Well team, Rocky Mountain National Park did not disappoint! I was there for five days and simultaneously feel that I saw and hiked a lot and that there is so much of the park left to explore in a future visit.
The first day, I decided to take it easy and get acclimated to the altitude. The town of Estes Park outside the entrance to the National Park sits at 7,500 ft above sea level and things only go up from there. For reference, Mt. Mitchell - in Smokey Mountain National Park and the highest point east of the Mississippi - is only 6,684 ft above sea level. Anyway, back to the hike. I hiked out to a series of lakes in the Bear Lake regional of the Park - Nymph, Dream, Emerald, and Haiyaha lakes. The lakes did not all lie in a straight line so there was a bit of backtracking, and I climbed around several of the lakes to get all vantage points, but all told it was less than 6 miles of hiking. Haiyaha was by far my favorite lake. It was the furthest out from the trailhead, so it was least populated and the water was a beautiful clear blue green. It is the second picture below, the last one is Dream lake, which was my second favorite. I’m clearly not the only one who thought it was beautiful because I befriended the people at the campsite next to me and one of the couples got engaged there later in the week. But I digress. Towards the end of my hike there, on my return to the trailhead, I happened upon two sisters-in-law chatting about books. Naturally, I eavesdropped and they very kindly invited me to join the conversation. So I had a delightful return hike chatting about books and reading.
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If day one was the warm up, day two was the big show. I hiked Mount Ida, which has a peak height of 12,880 ft and a total hike elevation gain of 2,400 ft. It was no joke. I was really working hard there at the end of the ascent, which was a scramble over a steep boulder field. Once I got to the top though, the views were spectacular. The weather was absolutely perfect, which was a treat because that part of the park is often quite stormy or cloudy at the very least. It was a profound moment for me up there and for several stretches I had the summit to myself. I really had no interest in leaving. So, I sat up there for an hour and a half! Even with the nice early morning weather (I reached the top at 10:30 after a 3 hour climb) everything I read about this hike suggested I start my descent by noon because afternoon rain/storms are common and can roll in quickly. I know when to take advice, so at noon I begrudgingly started back down. This turned out to be a great call - the rain started about 10 minutes after I got back to my car.
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After the 11 mile trek that was Mount Ida, I decided on a hike for day three which could be variable length, depending on how tired my legs were. I’d gotten several recommendations for the Sky Pond hike. On the way out to Sky Pond (about 4.5 miles one way) you pass two waterfalls and another cool lake. There was still snow on the ascent to Sky Pond and most of the reviews on AllTrails suggested Micro Spikes which I didn’t have, so I figured I wouldn’t get all the way up there, but that I’d go as far as felt good. The first waterfall was cool but The Lock, which is the lake you pass on the hike out to Sky Pond, was absolutely gorgeous. I sat there for a bit on my way out and continued on. However, once I got to ascent to the second waterfall it became clear my legs did not want to go up. They were a little tired up until that point, but my up/down muscles (read my butt) and my knees were extra tired. I decided not to push it. Besides it was another gorgeous day, so I spent several hours in the early afternoon hanging out on the shores of The Lock. Not a bad way to spend my time.
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The weather on day four was projected to be rainy and windy and generally slightly miserable. This actually worked out well for me. After almost 30 miles of walking/hiking over the previous few days, my body was ready for a break and I needed to plan the next ~week of my trip out to Portland and Seattle. The less than ideal weather gave me a ready made chance to take care of these tasks without feeling like I was wasting a precious day in the Park. I went to one of the most reliable places in any town - the public library - to do my work. Now, libraries are the absolute shit on any day, but they are especially magical for a traveling nomad. They have a/c, bathrooms, water fountains, almost always free wifi, and are open to anyone for any length of time. This library was right on Main Street in downtown Estes Park. I plopped myself in a seat by the front window and people watched while I worked for the morning. I then spent the afternoon wandering around the shops of Estes Park. The towns outside National Park entrances can usually be counted on for t-shirt and souvenir stores and a candy or ice cream shop. This place really went above any beyond on the dessert front - there were at least five separate places selling sweet treats. Truly a paradise, especially considering even the dumpsters in the town had good views of the mountains. For example, here is a sunset view from my campsite. Anyway, you already know I ate ice cream for a late lunch.
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I’d done some very cool hikes so far, but had only really seen two portions of the park - the Alpine Tundra where Mount Ida was located and the Bear Lakes corridor where, you guessed it, all the lakes were. I therefore wanted to use my last day to see more of the Park. I did this by driving along Trail Ridge Road, which is the main East/West throughway in the Park. I got out at various places to do short little hikes out to cool viewpoints and actually spent a fair amount of time sitting at lookouts and writing. I also happened upon a lookout with a sign labelling all the mountain peaks visible from that spot, which included Mount Ida. It is the snow capped one in the back directly above my head in the picture below. I was already feeling proud of summiting that mountain - it was definitely the most strenuous hike I’ve ever done - but seeing it from this vantage point really put it in perspective. I was happy just to have a picture of the mountain but the couple next to me insisted that I get a picture with it. They were so right. I’m glad I have this picture. As you might guess, it was a bit chilly and extremely windy up in the Tundra that day
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Also, on my way out I saw a young Elk casually snacking on the side of the road.
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That about catches you up! Today I drove out to Grand Junction to continue my westward journey. I’ll probably write again when I reach Portland. Thanks for reading!
Songs of the week:
St Anthony Variations, Op. 56a - Johannes Brahms
I’m partial to the version by the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Claudio Abbado. This was my soundtrack for every drive to/around the Park this week
Roll Um Easy - Little Feat
The pictures are spectacular once again. What an adventure you are having. I’m glad it is all going so well and that you are seeing so many amazing things. Very nice moose there. Stay safe and take good care my darling daughter. I love you.