More photos from Rocky mountain National Park >>
The time had come that I traveled somewhere without Sharon and the dogs. It was actually harder than I thought as I have never traveled without her since we met. I missed them dearly. The adventure this time was with my BFF Kevin (LOL) We were to hike up to the top of the mountains eventually getting to Andrew’s Glacier. I decided to blog this entry as a day by day account, so here it is:
Day 1: A sad goodbye to Sharon started off a rough day of traveling. I had not been on an airplane in some time so I forgot how miserable airline travel can be. First off I had to switch articles between luggage in order to stay under the weight limit and my zipper on my bag broke! The trip started gong smoothly as I had in-flight entertainment in the form of playing electronic trivia against other passengers and did quite well.
Upon arriving at Denver I rode the shuttle to get my rental and when i tried to get the rental my credit card had just expired that day. No car for me!
Note: Always listen to what wife is telling you!
So i had to take a shuttle back to the airport. And when I got off the shuttle I was handed the wrong luggage. Luckily the other person noticed he had the wrong luggage and called me. Crisis averted! I then proceeded to take a shuttle to downtown. So after two hours being shuttled around I finally arrived to the hotel. And even managed to pick up a nasty head cold through this, good times!
Day 2: The day was pretty uneventful. I just worked a bit and tried to rest up for the adventure coming up. We did go out to a brewpub that night and came across a lone red high heel.
Day 3: This was the day we had set for traveling to Rocky Mountain National Park. We chose a route to take us through Boulder as neither Kevin nor I had ever been there and it sounded like a cool town. It did not disappoint from what we saw but we only had time for a lunch stop. I believe we hit a famous spot called “The Sink”. It had walls full of artwork by two well-known political artists of the area. It is a must see if ever in Boulder. Food was great and had a great selection of local brews on tap. I cant wait to visit at a later time with Sharon to better explore the area.
As we got our first glance of the snow-capped rockies we were awe-struck. We could hardly believe we were going to be hiking and climbing this utopia.
Our first night we were to camp. We got the tent set up, but I was to sleep in the van as the seats folded down to make a perfect spot for my air mattress. Kevin got a roaring fire going that provided a ton of warmth. It was a beautiful night but around 20º that night. It got so cold that night. we were miserable. I longed for the Cruisemaster. I did not sleep well at all. My sleeping bag and I kept slipping off the air mattress. I had a fever throughout the night. Roughing it is not what it is hyped to be :)
Day 4: Upon first light Kevin popped his head into the van and announced that we were breaking camp and headed for a hotel. We just have gotten too soft in our old age I suppose. I was so relieved to get to the hotel. I was feeling so sick but we had a hike to do! The hike was a 4.5 mile up and back up through Glacier Gorge. So 9 miles round trip. I starting feeling better as we hiked and I warmed up. I eventually hit my stride. The sights we saw on this hike were breath taking and beyond my powers of story telling to describe. I have set up a gallery here to view the pics I took on the hikes.
We went past Mills lake and on to Black Lake. I had carried my fishing pole but felt like an idiot when we got to the first lake and it was frozen over. Forgot about what happens to water when exposed to freezing temps :)
But to my surprise Black Lake was fully thawed and full of trout! I made my first cast and caught a fish immediately, I caught about 6 or 7 before getting cold and the wind was freezing me. The hike down was gorgeous also and we cruised through it so to get back to the hotel and then eat food.
We went to a small local pub for beer and chili, it REALLY hit the spot! My fever though was back I really pushed my body on that hike. I was unsure I was going to be alright tomorrow for the big hike to the glacier.
Day 5: I woke up very rough, not sure if I was up for it. But really, I never let something like a cold stop me. I was determined, I felt it was a challenge, and I always take oon a challenge. The hike got off to a rough start as there were 30-40 mph winds whipping through the mountains. It seemed like it may be too much. But Kevin and I bundled up and set off. Once we reached Loch Vale we were greeted with winds in excess of 55 mph+ I would estimate. It was kinda neat. I always like nature at its extreme. We had plenty more to go so we did not stay long.
Upon reaching the trail up to Andrew’s Glacier we were a little intimidated. We met some fellow hikers on the trail also deciding whether to push up the final 800’ elevation rise or to head back down. They decided to go go visit another lake as Kevin and I were determined to see Andrew’s Glacier. This felt as if it were our Everest :) We started the ascent. There was really no discernible trail as it was just a mess of boulders and deep snow. Some steps we sunk up to our waist in a hole through the snow. The climb was a trudge, like crawling up a boulder field, actually we were crawling up a boulder field! :) The exhiliration upon reaching the top was well worth all the trouble. We hung around for a bit, we got a nice video which can be viewed here showing the wind and glorious scenery. We slide down the slope on our butts. It was a blast! What took 45 minutes to get to the top of, took only 5 to descend. We still had 4.5 miles to hike to get back to the van and we managed to do it in just over an hour. We were cruising. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Estes Park Brewery to sample the brew. It was alright, we actually came back and ate there. The food was average, but not bad. That night I slept like a rock!
Day 6: The day had come to travel home to see my wife and “kids”. I was very excited to see Sharon and share the stories of my adventures with her. It was something new because usually we experience all of our adventures together. The journey home was pretty uneventful for us. But not so for a poor kayaker that day. On our trip down to Denver we drove along the incredibly scenic Big Thompson River. We came across a horrible scene. We saw a yellow kayak crushed against a rock by the large rapids. There we numerous emergency vehicles parked along a long stretch of the river with emergency personnel searching the river for the poor soul who had been riding the river in that kayak. We assume they never found him/her alive and our hearts go out to the family and friends of this adventurer. It was a very sobering reminder of the dangers of mother nature.
Note to self: Remember the dancing sign cult :)