(About a 3-minute read)
As a planner, I organized an itinerary to Colorado for book research and scouting weeks in advance. I acquired time entry permits, an America the Beautiful Pass, and bought whatever we needed. I was confident our trip would go smoothly.
Yet even the most immaculate plans can change. The afternoon before we left, my husband asked if we could meet his boss’s boss for lunch the day we flew into Denver. His boss lives about twenty minutes from my husband’s cousins where we were going to stay. Yes, I was slightly nervous about a wrinkle, but it was a rare opportunity to meet the boss in person.
Thankfully, we enjoyed the lunch, great Indian cuisine, the gilded aspens and pine-covered mountains in the town of Conifer, and most of all, getting more acquainted with his boss. He was down to earth and supportive.
On Saturday, we resumed our itinerary to Rocky Mountain National Park. Here, we hiked a short distance to an alluvial fan. The fan formed after the 1982 Lawn Lake Dam collapsed, flooding Rocky and the nearby city of Estes Park in over 200 million gallons of water! Even now, the area is covered in resettled large boulders.
The boulders are visible on the bottom of the picture.
Afterwards, we drove on Old Falls Trail Road, an unpaved, one-lane road with no guard rails along steep ascents. As we drove, I got an education on reduced oxygen at high altitudes. When we got out of the car to admire Chasm falls, I got winded just trekking about ten yards. Geez, I thought I was in fairly good shape.
Can you see Old Falls Trail Road along the mountainside?
We reached the end of the road at the Alpine Visitor Center. At 11,796 feet above sea level, the center is the highest in elevation among visitor centers in the US National Park System, so I wanted to see this place.
Unfortunately, high on the alpine tundra, I felt head pressure. But once I ate something, the pressure left. We toured the center and after an hour, we drove to Estes on the paved Trail Ridge Road. A scenic route, but with so many switchbacks, I got nauseous. The switchbacks didn’t end for over an hour, so once we reached more level roads in Boulder, I threw up. Then I felt better.
After suffering from altitude sickness, we altered our itinerary again. Can you sense my discomfort rising? But we made the wise decision to move our hike to Monday, despite not having a time entry pass for that day.
Sunday, we slept in and scouted Mt. Bierstadt, considered one of the easiest 14er’s. The parking lot near the trailhead was 11,000 feet in elevation! Since we didn’t want a repeat of yesterday, we walked only for a short distance on the trail. As we returned to the parking lot, we saw a moose eating grass near a lake, but eventually, he took off running toward the trail. This was our only time of seeing any moose on this trip.
Moose running toward the trail
The gilded aspens painted the forested mountainsides along the drive from Mt. Bierstadt
At 7 p.m. that night, when the next day’s timed entry permits are released, I was ready to book one to the more popular Beaver Meadows Entrance. (You can only enter this area without a permit before 5 a.m. or after 2 p.m.) I tapped into the 8 a.m. timed entry, but received a message that I needed to sign in. I quickly logged in within five minutes, but all 98 passes for this slot were devoured! Only permits available were 5 a.m. or 12 p.m.!
Considering we were staying two hours away, we’d need to leave the house around 3 a.m. if we took the 5 a.m. permit. I wasn’t going to do that. When we were at the Park on Saturday, my physical exhaustion (I didn’t sleep well Friday night) probably amplified the altitude sickness.
So, we took the noon entry. That night, I was riddled with anxiety considering our parking options on the busy area of the Park. So, we’d have to find a rare parking spot or take a shuttle to the trailhead to the Emerald Lake Trail. I said a prayer then went to bed.
On Monday, we arrived at Estes Park around 9 a.m. We scouted areas for my book, then checked out Images of Rocky Mountain, Erik Stensland’s art gallery in downtown Estes. I had previously bought the landscape photographer’s eBook and watched his YouTube channel. I enjoy watching his videos about Rocky, not only because he shows the beauty of the Park, but also provides helpful tips such as the timed entry system.
The gallery’s quaint, filled with breathtaking photographs of Rocky. Seeing the paperback of the eBook I had bought, I skimmed through the book, admiring his art.
He approached, asking me, “Are you a photographer?”
I was star struck. It’s funny how someone who’s familiar on YouTube feels like a celebrity.
I smiled, then said, “No, but I’m writing about one.” Taking advantage of my opportunity, I asked, “What trail would my character take his girlfriend on, a woman not acquainted with Rocky nor with hiking in April?”
Boy, he didn’t skip a beat. He immediately responded, “Lumpy Ridge Trailhead…” then he explained this area is warmer than most of the trails in Rocky. By April, there isn’t as much snow compared to other areas in the Park.
This was the trail entrance we passed about an hour earlier. So, after visiting with him and buying his book on solitude, we left to walk around Estes, then hit the trail. (Wisdom is abandoning the trail I planned, for the one the expert recommended.)
Fortunately, the parking lot was fairly open. Instead of standing in a covered hut, the rangers stood outside at the nearby trailhead. Much more relaxed than the other two entrances!
Lumpy Ridge was scenic, providing views of Estes Park, Estes Lake, the Continental Divide, and Long’s Peak, Rocky’s 14er. I could envision Garrett photographing this area at sunrise or sunset. Celine accompanying him, awed at the view of the saw tooth boulders, the tall Ponderosa pines, and the stocky aspens.
View of Estes Park, the Continental Divide and Long’s Peak
Thankfully, my body acclimated enough that I didn’t suffer nausea, or a headache, or too much shortness of breath. What a difference two days make!
All smiles on the Lumpy Ridge trail!
As my husband and I debriefed on the drive back to his cousins’, we were in awe at the goodness of God. His hand guided us throughout the trip, but so visible on this day. Despite my anxiety about itinerary changes, and fear I wouldn’t get enough research for the book, God worked things out better than I expected!