Up and packed the next morning after a nice breakfast at the hotel. The freezer packs froze up nicely and kept everything chilled in the cooler. We'll finish the meals I cooked at home by eating the hamburgers for lunch in the park. So, off we headed. I had gotten timed entry reservations for Rocky Mountain National Park's Trail Ridge Road, and we were able to arrive at any time after noon.
As we got closer to the park, I started noticing the changing colors on the trees. I just love when deciduous trees are scattered among evergreens!
When we got to the visitor's center, I asked about the likelihood of seeing moose and about easy trails at high altitude. The ranger said that the moose go into the forests and to higher altitude for their rut, so they would not likely be seen. That was disappointing. That was one of the main animals I wanted to see in this park. She said the elk will tend to come out to the meadows for their rut, so many of the meadows are closed to hikers, but we might get to see some elk from the road and parking lots. As for the hiking trail, she recommended two for beginners - one with lots of stairs and one on a graded incline. So, with that in mind, we entered the park and started pulling out at the overlooks while climbing in altitude. Trail Ridge Road, our entry point, is the highest continuous paved through-road in the US, and promised amazing views. We went west to east, starting at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center in Grand Lake. We went past some of the trailheads I would have hiked to see moose because I wanted to save my spoons for the altitude hike if the moose aren't likely to be there.
A nice view of the Never Summer Mountains
Poudre Lake at Milner Pass (Continental Divide)
Fall River Pass. This is where the hike with the stairs was. It's also where you would find the Alpine Visitor Center and where we had lunch.
Gore Range
The highest point of the road at 12,183 ft. You would think there would be a marker here, but you would be wrong.
Lava Cliffs. These were formed from a lava flow from an eruption from the Never Summer Mountains about 28 million years ago. Receding glaciers then cut open the hillside, revealing the cliffs as we can see them today. Prairie falcons and American pipits are supposed to nest here, but they apparently weren't home when we came by. You can see the holes they would nest in and the remnants of their most recent habitation, though.
Rock Cut
Rock Cut and the Tundra Communities on the other side of the road are closed to off-trail hiking because it is in the tundra, where the vegetation is delicate, taking years to develop. This is where I decided I would take my hike. The wind was whipping and my altimeter said we were at 12,116 feet (3,693 m). The brochure said it was 12,110. I'll take either one. There was a slope, so they may have measured at a lower spot than I did. I measured by the car. It's estimated that the usable oxygen at this altitude is approximately 35% less than at sea level.
I'm trying to get ready to see snow leopards at some point. I haven't decided whether to try in India or Mongolia, and my ability to handle hiking at altitude will be the deciding factor. If I go to Mongolia, I'll be dealing with altitudes of around 8,600 feet (2,600 m), and should be fine with work done on Mt. Rainier (though I would still want to spend some time hiking on Pike's Peak before I go). If I go to India, I'll need to be sure I can do trails on Pike's Peak with ease. Pike's Peak is around 14,000 feet (4,267 m). The altitudes in India can get as high as around 19,000 feet (5,791 m). With my health problems, including shortness of breath because of heart issues, I will probably do Mongolia, but a girl could hope! And it certainly won't hurt me to train as if I'm going to India!
The Tundra Communities Trail is considered an easy trail. It's paved, a little over a mile in-and-out, and has an elevation gain estimated to be 175 feet (53 m). The wind was whipping and it was cold. My altimeter said it was 54 degrees Fahrenheit (12 Celcius), so I put on a hoodie and set out.
There were a variety of little signs like this, explaining certain things or putting quotes from different people. I'm just glad they gave me a chance to pause and take my breath without making it obvious that I was struggling. I wasn't the only one, though.
This is a "rock stream" described in the sign above. The rocks get thrust up as the ground repeatedly freezes and thaws.
These are called the "Mushroom Rocks". They were a side trail that I didn't take. It wasn't a long trail, but I was quickly running out of spoons.
Different colored lichen grows on the rocks as well as on the ground. The signs kept telling me there would be pika and marmots in these rock piles, but they weren't home, either, when I came by.
This was the end of the trail. Some people climbed up on the largest rock, and there were footholds to to get up there. One of the guys that went up said there were signs and a waypoint up there. But, I couldn't trust my balance to climb up there. I was happy that I made it to the end of the trail, though.
My altimeter said I went to 12,303 ft (3,750 m). The brochure says the trail goes to 12,285 ft. I beg to differ with them. I will take the extra 18 feet, thank you very much, for a gain of 187 feet (57 m) at just barely into very high altitude (measured by my altimeter from bottom to top)!
This was a view of Rock Cut from the Tundra Trail.
Various tiny wildflowers in the tundra. We were all very careful not to touch them.
I really didn't have the energy to get out and take pictures on the drive back down the mountain - until we came upon one of those closed meadows where the ranger said we might see elk. We didn't see elk. We saw a juvenile moose in one of the Sheep Lakes! I was so excited, I suddenly had all kinds of energy - and very little common sense. I grabbed The Baby (the camera with the 150-600 mm lens and the 2x extender (making it an effective 1200 mm lens without even considering my crop-sensor camera attached) and headed to the edge of the meadow! I didn't even think about grabbing a tripod, and I had two of them in the car! There were loads of people in the meadow, and this baby didn't seem to mind them at all, but I stopped at the "meadow closed" sign and used it as a stabilizer for that huge lens. I got some nice shots! I'll only share a few of the over 500 pictures I took of this one moose!
This was my first view. Of course, I now have a moose butt to go with many other animal butts I have!
She was going at that water! You can see the white of her eyes!
She went deep for the drinks, but when she came up with grass, she dropped it instead of eating it.
This is my favorite. I don't know what sound caught her attention, but she seemed to really like it.
Many spectators who spent lots of time in the park believed this to be this year's calf of a mama moose called "Green Ears" who died earlier this year. Green Ears was known to stay fairly close to places people would be and tended to be calm around people, even with new calves. If so, that would explain why this juvenile didn't appear at all concerned about the people crowding the lake she was in, paying no attention to all of the "meadow closed" signs, but probably staying the 25 yards suggested to stay away. She looks healthy for having lost her mother at such a young age. I tried to get a video, but without a tripod, it was pretty shaky.
We spent a lot of time making unfair comparisons between Rocky Mountain National Park and Mt. Rainier National Park. While they are both mountains with alpine areas, they are very different parks. One has glaciers and one has moose. Those are very important distinctions! It was a very nice park, indeed, and we will be coming back!
We saw no elk in the park, but on the way to our hotel, there was a doe and her fawn in the parking lot of a shopping center!
Sorry for the quality of the picture. Traffic didn't want to stop, and we were tired and wanting to get to our hotel before the rain/snow started falling, as predicted.
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