GOOD TIMES JOURNAL // PHOTO SERIES 017 // ELIZABETH COURTNEY

Elizabeth is a lifestyle photographer based in Dubuque, IA, who enjoys her golden retriever Jack and hiking and exploring Colorado with her fiancé Kramer.  

A week in Estes Park, Colorado. This is a little piece of my soul. A little piece of what makes me whole.

A cabin in Estes Park, Colorado right on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. My fiancé's family has been coming to this cabin since the late 1800s. It is truly alive. Alive with love. Family. History. Triumph.

So many boots have been taken off on these couches after strenuous hikes in the park, and even to the top of Longs Peak, the 14,259 foot mountain summit in the northern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. So many meals (and cold brews) shared while sitting in the tall grasses surrounding the cabins.

Every time we come to Colorado, our souls seem to soar a little higher. We blast John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" as soon as we can see the front range. There is nothing like the air up there. There is nothing like the warmth of the cabin fires. By far my favourite piece of Estes Park is the morning light one enjoys while sipping hot tea.

This trip we decided to get in a hike to Gem Lake. It was an incredibly beautiful day. We hiked up to the lake and decided to climb on top of the rock formations above it. Well worth it. We sat up there and took it all in.

Waiting for us at the family cabins were Estes Park brews and the cool mountain air that comes with an approaching afternoon storm.