1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 (feet, that is)

1:

Tuesday was all about getting there. The Coloradoans had figured that there would be fewer people in the back country (west side) of Rocky Mountain National Park, so we crossed the Continental Divide (and saw elk on the mountain as we passed!!) and landed ourselves at the North Inlet trail head. Our site was six miles in, and while there was a wee bit of climbing, over all it was a pretty mellow trek in. We stopped to play in some falls and generally took our time getting to camp and setting up. After a good meal and more “getting comfy” (this would be our camp site for 2 nights, which is kind of unusual for us), we wrapped the night up playing Terra – a card game where everyone usually loses. We held it together, though, and Patrick won. :-P

2: Day Trek Wednesday

Since we were in the same site for both Tuesday and Wednesday nights, Wednesday was about exploring the area. We headed up to Lakes Nanita and Nakoni – a decent climb. It was GORGEOUS! The alpine flowers are in full bloom and the views were outstanding. On the way out, Tony scoped out a waterfall, and on the way back he, Tom, Justin and I (Angela) found our way down to and into it! Chil-ly! Tom and Justin actually played in the river quite a while, going down stream to a different landing and then coming back up again. We wanted to get in an early evening as Thursday would be the most aggressive climbing and distance – AND we’d have packs on. So even with a game of Euchre between Justin, Tony, Serena and Angela, we were all in bed by 9:30.

3 – 4 – 5 Hiking out Thursday

Thursday’s hike was the most challenging for us flatlanders. We climbed – via many switchbacks – beyond an elevation of 12345 feet over Flattop Mountain. We were in the tundra, well above the tree line, and there are no words for the barren loveliness of the peaks, valleys and lakes we could see in every direction. We also saw a small herd of bull elk here, which was far more exciting than the previous day’s elk because if we hadn’t paused for a breather, we never would have seen them peering down at us and our trail. After lunch, we headed down, down, down the mountain seeing picas, marmots, ravens, and beautiful hidden lakes as we switched back and forth. We couldn’t believe how many people there were on this side of Flattop, and were so glad we’d spent the majority of our time in the back country. After re-grouping with our vehicles, and getting on the outside of some good burgers and Mexican food, we headed back to Patrick’s place and crashed.

[Click here for the story in pictures!]