Coming from the Ozarks, we were ready for a change from the hot, muggy weather that comes standard with Arkansas summer. For climbers like us, the conditions become less than ideal as the sandstone indigenous to the area becomes too sweaty. For this reason, we went west towards higher elevations, into the promised land – to Colorado.

We were in search of cooler temperatures and better climbing routes. When we arrived in Colorado, we found both. Our first stop was north, to Estes Park and the playground that is Rocky Mountain National Park. We bided our time in and around the Lumpy Ridge area and did some boulder hopping and sight seeing along Trail Ridge Road in RMNP. With summer in Estes Park comes hoards of tourists and with those crowds comes a desire for solitude, so we set up camp away from the bustle of the tourist routes for two nights before heading south towards Boulder.

Boulder, CO is a personal favorite – the land of the flatirons, cold beer, and street performers on Pearl Street. We took our time exploring and climbing all over Boulder Canyon, just west of downtown Boulder. We climbed our routes –some conquered easily, others with more difficulty – and left satisfied. In the evenings or if bad weather blew in, we would explore city life in town, making stops at the landmark thrift stores, breweries, and coffee shops. If we were feeling a little grimy and dirty, we’d take a dip in Boulder creek and watch the locals tackle the rapids in blow-up air mattresses and other floating devices.

When our time came to an end, we loaded up the cars and headed back east. Back to the humidity and warm summer air as we waited (not so) patiently for the fall weather to arrive in the Ozarks. With the fall comes the beautiful color change in the leaves of the deciduous trees, cooler temperatures, and great sandstone climbing all over the region. Cheers to the changing of seasons!

Ben Matthews is a photographer and outdoorsman based in Wyoming by way of Fayetteville, AR. You can find his work at bentmatthews.com and on Instagram @bentommat.