, strolls through the village and some “family” game nights. There were some definite stand-outs through out the week, so here are my Top 5 Mammoth Moments:

1.) Star-Gazing on the Ski Lift Deck during the Perseid’s Meteor Shower:

Five of us made decaf coffees and hot chocolates to-go and walked to the ski lodge deck where it was pitch black dark to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower. Once our eyes adjusted to the total darkness, I could make out the shapes of everyone in front of me. That’s how I noticed a figure moving a hundred feet ahead of us. Panicky, I said “There’s something out there moving! I can see it’s shape! It’s coming towards us!” Everyone else spotted the figure too, and pulled out the flash lights. “It’s a coyote!” “It’s a bear” “Whatever it is, it’s walking on its HIND LEGS!”

That’s when the figure talked back to us: “It’s a guy walking his dog!” ………….Well don’t we feel like idiots.

After that near-death experience (I don’t know why people call me dramatic) I was less eager to sit in the dark on a moutain so after a couple shooting star sightings, we headed back to the condo.

2.) Picnic at Chickenfoot Lake:

This was one of my favorite days! After I ran a few miles in the morning, the rest of our group packed picnics in backpacks and drove 30 minutes down to Tom’s Place. You can’t really describe the scenery around this area of the Sierra’s. We pulled off into a dirt parking lot across from Rock Creek Lake into a little cafe called Pie in the Sky.

The sweet Labrador played with us and a nest of baby birds sat chirping on the patio. We decided to come back after the hike so our friends could get a couple slices of pie and we could check out the lake. The actual hike started a couple miles up the road. The parking lot was full for this popular trail! We took rest stops at all of the pretty outlooks, lakes and marshes. It took us just under 2 hours to get to Chickenfoot Lake for our picnic.

Boys were being boys and skipping rocks.

Girls were being girls and using the selfie stick ;)

3.) Early morning Fishing:

This was one of those outtings that was fun after it was over. Even though it was the middle of August, it gets COLD on the lake in the early early morning. I wore workout capris and a light sweater and shivered for two hours. It was one of those “bonding experiences” that you go through together. :) I treated everyone to hot lattes from the Old NY Deli at the village and we played a little morning corn hole and ladder ball before heading back to the condo to be lazy. We did wake up at 5:30am on vacation, after all!

4.) Chasing Waterfalls:

The hike to Rainbow Falls isn’t too long, since we use the Red Meadow Shuttle to take us to Devil’s Post Pile. It’s 2.5 miles from Devil’s Post Pile to the Falls, another 1.2 miles to Red’s Meadow, and the shuttle took us back the rest of the way. Once we crested the last hill, Rainbow Falls came in to view below us. We looked down on the awesome waterfall where the light reflections on the mist give it it’s name. Pictures can’t quite capture the real-life view.

5.) Chipmunk Rescue:

Okay in actuality, this probably was not in the Top 10 moments from the trip but it was too cute not to share.

While we were lounging by the pool, my mom saw that a chipmunk had fallen in the indoor hot tub and couldn’t get out. She and my dad used the life preserver to coral him into the corner, and then created a “ladder” with a towel. He climbed right out, scared to death, and ran as FAST AS HE COULD……right into the big pool :( He went from hot tub to cold pool, and they had to repeat the whole rescue over again! He finally just sat in a sunny corner to dry off, poor little guy. And of course I was just hanging back snapping pictures ;)

Obviously there were many more fun times on the vacation but I can’t blog about every single second so I’ll wrap up this recap here. This week I’ve been reuniting with the gym and trails, packing my lunches again, falling asleep before 10pm and waking up before the sun…..vacation’s over.