Rocky Mountain National Park

I had planned to drive up on Saturday morning but when I got to the hostel on Friday night things didn't go so well.  FYI Avoid the Denver International Hostel at all costs.  I drove up to the park and just hoped I could find a place to crash.  I lucked into a good spot.  In fact there was a Subaru Forestor next to me doing the same thing.

I drove down to the Visitor's Center but it didn't open until 8 so I headed up to a trailhead that seemed promising at Bear Lake.  From there I hiked up to Dream Lake, Emerald Lake and Haiyaha Lakes.  It was absolutely beautiful.

When I got back to the trailhead I found out about the traffic.  Wow is all that I can say.  I rode the shuttle down to the Park and Ride and then caught another shuttle to the Moraine Park Discovery Center.  (I had to do this because there was not parking available in the Park).  I walked along the moraine and checked out the meadow wildflowers.  I saw a couple of elk running across the meadow.  Later I saw another popping its head up.  It was pretty hot in the afternoon and they were avoiding the heat.  

I went into Estes Park and found a place that provides shower access to smelly hikers.  On the way back to the Park I stopped by the Sheep Lakes.  They are on another moraine.  They are indentations left by receding glacier.  The Bighorn sheep go down there to access minerals in the mud.   Unfortunately there weren't any sheep there.  I will have to stop by again to try and see them down there.

Today I did I hike up towards Sky Pond.  It was a pretty hike that goes by the Alberta Falls.  Then up by a lake called the Loch which I am pretty sure means lake.  From there it is was up and over snow most of the way.  It was pretty steep in some sections but for one of the fist times I was prepared with microspikes and hiking hiking poles.  (I often forget them in the summer).  At one point the trail looked like it was a waterfall due to lots of snow melt.  I made it up to "Sky Pond" but it was pretty chilly so I headed back down to the Loch.  There I opened my map and found out much to my dismay that I had stopped .4 miles early at Glass Lake.  Argh !   Since it was warming up, I decided not to go back up (too much postholing).  I took a branch of the trail and went to Mills Lake.   I am not sure if I should go back.   Decisions, decisions

So my camera battery is out of charge and I am at McDonalds drinking Diet Coke and recharging it.