Yes, it has been difficult coming back to the realities of life: work; sweltering heat; flat, brown, treeless landscapes and all.
Estes Park was lovely. The view from the cabin we stayed in was great. Cooking our food rather than rushing around each night to get ready to go out to dinner was relaxing. The hikes we went on were beautiful.
In fact, as I looked back at our pictures today I begin to wonder if it might be possible that the photos are actually more superb than the views in real life. Nah. I think maybe the pictures are that much more perfect now that I am back home and far removed from mountains, trees, and running water (in the form of streams, rivers, and waterfalls…we do still have running water in our house – even in the kitchen sink).
After that long day of hiking to Black Lake, including the unsuccessful search for Blue Lake, we were going to take the day off but decided instead to take a shorter hike the following day. Rocky Mountain National Park and the surrounding forests are huge. I’m not a big fan of repeating hikes since life is short and I know there is so much more to be seen, but the Circle of Lakes is a beautiful place to hike and the round-trip distance is manageable and does not require an early morning start.
The early morning starts and I are not necessarily friends. We’re not enemies either. It’s more like a love-hate relationship. I’m not exactly a morning person, but then I also absolutely love admiring my surroundings and the beauty of nature in early morning light and the silence that accompanies the beginning of a new day. This is why one morning last week I accompanied my dear husband to Sprague Lake before the sun rose to watch the sunrise and experience alpenglow.
The Circle of Lakes trail was interesting to me this time because the first (and only other time) I hiked this trail it was cold, snowing, and the water was frozen.
Let’s compare and contrast. Here is the view of Emerald Lake in May of 2005:
And here is the view we enjoyed last week:
This short hike is much easier (and much shorter) in July.
Finally we take a day of rest, driving down to Glenn Haven for cinnamon rolls in the morning, and then driving up Fall River Road to the Alpine Visitor Center 12,000 feet above sea level. The view is stunning. And don’t you agree that this picture I took looks like it comes right from the Windows wallpaper that comes with your computer?
At this point, I feel I must admit that, contrary to my vows after Monday night’s YMCA program featuring the singers from South Dakota, I did indeed attend yet another YMCA program Wednesday evening: Cowboy Brad.
I also admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the performance consisting of Cowboy Brad and his guitar. He sounds just like John Denver, sings a lot of John Denver pieces, and even looks a bit like John Denver. I have a special place in my heart for John Denver because I grew up listening to his records (that’s right…records…from back in the day), and my sister and I would spin and dance around the room to John Denver’s music and voice.
The rest of the week consists of more hiking, both hikes I had not done previously: Lake Isabelle and Estes Cone. Lake Isabelle is actually in a national forest, not the Rocky Mountain National Park and the gate employees do not seem to be in the best of moods. First they ask if we have a national park pass (whish is irrelevant since this is a national forest, not a national park), then when we say we need to get a few more dollars out of the trunk to pay the forest fee they tell us we need to move forward to the pay booth right now while John’s mother is still trying to find the money in the trunk of the car. We decide to wait a few seconds for her to finish in the trunk before driving off. The man tells us we can’t just sit there without pulling up because he doesn’t want the line of cars to stick out in the road. (The road, as far as we can tell, is about two miles away from this pay booth, but whatever.)
Lake Isabelle was probably my favorite hike, while Estes Cone was my favorite destination of the week.
While eating lunch at Lake Isabelle, we are entertained by what we think is a beaver poking out of the huge rock we’re sitting on. At least, his head looks kind of like a beaver. However, later, he emerges fully from his home and his tail is definitely not that of a beaver. Perhaps he is a large marmot? I have never seen a marmot this large, but I suppose if people regularly eat on this particular rock, and the creature lives right here under the rock, then large quantities of human food could contribute to his (or her) size. We got some pretty good close-ups of the animal through the binoculars.
John would like me to inform everyone that Estes Cone is really a mountain. Mt. Estes Cone if you will. We would not want anyone to underestimate the steep, rocky hike or the extremely high elevations we climbed just because “mountain” is not in the name of Estes Cone. It is not the prettiest of hikes, but the view from the summit is worth every step.
Thus ends our week in Estes Park. The 15-hour drive back home was really not as long as we expected it to seem, even though the second audio book we listened to on our way home was not nearly as good as Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage.
After a day filled with unpacking, laundry, cleaning, and catching up I am appreciating our trip to the mountains even more. Stay tuned for ramblings regarding the drive back.
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