Colorado Rocky Mountain High
From right to left: Sam, Ben, and Reed. Posing for a selfie on the trail.
Sam looking into the distance along the trail
After two long days on the road with a concentration on the history of westward pioneers, today we ventured into the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Those in conestoga wagons traveling the Oregon Trail and on horseback on the Pony Express planned their routes to avoid these mountains, yet we headed into them with little fear and open eyes.
At 3am my alarm harshly awakened me in our tent in the mountains surrounding Estes Park. Tired from just six hours of sleep, I rolled over to wake Sam, and asked him, “Do we really want to do this today?” After a few silent seconds, we silently agreed to roll out of our sleeping bags and begin to break down camp.
By 3:55am we pulled the van out of Hermit Park campground and departed for the Longs Peak Trailhead. By the recommendation of Mitchell at The Gearage in Fort Collins, we began the hike in the dark (at 5am) towards Chasm Lake. The trailhead was around 9,000 feet, and Chasm lake was about 12,500 feet. Chasm Lake has a wonderful view of the Diamond (the East Face of Longs Peak).
We didn’t know quite what to expect along the hike up; at the highest points along our journey we encountered nearly a foot of snow along the journey. Our trekking poles and binoculars certainly came in handy as we crossed treacherous terrain and spotted elk in the distance. Fortunately the only equipment we lost was a water bottle.
On one of the final turns heading up to Chasm Lake, I looked up to see a marmot barreling down towards me! I didn’t quite know what to do. It quickly passed me...it was very cool to be so close to nature.
As we ascended, the views became increasingly beautiful. I believe I can speak for all three of us when I say we were struck with a sense of complete awe. Amidst one of the most beautiful areas in the country, we were reminded of our own humanity, and discovered a deep sense of joy.
We reached the lake just before 9am,
enjoyed a few minutes of rest and several Clif Bars, and returned to the Wagon just before noon. We were glad to have made the 8+ mile round trip early in the day. The conditions were tough in the afternoon both at the summit of Long’s Peak, but also on the ridge around Peacock Pond due to melting snow.
We enjoyed lunch at Estes Lake Park, then returned to Hermit Park to stay in the same campsite where we did before. It was nice to get a sense of consistency. Ben and I enjoyed a nap in the tent.
As of today, we have made stops at outfitting shops five times (most of the time just perusing the store), and three stops at the Estes Park Mountain Shop alone! It has been fun. It’s safe to wager that most of the workers know us by name now. We actually ran into one of my former classmates from SLUH, Manny, in the shop the other day; I traveled to Los Gatos, CA, with him for the Arrupe Leaders Summit.
We plan to have tortellini with red sauce for dinner tonight; elated would be an understatement. Thanks for reading and joining us. Below are some additional pictures. More to come
Reed posing in front of Long’s Peak.
Ben and Reed traversing around Peacock Pond
