"Last Week in Pictures"

July 17-23, 2022- Part 2

After a nice morning of hiking in the Bear Lake area of Rocky Mountain National Park, I ran back to Estes for groceries (which took way longer than planned) then continued on to the west side of the park via Trail Ridge Road. I'm still kicking myself for not stopping to spend more time in the high country, but between crowded parking areas and the standard summer afternoon thunderstorms, I kept moving with the exception of stopping at a few pullouts.

Dropping down the west slope I did stop and take a quick hike on the Colorado River Trail. I love getting to know national parks by trail, and better learning how the backcountry topography connects as the crow flies rather than through the standard tourist experience dictated by flow of roadway traffic. Had time and weather allowed, I could have followed this trail to access Thunder Pass, reconnecting with where I'd stepped into the park "through the back door" while hiking last summer near American Lakes. It wasn't in the cards this time, unfortunately, but definitely out there waiting for future adventures. Instead, I hiked a few miles out, just to stretch my legs (and get drenched by another passing storm) before leaving the park and driving to the campsite I'd reserved in Arapaho National Forest. Upon doing the math and considering logistics of my plans for sunrise positioning the following morning, it was all business and early to bed from there.

I'll post Part 3 from my Colorado adventure this evening, and have a more detailed summary in my next newsletter. Subscribers can expect to see that in the next couple days, and I'll update this post with a link when it goes live. Anyone who is interested can certainly SUBSCRIBE HERE though, if you'd like that delivered directly to your inbox. I'd love to have you follow along!

That said, here's a glimpse of that afternoon in Rocky Mountain National Park...