This bright rainbow and the fainter one to its right appeared after it rained shortly after we arrived. Clay and Jay arrived a little while later. John grilled steaks for dinner and we planned our hike for the next day.
The morning was clear so off we headed to hike to several lakes. The guys pose in front of Nymph Lake
What views!
Lake Hiyaha was our turn-around point.
The cutthroat trout may be small but they sure are beautiful.
Clay's doing a Karate Kid pose.
The trailhead we were returning to was beyond the lake below us. RMNP has an efficient shuttle bus system to all the trailheads since parking is limited. This year there were frustrating construction delays but when we return in two years it will be all finished.
The next morning we (Clay was back at work) drove Trail Ridge Road to the other side of the park where we'd been the week before. It's the highest paved road in the USA at over 12,000 feet. The marmot above has a mouth full of dry grass. We saw more marmots and pikas than ever before.
Brrrrrr, the wind chill must have been around 32 degrees! But it's worth it to be in such a special place. Some plants have tap roots 5 feet long but above ground grow only fractions of an inch in a year.
Mushroom rocks, very interesting geological feature.
This is one of my favorite tundra views. The tundra is one of my favorite places. You feel like you're on top of the world.
In between us down in the valley is the Timber Creek Campground where we saw the elk.
Sometimes it takes six weeks to plow the road in the spring!
Magpies can be pesky but we think they are beautiful and interesting.
This outstanding mountain bluebird was right near the camper. We saw flocks of bluebirds here and several other places in the west.
Hmmm, does anyone see a UFO?
Jay was able to see some dramatic views from the edge!
Mills Lake is always a favorite destination of mine.
Beautiful Jewel Lake is nearby.
It's not easy for me to pick my way along the rocky trail, but hey, that's why they're called the Rocky Mountains.
The Bear Lake - Lake Helene - Odessa Lake - Fern Lake loop trail was our longest and most strenuous by far. The elevation change was over 2500 feet in a little over 9 miles and traversed many types of terrain. Whew!
"Hand me the camera so I can take a pic of the great view from up here!"
Odessa Lake, far below is what Jay saw.
Lake Helene was our highest elevation on a hike.
This photo of the river coming out of Odessa Lake is exactly the same as one in a fishing guidebook that John has!
Odessa Lake
Odessa Lake is gorgeous. It represents a tremendous achievement. Our hike took 7 hours!!
"Our Rock" on Fern Lake. Jay and Clay hiked here a few years ago and now it's our tradition to take pics from this angle. This is the first time, though, that we are both in the picture!
Can you see Jay's hand just above the bush? This section of the trail has some giant boulders.
On our last day with Jay we hiked to Cub Lake. Wonder if this rock made a loud noise when it cracked?
Cub Lake
It was nice to have Jim and then Jay take pics of the two of us! They are both creative photographers.
One morning the elk came into camp just a few yards away from our camper.
He rears his head back and lets out a loud bugle.
It was foggy this morning. Sorta looks like a painting doesn't it?
It was a fun week, tiring but enjoyable!
Clay and Michelle joined us for dinner and a campfire. Their tent fit perfectly on our site. They headed off to hike to Fern Lake when we left to take Jay to the Denver airport.
Ah, so many memories of a wonderful three month trip.
1 comment:
Odessa Lake hike must have been great - love the creek shot with the mountain behind. Lots of great photos. Looking forward to getting back to CO myself some day.
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