Mt. Ida. Our first thirteener

Mt Ida stands at 13,000 feet, and is approached from the Milner Pass trailhead, the same beginning as our hike to the Alpine Visitor's Center. The trail quickly ascends a steep grade, and winds around cliff edges, and into a spruce forest, as it rises to the tree line, and out on to the tundra, where the trail follows a four and a half mile climb to the peak of Mt. Ida. Behind us is this incredible view of the Never Summer range.

The trail winds through the tundra, where there is just low ground covering plants and mosses.

On the far right, you can see the trail in this picture, below. It more resembles a goat path, and provides no protection from the elements as we climb along. If you let your eye follow the trail in this picture, the snow covered peak at the top center is where we are heading.

The trail ends about a half mile before hitting the summit, and we have to scramble up a boulder field,

keeping our eyes out for small cairns that hikers have created, marking the direction. We came across a flock of ptarmagans that were so perfectly camouflaged, we thought they were rocks, until they ruffled their feathers.

From the edge of the cliff, we viewed spectacular lakes, hundreds of feet below, and then, one of the few glaciers still in RMNP, complete with frozen, turquoise pools.

We finally reached the summit, and the views took our breath away. And Dave, we missed you!

Hike and Shop

Will arrived last week, and we promised him an easy, but rewarding hike. We drove about 45 minutes into the park, to the Milner pass trailhead.At 10,758 feet, Milner Pass is a lowpoint on the Continental Divide. The divide separates river drainage to the Atlantic Ocean from drainage to the Pacific. From the trailhead, which begins at a sweet lake,

we are heading to the Rocky Mountain Visitor's center, halfway between Grand Lake and Estes Park, the two entrances to RMNP. The Visitor's center is at an altitude of 11,800 feet, so we have an initial gain of about 1,ooo feet, and a distance of about 4 miles. The trail is fairly steep at the beginning, but quickly reaches the tree line, where the path levels off, and winds through a forest of 5 to 6 foot high spruce and firs trees, feeling a bit like a Christmas tree farm.

The trail had a small turn off to a clearing with a spectacular view of the Never Summer mountains, and as we stopped, two gray jays flew right at us. We were not quite sure if they were being aggressive or friendly, so I dropped a raisin on the ground, and watched one of the jays quickly pick it up. I then put a raisin in my hand, and the jay, ever so lightly, landed, and took the raisin right from my palm.

We continued over the tundra, for about 3 more miles, and ended at the Visitor's center, where we had lunch.

The center has an extensive collection of books, and maps, as well as very high end pottery and crafts made by Colorado artisans. We then headed back down the tundra trail, oohing and aahing at the unbelievable views.

CT ,Ali, and Sarah

We have had a wonderful week, greatly enjoying the visit of Ct, and her daughters, Ali and Sarah. They arrived Wednesday afternoon from Los Angeles, and we had a quiet evening as everybody got settled. On Thursday, as they were acclimating to the altitude, we took them on one of our favorite walks, up to Adams Falls.

We continued for about an hour, following the river, and as the water levels were a lot lower than in the spring. we were able to be a bit more adventurous.

On Friday, we decided to try a different type of hike, and let some steady steeds do the work. We rented horses from the Winding river ranch, and took a 3 hour trek in to the RMNP.

The ride was spectacular, as we crisscrossed the Colorado river, heading up into the mountains.

We saw new meadows,

as we climbed into the park, and then followed the winding trails, ending back at the barn, just in time for a steak dinner by the campfire. (Michael had chicken.)

The Top of the World

A few weeks ago, Joe and I hiked up to Parika Lake, a stunning alpine lake, that sits at an altitude of 11,380 feet. The trailhead begins at 8,850 feet with a 5 .4 miles distance to the lake. The last hour of the hike is fairly difficult, as the ascent is very steep and rocky, but the payoff is sublime. Our dear friends Callae and Ed have arrived for the month, and Joe, Callae, and I were planning our annual hike together, and we suggested Parika Lake, as Callae had never been there. So off we headed, enjoying wonderful conversation, as we hiked our way to this beautiful lake. Once we got to the lake, we had a bit of lunch, and met a father and son from Kansas City, who were headed beyond the lake up to the peak of Parika Mountain, which we all immediately decided we had to try.

The snow covered peak to the right is Parika Peak, with an altitude of 12,394 feet. It is about nine tenths of a mile straight up, with an altitude gain of over 1000 feet.

This is a view of the trail to the summit from above. That tiny patch of water is Parika Lake.

The weather cooperated, we scaled the peak, and I'll let the rest of the pictures do the talking.

Bowen Pass Revisited

Last summer, you may recall, Michael and I ended up at Bowen Pass by mistake and were nearly struck by lightning. We've been wanting to get back there and last week, a guy working at the hiking store in town told us how to reach the pass from the other side of the Never Summer Mountains. It involved an hour and a half drive to the trailhead, but from that point, the pass was only two miles away (as opposed to four hours and seven miles of hard slogging from the near side). We took Paul and Emma along, and although it was challenging for them, and we didn't quite make it to the very top of the pass, we nearly got there and finally were able to share with them the kind of long-distance alpine views Michael and I have been enjoying.












The trail was difficult to follow at times, and at one point we had to bushwhack uphill to find it again. We stopped below the pass for lunch and Paul and Emma agreed it was worth the effort.




















That turquoise speck up there is Paul, collapsing after climbing uphill, almost to the snow.




















Here's where we stopped, about a half an hour from the top of the pass. Later this summer, Michael and I will return and go all the way to the top. There's also a trail to the left which takes you up and over a different pass and down into Parika Lake. These pictures really don't do the views justice -- they were very long-range and exhilarating.

Emma Goes Kayaking

After making plans several times to go kayaking in the afternoon, only to have the wind come up, we decided to set out early on Friday when there was no wind and the lake was like glass. Emma and I took the Sea Eagles down to Shadow Mountain Lake, inflated them both in about 10 minutes and soon put in at Pine Beach. After several summers here at Grand Lake, and her week at Camp Cheerio in June, Emma now paddles like a pro.












The life jacket I ordered online supposedly ran small, so I bought Emma a medium -- not a great fit.












Emma made herself comfortable while we drifted between the islands in the bird sanctuary and played trivia games in the sun for nearly an hour.

Paul at Work

The day after Paul and Emma arrived, Paul returned to his summer job from last year, busing tables at Max & T's. He's working a full shift and making lots of tips. Here's a picture of Paul at work with one of the waitresses, and another of the front of the restaurant on the main street in Grand Lake.










We're proud of you, Paul!