The 2016 Men's Summit

In 2006, me and some college buddies took a weekend trip during the summer. We called it the “Men’s Summit.” We did it again in 2007. And again in 2008. After this past week, we’ve now done it 10 times over the past 11 years.  And that’s where our blog post begins…

The last six Summits have consisted of going to somebody's hometown becasue we now live all over the country. However, this year we went “off the grid” and traveled to Estes Park, Colorado. Only four of us were able to make the trip, but we were determined to make the most of our small number. The participants were Damian, Jeremy, Evan, and myself.

Our first group picture in Estes.

Saturday, July 16^th

We arrived on a Saturday afternoon, and found where we’d be staying. It is simply called “The Loft”. It literally overlooks Main Street. It also has a private balcony, a kitchen, living room, dining area, and two beds. It was perfect.

Our apartment.

The view from our loft.

It’s difficult to overstate just how awesome it was to have a place on Main Street. We never once had to drive to eat somewhere. Since we had driven nearly 10 hours on this day, we decided to just take it easy. We ate some incredible pizza at Antonio’s, and then made our first jaunt around town that night, even catching some live music as the sun was setting. We could already tell this was going to be a great trip.

This river ran through the heart of downtown. Gorgeous.

A view from where we ate breakfast one morning.

The centerpiece of the mountains in this photo is called "Twin Owls."

Sunday, July 17^th

The morning started with breakfast at Claire’s, and their Eggs Benedict was outstanding. We decided to go hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park. Unfortunately, we arrived later than we had hoped, so many of the trails were closed off due to overcrowdedness. In retrospect, we should have picked a weekday to do this.

Nevertheless, we took our vehicle up to 12,500 feet, where the temperature dropped to the mid-50’s, and snow (yes SNOW), was still present in the mountains.

Snow on the mountains.

Me holding snow in the middle of July!

We wound up settling on a trail that was only 9,500 feet above sea level. We hiked for about 4 miles, and I remembered how much more difficult it is to breathe in high elevation. Still, it was a great experience, and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking.

We are men. Men on a hike.

Look at the slope of the mountain. Quite steep!

I couldn't stop taking photos like this. It was so gorgeous.
 Damian kept teasing me that I liked pictures of trees.

Evan enjoyed the mountains a little too much.

When we returned, it was time to celebrate our successful hike with drinks. We found a distillery on Main Street that offered tastings. Jeremy & Damian had the whiskey flight (4 small shots) while Evan and I had the rum flight. I was the first to finish. I’d like to brag that it makes me more of a man than them, but the only reason I finished is because I wanted to be done. Turns out that straight rum just isn’t my thing.

This was the BEFORE picture. The rum certainly wiped the smile off my face.

The night concluded with a trip to a restaurant called Grub Steak. Most of us had burgers. I decided to spice it up a bit by getting the burger made from yak. Very tasty!

Monday, July 18^th

The highlight for me came on Monday, when we drove to Fort Collins to go White Water Rafting. The outfit we chose was called A Wanderlust Adventure, and they were amazing. Only one of us had ever been white water rafting, but we chose the most difficult option they offer because we are men, and that’s what we do.

Sorry ladies... Most of us are taken.

Not only was this a blast, but it was also beautiful.

VICTORY FORMATION

Words cannot describe how incredible this experience was.  We were on the water for nearly 3 hours, but it felt like it was only 45 minutes because we were having so much fun. This was a bucket list moment for me, and it lived up to my own personal hype.

We ate lunch at Avogaro's Number in Fort Collins. I had a cheesesteak sub, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it may have been the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten. Fort Collins has two well-known draft breweries: Odell and New Belgium. We took a trip to the later and hung out in the courtyard sampling some local flavor. I almost felt guilty enjoying the 82 degree Colorado day while everyone back home was melting in the 100+ degree heat.

New Belgium offered some of the best beer I've tasted. That was worth toasting.

After the return drive to Estes Park, we concluded the day with some Italian at Mama Roses. Magnifico!

Tuesday, July 19

Our final day in Estes Park didn’t consist of much of a plan. Many of us wanted to check out some downtown shops and buy souvenirs for family. The convenience of our loft once again came in handy.

That afternoon, we went to the Stanley Hotel, which served as the inspiration for The Shining. The hotel was built 8 years before Estes Park was even a city, so this is kinda where it all began.

Who's that goober standing in front of the Stanley Hotel?

 Unfortunately, Evan had to catch a flight that evening, so once he left, the party was kinda over. But Damian, Jeremy, and I played some games and watched a movie to finish off the trip.

Conclusion

Estes Park is definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited, if not THE most beautiful. Mountains literally surround the city. Everything is within walking distance. And the weather never got above 85 degrees.

The activities we did and the food we ate left nothing to be desired. Throw in three of my closest friends, who I only get to hang out with once or twice a year… That made this result in one of the best weeks I’ve ever had.

Was this the greatest Men's Summit ever? I typically don’t like to rank things they JUST happened, so it's hard to say. But the more I think about it, how can anything we've done in previous years possibly top this???

This is the view I will go to bed dreaming about. Breathtaking!