One of the things I find most appealing about mountains is their ability to make you feel small. The Rocky Mountains do this tremendously. We spent a few days in Rocky Mountain National Park, bopping between campgrounds and sneaking hikes in in-between the rain, sometimes getting caught in the rain. We hiked to some of the park’s many lakes, each one just as spectacular as the last. We hiked up the Colorado river to an old abandoned mining town. We saw marmots, mule deer, and elk as we hiked. The park is one of America’s most visited, and it feels it, but it is still god-damn gorgeous.
Our first campsite at Rocky Mountain in Moraine Park. We opted for the tent due to bear concerns. Note the bear box in the right of the pic.Stopping by a waterfall on the way up to Emerald Lake.A lot of Rocky Mountain National Park looks like this. It’s amazing.A view of Dream Lake. A lot of trout in this lake. A lot of trout in all the lakes.A view of Emerald Lake. The waterfall is coming down from Tyndall Glacier.Our second campsite, at Longs Peak Campground. We had some interesting neighbors here.Longs Peak – The highest mountain in the park, and the only fourteener in the park. The picture doesn’t do it justice, it is ominous.A view of Mills Lake. A ranger recommended this hike to us. The views were spectacular.It was raining a bit while we ate skipjack from a can, and it was perfect. Mills Lake in the back.Jewel Lake, which was just past Mills Lake.Mills Lake from the other side, coming back from Jewel Lake.A small group of elk that we caught grazing. They were there for most of the day.Ashley enjoying some local brews at the Barrel in Estes Park. A solid selection of beer if you’re ever in the town.
