This is an article I was asked to write on fall and family for the Gazette via Pikes Peak Parent. I hope you enjoy.

    Fall is a marvelous time in Colorado, a time when I begin to cherish the days that are warm enough for my family to be outside in jeans and t-shirt one day and a coat the next. Knowing that our days of hiking are limited I try to round up the family as much as possible to hit the trails before our days of cuddling before the fire are full on.

     Since we are past using the trails that are shaded and cooler in the summer, our family tries to get to the more sun exposed areas like the Red Rock Open Space off of Highway 24 where we can also take in some of the color changes happening in the Aspens. A drive up Ute Pass to Waldo Canyon will do just as well for some sightseeing. 

     For our family, the fall season also means we gather on Saturdays at the Briargate YMCA fields to watch our son play soccer. The back drop of the mountains still mesmerizes me after five years of living here and the snow-cap on Pikes Peak a reminder that for us, climbing 14ers is over for the year but the holidays are almost upon us.

     Heading into the holidays, I try to take a deep breath and not get too rushed so that we can savor it instead of getting sucked into the commercialism of it all. I am already tempted to purchase pumpkins so we can have our Dunning pumpkin carving contest that is impossible for me to win due to the fact that I live with several artists. The kids find all the traditions magical still and I am reminded why I am thankful for the seasons and simplicity of life.

~Rebecca Dunning is an award winning writer who lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and three children. She not only loves to read and write but also enjoys hiking, climbing mountains 14,000 feet or higher, traveling the world and about anything else out-of-doors. Rebecca is also the author of two children's books: The Real-Life Princess and Beetle Hunter as well as her first novel, The Awen: Book One of the Sacred Oak Series. You can also find her ebook, Self-Publishing 101 on Amazon.

Team Abolition Summits Mount Bierstadt: Raising Awareness about Human Trafficking

It’s inevitable that we’re stopped as we climb Colorado’s 14ers and wear our red “Abolitionist jerseys.” Some ask us questions about human trafficking, while others say, “I like your shirt.” This always is an opening for one of us from Team Abolition to ask what they know about the trafficking of human beings throughout the globe. Many times our team finds other followers of Jesus wanting to know where they can get involved. Some, believers or not, are already involved and we swap information about upcoming events, documentaries or ways to get the news out.

Regardless, it never ceases to amaze me the amount of networking that takes place in the midst of a strenuous climb up or on the precarious descent down one of the 54 mountains over 14,000 feet in Colorado.

This last Sunday five of us gathered at 4:30 am (You want to summit around noon as storms can arrive in an instant. With no trees you are the tallest thing on the mountain thus making you an excellent lightning rod) and drove the 120 minutes past Idaho Springs to arrive at the trailhead of Mount Bierstadt, which soars a glorious 14,060 feet above the most stunning beauty I have ever seen (though the same could be said for the top of any of the mountains I’ve ever been on.)

Being a level 2 (out of 5) we know that there will be a bit of scrambling at the top, so we are all prepared with gloves for handling the rocks. The trail begins above tree line, meaning we begin our climb where “the air is already thin.” The hike itself has a 2,850 feet elevation gain and is 7 miles in length. All that to say, it is one of the easiest 14ers in Colorado, though each has its own set of challenges and should be respected.

On this climb we ran into a group and swapped information so they could join us for The Justice Run (www.thejusticerun.org) in Littleton, Colorado on Sunday, September 25 beginning at 9am. Team Abolition is showing up in force to run in the 5 and 10k races, which benefit The Justice Project, which focuses on the restoration of victims of human trafficking.

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Team Abolition raises both awareness and funds through sponsorship for Just24, the justice initiative of 24-7prayer. Freedom Chiropractic and Artisan Decorative Finishes are the main sponsors of the group.

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Facts on Human Trafficking per HumanRightsTeam.org

*Trafficking is estimated to be a $7 billion dollar annual business.

* Traffickers recruit women and children through deceptive means including falsified employment advertisements for domestic workers, waitresses and other low-skilled work.

* Victims of trafficking are later used to traffic other women and children.

Please join us in prayer for the victims of this horrible trade

Father, we ask for your mercy in regards to this horrendous trade. We ask that you would reach your hand in and not only save but also restore those affected by human trafficking. Amen

~Thanks for reading,

Rebecca

Rebecca Dunning is an award winning writer who lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and three children. She not only loves to read and write but also enjoys hiking, climbing mountains 14,000 feet or higher, traveling the world and about anything else out-of-doors. Ms. Dunning is a regular contributor to The Gazette, Pikes Peak Parent and FreshInk. Rebecca is also the author of two children's books: The Real-Life Princess and Beetle Hunter as well as her first novel, The Awen: Book One of the Sacred Oak Series.