Rocky Mountain National Park or I Finally Found Out What The ISO and Apeture Settings Do On My Camera.

A Good Start

It was 70 degrees when I left Loveland to start this trip, and because I'm me and have incited the gods' wrath for 24 years now, when I got to the scenic and well-populated Rocky Mountain National Park, it was pouring down snow.

Rolled out anyway and got after it, hiked a ways into the backcountry and camped out near some lakes after the trail I had planned to follow petered out without any sign. Again, I was thrwarted by snow, and because, AGAIN, my plans were to ascend up and the snowpack could only get worse, I changed my route. The snow wasn't as deep as Beartooth but I was still breaking through to my thigh by the time I started to really climb. In addition to this, my GPS unit, which has been pretty damn useful this winter, caught some sort of 24 hour flu and wasn't displaying the map properly and all my trail sign was buried underneath the previous snowpack and 1-2 feet of new snow.

So I switched it up to a trail that had a pretty decent blazing system, walked all day in the first time I've really made anywhere close to a respectable distance since Zion NP. Still snowy, but the trail wasn't hard to follow and I popped out to a campground and these mountains:

These ones

I mentioned that I spent the first day and night in the park during a snowstorm, and so everything on either side of me up to this point was grey and silvan, so the scenic aspect of the park came as a pleasant surprise.  Kept on hiking till I came out onto Sprague Lake (located conveniently right off the road. The paths around the lake are wheelchair accessible in the warmer months. Sometimes life just straight up gives you lemonade). I camped out at a discreet but still illicit distance from the lake because I didn't like the backcountry campsite provided.

Hung out, made a fire, fended off a dayhiker who came into my territory armed with only a camera because he heard me breaking firewood and "thought I was a wild animal". He figured out pretty quickly that this line of thinking was correct after I exhibited my dominance through a ritualized series of vocalizations and strength displays. After the intruder beat a hasty retreat, I picked through the belongings he had dropped in his blind terror, and finding nothing of value, buried the entirety of his worthless possessions under some sticks, leaves and snow. Fucking tourists.

HA-HA! COUNT IT!

Afterwards I took some videos of geese, figured out what aperture and ISO settings do and went to bed. Had a pretty bad night, guess I caught my GPS's cold, because I woke up the next morning pretty sick.  It's worth noting that much of RMNP, but especially the section by Sprague Lake was very windy. Reminded me forcibly of Medicine Bow, where I got a little hypothermic from windchill alone. I was cold, but not dangerously so taking these night pictures. Hiked out to my truck, and left just as the temperature began to pick up into the 40's or 50's. I'm sure by the time I hit the park border, all of the snow on the trails melted, it was 80 degrees and the backcountry filled itself up with single, attractive, scantily clad and wealthy young women who are exponentially impressed with just how many toenails you have donated to the trail gods in your lifetime.

Overall really good trip. I'll have to go back when it's warmer or when I break down and buy snowshoes to check out more of the park, but overall I was impressed with the scenery. I was also impressed with the people who live here. All winter I've been totally alone in almost every trip I've been on, but I saw several XC ski tracks during this trip in the further reaches of trail. Good for you, Colorado.

Video is forthcoming, pictures are here and maybe the flickr in the future.