Sunday, June 23

1st Hike: Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake

Starting at the Bear Lake trailhead, this hike is easily the most popular one in the park because of its ease of accessibility and the number of beautiful lakes you can quickly see in a 2 hour hike.
On the way you hike over some snow - even in July - and end up with an incredible vista with a glacier at the top. The hike is about 3.6 miles, and has an elevation gain of only about 600 feet. I've done this hike about 6 times. It's a great one to start out on as it will help you get acclimated to the elevation. All sorts and shapes of people can do this hike.
I once saw a snowboarder go down the glacier far above Emerald Lake, which is about 12,300 feet at the top. He just snowboarded down, walked around the lake toward us, and nonchalantly exited down the path.
Another year it actually snowed during the hike, in the middle of the day, on July 3rd.
You can access the hike at the Bear Lake trailhead. A shuttle runs every 15 minutes from the park entrance, and is free with your $17 weekly pass for the park. Or you can drive to the trial head parking lot, and cross your fingers hoping there'll be a parking space left. Hint: There won't be after 8:00 am.

Sky Pond

June 25, 2013

If you come to Rocky Mountain National Park, and you want to do one moderately difficult hike with huge payoffs in scenic beauty, Sky Pond is your best choice.

Today we did what we were supposed to do and woke up at 6:00 am, with the intent to be at the trailhead ay 7:30. Everything went pretty well. We skipped breakfast, except for the PBJs Vicki made in the car on the ride up there. The construction on the roads in the park made us about 45 minutes late. We overpacked, with enough gorp for 2 meals.
Thank goodness we brought gloves and hat. The wind was either steady or gusting up to 45 mph, depending if you were in the trees or in the open.
This is an extremely popular hike, with beautiful waterfalls and lakes for the entire length. It is 8.6 miles round trip, with an elevation gain of 1,500 feet. At an altitude of between 9,180 and 10,600 feet, for a flatlander, it'll make you walk in baby steps for the steep parts.
The good thing about that is, the crowds thin out about half way up.

June 24, 2013

Boulder Colorado

Today was a "relaxing" day.
We woke up when we wanted. Finally, no noisy neighbors next to us. Blissful sleep for 9 hours, for the first time in 3 days.
We drove to Boulder. Vicki wanted to do a little shopping, and there is a wonderful shopping section in downtown Boulder. Just so well planned and kept up. Super busy, even on a Monday at noon. If you've got a thing for really beautiful downtowns, Boulder is a place you should visit.

I went hiking.

The flatirons are the steep, angular mountains right next to boulder. You literally go to the edge of town and you are hiking in the flat irons. Not sure if it's one word or two.
I started at the Chautaqua:
http://www.chautauqua.com/
Lots of people, lots of groups. There are plenty of minor hikes you can to on in the flat irons, but I wanted the highest one. So I went up to see the Royal Arch. Before you start thinking that I did something special, know that I was passed by no fewer than 3 men RUNNING up the path.
It is a bit drier here, just 45 minutes south of loveland. But it is still spring and there is still a variety of beautiful, small wild flowers. And yucca.

I can't say enough about how friendly almost everyone on a trail is. Big smiles and hello's all of the time.

We've been up here for about 2 days. Not enough time to adjust to the elevation yet. But we're pretty happy with out progress so far. I was really huffing and sweating. It's been 6 years since I've been here last, and at 52, I've got my share of old man ailments. Tennis elbow, knee surgery on one knee and the other knee jealous of the first. Bursitis in the left hip, which had me using a cane until about February of this year. Chalk-drawing induced nerve injury 3 weeks ago that kept me from even raising my toes on my left foot.. about 30% recovered so far.

So my point is, I'm very, VERY grateful to be back here and actually able to hike up these trails. Oh, I forgot to mention... Vicki isn't having any trouble at all.

Tomorrow: Sky Pond hike. Have to be at the trail head, an hour away by 7:00 am.

Elevation Start: 9,180

Elevation End: 10,620

Total elevation gain: 1,500 feet

Distance: 10 miles, round trip

BTW, Milwaukee is at about an elevation of 600 feet.

Estes Park (The town inside of Rocky Mountain National Park), about 7,000 feet

Loveland CO (where we are camping): 4,500 feet

Across Nebraska  & Colorado, and up Trail Ridge road

Friday night we found out motel without any problem, right off of hwy 80 in Lincoln Nebraska. Lincoln is a beautiful little town, with a unique city hall that dominates the landscape (if you can ignore the 3 immense stadiums).

Friday night it's super busy with tourists and locals. No place to park on the street.

I'd reserved a room in the cheapest motel in Lincoln at the cheapest price. I got what I expected with a room next to the ice machine and an air conditioner that kept me up all night.

I usually read during the drive, but lord I was sleepy. We had a great time listening to Julia Sweeney's live performance audiobook, "Letting go of god". We had about 2 hours of amazing discussion afterward. Then a David Sedaris audio book, always fun.
http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B002V1JQ8I&qid=1371966595&sr=1-1
We found our camp ground around 4:00. After setting up for an hour, we headed straight up hwy 24 towards Estes park. Vicki has never taken this route, and it was a joy watching her in awe of the constantly incredible views.

When we got up above tree line, she was kind of freaked out by the roads literally 2 feet from the edge of suicidal cliffs, with no guard rails. There are only these 10 foot wooden poles, and they're just there to show the snow plows where the road went in the Winter.

Finally at the top, we took a hike. At 12,200 feet, I almost passed out at the beginning... and several times during.

Vicki and I hiked to the same place that, 6 years ago, I proposed to her, and she accepted.

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10200587979479223

The sun set at the top of trail ridge road, and we went back to Estes Park for a little dinner, then back to Loveland, where Vicki is peacefully asleep next to a burbling river, and I'm finally finished typing this at midnight.

Tomorrow, settling into camp, and our first real hike.

Preparing for Colorado

Vicki and I have been getting ready to hike Colorado for about 3 months now. The primary exercise we've been doing is walking up stairs, specifically the stairs down to the beach at Atwater park in Shorewood. The steps are very steep, and about 110 feet. We have gotten up to 15 circuits. We also walk to and from work, about 4 miles each way.

There isn't any way to get ready for the altitude. Plus, we'll be staying in Loveland, which is at about the same elevation as Denver, about 5,000 feet. We previously stayed in Estes Park, in the mountains, at about 7,500 feet. So we'll be losing the benefit of sleeping at the 2,500 ft. higher altitude. Increasing our metabolism and respiration with exercise is the best way.

Leaving on Friday morning by rental car, we'll be staying in Lincoln NE overnight, and arriving on Saturday afternoon around 3:00. After depositing our gear at camp, we'll head straight up trail ridge road. At the top of trail ridge road, about 12,000 feet, we previously took a little trail up a hill 7 years ago, and that's where I proposed to Vicki.

We will be in the mountains for 1 week, plus 2 days driving there then back. Vicki has never climbed a peak above 12,000 feet, and I am very excited that we'll be able to do that together, maybe multiple times, perhaps even higher than 13,000 feet.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks/rocky_mountain_map.jpg

I am also going to collect ideas and reference images for large fine art pieces. More on that as we go.

All of our hikes will be in Rocky Mountain National Park, starting at Estes Park. Estes Park is home to the hotel that Stephen King stayed at while writing The Shining... The Stanley Hotel.

If all goes well, on the last day, Friday June 28th, we will climb Longs Peak. At 14,255 feet, it is one of the highest mountain in the continental united states. Elevation gain will be 5,100 feet, and the trail is 15 miles round trip. The hike has to start no later than 4:00 am, so as to avoid the frequent noon thunder and lightening storms at the peak.

Tonight: Begin packing.

June 17, 2013