In September of 2011, my friend Kristen and I decided to plan a trip up to Colorado over 12 days, which ended up being an epic adventure. So much so that I had to split it up into a 2-part blog! The ultimate destination of this tour of Colorado (and part 1 of the blog) was Rocky Mountain National Park. We stayed in a sweet cabin in the charming town of Estes Park, just outside of the east entrance to the park.
Rocky Mountain National Park is an outstanding destination for those willing to take a little adventure, and September was a great time of year to explore this wonderful pocket of alpine tundra and the nature that calls this place home. September is the peak of the fall color and the elk rut. The elk as well as other mammals in the region, are mating and getting ready for hibernation. We saw plenty of elk, marmots, pikas, and even a black bear. During our adventure, we ended up doing about 28 miles of hiking in the park including trips to Sundance Mountain, Calypso Falls, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, Tindall Glacier, Sprague Lake, part of the Longs Peak Trail, and a wonderful drive up the Old Fall River Road (which was the dirt road that preceded the modern and paved Trail Ridge Road) in time to catch the sunrise. I took hundreds of photos and got to learn even more about how to capture unique images with the camera's eye. Here are a few pictures, but honestly, I have so many more to share, so don't hesitate to ask me for more!
Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain National Park Dawn Along Old Fall River Road Yellow Bellied Marmot near Sundance Mountain Hiking to Emerald Lake Menecing Weather along Glacier Creek Black Bear Sprague Lake
Every turn on the path or curve of the road revealed something awe-inspiring. Whether it was a beautiful view, a lake with a mirror surface, the peace and quiet only found in remote regions, or a couple of bull elks battling over the rights to a harem, it was glorious!! Mother nature at it's absolute best.
I achieved a personal record by hiking to a higher elevation (12,306 feet) than I have ever done before. It was literally breathtaking, especially for a sea-level desert dweller. The amount of oxygen at 11,000 feet is half of that at sea level!
Highest Elevation So Far! 12,306 Feet Above Sea Level.
Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park was a thrill and I can't wait to go back! Thank you for reading.
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