Captain’s log May 17th: & Shadie’s comments and editing

Day 4. Rocky Mountain High

Well, day 4 & 5 brought lots of more things to know. Lesson of the past two days, you can never have enough wool socks!

We started out with eggs and pancakes at Hill Dog’s mountain house. We then set out for our overnight trip to the pool near cub lake and the waterfall. Well, Emily and Mercedes only had on tevas and chacos and tennis shoes because our boots were wet from the day before. The ranger the day before had said it wouldn’t be a snowy trip. That we might see patches but it should be fine. Only the lake would be frozen with snow on top. So we planned for a slow, scenic hike, just 5 miles leaving at noon it would be a relaxing day after yesterday’s adventures.

It was sunny and about 60 degrees as we started our trip, absolutely perfect. Hiking through Rocky Mountain National park is something else. Mountains everywhere, wildlife everywhere, trees, rolling plains, rocks… all of it just takes your breath away. If you have never been up this way before, make a trip, now, it is a must see.

Shortly into the trip, we came across a couple patches of snow. So tevas and chacos and snow…. Yeah, didn’t go so well. But it wasn’t THAT much, and Mercedes and I have a very suck it up kinda attitude. So our feet got cold as we played our favorite game “The Snow is Lava!” We jumped from patch to patch of dry ground, or tried to step in the boys foot prints of compacted snow. It was fun, we laughed a lot, but the snow only got worse and worse. At some point there was so much snow we lost the path completely. We would be walking along on the snow and see the very top a tree next to us, sticking out inches above the snow. Mercedes and I feet were very cold, and there was more snow as far as the eye could see. So we stopped to warm them up, Sean letting Mercedes put her feet on his belly. We then came up with ways to try and protect our feet from the elements; Sean’s large mittens on my feet and Sean’s large rain pants pulled down over Mercedes feet. We looked redick, but it was much warmer. So we continued on, no dry ground to hop from any more, just following the boys footprints to try and step on compacted snow. Andrew and Alex were way up ahead trying to find any kind of trail or path but it was all lost in the snow. The sun was still shinning, creating really awesome shadows on the snow and it still was a gorgeous hike, it was just taking a lot longer than planned.

About 3:30 we got to the top of the hill we were climbing up, there were rocks and no trees. So we laid in the sun and warmed up and dried our make-shift footwear. Andrew had the map out and was trying to figure out where we had gotten off, where we were going to, and where we were. We had a vague idea of all 3. Andrew, the fearless benevolent dictator said, and I quote “ there will be less snow as we go down, less elevation” It turned out that that opinion was very very wrong.

As we trekked on down the other side of the mountain, high hopes that we had to be close the snow only got worse. On this side of the mountain the snow was even deeper and less compact. Every step sunk you in at least waist deep into the snow and it was a very steep incline down. Clouds started to roll in and the temperature started dropping. Everyone was wet, cold, frustrated and exhausted. We all tried to keep good spirits with our sassy comments and constant singing but things started getting pretty bad. Mercedes’s feet and mine were completely blocks of ice as we started using our entire bodies just to get down the mountain. Sean was helping us in anyway he could, encouraging us, carrying things for us and trying to make a path for us while Alex and Andrew were up ahead trying to find the camping spot that hopefully would be out of the snow. At some point Sean made the decision that Mercedes and I couldn’t go on any farther under these conditions, we were freezing and frost nip had to be starting in. So Alex and Sean threw a tent together piled tons of sleeping bags in while Mercedes and I stripped our wet clothes and jumped in. Body warmth is an incredible thing. As we took turns putting our feet on each other’s bellies trying to warm them up, we sang any song to get our minds off the pain as our feet got feeling in them again. It hurt, not ganna lie. I hadn’t realized how bad our feet had actually gotten that day. I’m very glad we stopped when we did, I still have all 10 toes alive and feeling fine today because we did stop then.

After about 30 min warming up in the tent, eating a little and drinking a lot of water, Andrew came back from his scouting trip. He said he had finally found the actual trail and it wasn’t too far ahead. Maybe 2 miles to camping spot, but there was 15 min of deep snow left to trudge through, then marsh, then dry ground to the campsite. Could we get there? Andrew made the point we would be much more comfortable off the slope and away from the snow. Then the next day we could take a different trail back with no snow. So, we made the decision we would press on. Mercedes and I put on wool socks, zip lock bags over that and then our tennis shoes we had been trying to keep dry. My pants that I had been wearing were completely ripped so I borrowed Andrew’s rain pants and we packed the emergency camp back up into our backs and headed down the mountain.

It was hard for 15 min. At times we were falling through the powered snow past our hips. There were fallen logs and branches we kept getting stuck in, losing our shoes, getting soaking wet again. It was hard for everyone. But we did get through it in about 15 min. found Cub Lake at the base of the mountain and puddle jumped across the marsh to the other side. And there was the trail! We had actually found it. When we looked back at where we had just come from, we were astounded. The mountain was so high, so steep, completely covered in snow and trees. We were so far off from what should have been the original 5 mile hike. But pretty impressed with ourselves and what we had done as a team. I am so thankful for these boys and how they took care of us that day. Thanks guys.

Once on the trail, it was about an hour to the “Old Forrest Inn” the name of the camp sight we had a permit to camp at. It was a beautiful hike following the river. There were waterfalls and white water rapids and random patches of snow. Our camp sight was on the bluff overlooking the river, close to some waterfalls, and a gorgeous cliff face with huge white topped mountains off in the distance. We set up camp, all very tired and very hungry. A nice dinner of freeze dried deliciousness and hot chocolate warmed us all up. We jumped into our sleeping bags and passed out to the sound of water rushing in the distance, random animals howling, and the great silence of being so far from any other humans.

DAY 5

Nothing beats waking up to the sunshine and birds chirping. I did not want to get out of that warm, warm sleeping bag cuddle up next to Mercedes. We just laid there for a long time enjoying being warm, fed, and rested. A breakfast of gruel. Then we refilled our water bottles in the river with the purifier and basked in the sunshine. We broke up camp and started heading down a very different trail than the day previous. This trail was mostly flat, barely any patches of snow, and followed the river on one side and the cliff face on the other side out to a road. We followed another trail around the base of another mountain around Morrain Basin. It looked like a meadow, but wet like a swamp, maybe like the badlands you always hear about. Whatever it was, it was beautiful. Carved out by glaciers long ago there were rivers of snowmelt running through it, flowers, grass and tons of elk everywhere. It was exciting to get that close to the elk, we ate our lunch on a rock right next to the feeding elk herd. At some point we had differing opinions on which was the fastest and easiest way back to the bus, so we split. We “Lost Girls” went with Andrew on this very pretty trail through the hills. Sean and Alex went straight to the road to follow the road back to where we parked. As we came out of the hill trail we hit the main road. Andrew wanted to walk all the way back, Mercedes and I were tired and decided we should hitch hike (mind you, hitchhiking is not only legal but encouraged in national parks around the country). Shortly after walking along the road an Escalade black truck stopped and asked if we wanted a ride. As he pulled over, Sean and Alex came running up asking if they could jump in too. So the 4 of us piled into the truck. The driver’s name was Dominic. He was from Pennsylvania, and so funny. He just graduated with a geology degree and was about to start a couple week training on rock identification in the Boulder area. He was a trip. But the information he started to share about the mountains and rocks in the area was so interesting. I really wanted to know the history and how all the incredible scenery was formed, so when he said he was headed to Bear Lake to do a short hike I really wanted to join, so did everyone else. So we dropped our packs off at the Club-House, left a note for Andrew and headed south through the park towards Bear Lake. It was a great drive, got to see a lot more of Rocky Mountain National Park. But it is so big, and there is so much, I don’t think you could ever see all of it.

Bear Lake happened to be WAY up a mountain. As we drove up higher and higher the temperature dropped, the snow started falling, and Mercedes and I realized that once again…. We were in sandals. Morons, us, right here. Because as the stubborn gals we are we said “no biggy, it’s a short hike, we will suck it up.” Did we learn nothing from the day before? Apparently not. We got up to the lake and saw you could do a short .5 mile hike around this lake surrounded by huge mountains. .5 miles, in compacted snow, ya, we could do this. I really need some nice snow boots, like last week needed them. Oppsss. But the walk was fine, at first, but as we sat on some rocks about .1 mile into the trail, a huge storm was seen coming up on the horizon. So we turned around and headed quickly back. The snow we were walking on was actually the frozen lake. And as I was running back, it kinda broke through a little and I got both my feet in literally freezing water. So cold. Mercedes was actually carried by Sean through some parts, that was funny. Watching Sean struggle through deep snow, with Mercedes on his back. I was glad when I reached the trail head and saw Andrew with the Club-House waiting for us.

Dinner was delicious cheap Mexican food back in Estes. And then it was board games all evening up at Hi Larry’s cabin. Good bonding and relaxing time.

All 5 of us, still alive, with all our toes, in Rocky Mountain National Park