Colorado, Hon: We don't need no stinkin' snowshoes

(by mark)

Yesterday we went up to Rocky Mountain National Park for our first taste of the high country in winter. We did some hiking at RMNP in August and we were eager to see it shrouded in snow. We don't own snowshoes (yet), so our plan was to hike or ski, depending on what the snow conditions would allow. It's been snowing quite a bit in the mountains of Colorado, but it is quite localized, so we weren't sure how much snow to expect. We discovered quite a bit of variation in the snowpack even within the small area of the park that we drove through.

Here's the view from Loveland just a few minutes from home. The big mountain in the middle is Longs Peak in the Park

From RMNP Dec 21

We entered near Estes Park, a cute little touristy town that is teeming with shoppers in the summer. It was pretty calm on this day. We decided to head up the Bear Lake trailhead, where we had been back in August. This is Bierstadt Lake, near Bear Lake, from last August.

From Colorado Visit Aug 2008

So we were expecting great scenery. We found a surprising crowd in the parking lot. It was packed last summer, but even on this 15 degree Sunday, there were 30 cars and a lot of people. Two groups pulled into the lot at the same time as us and they were, well, interesting. They had some serious gear (avalanche shovels, avalanche transponders, mountaineering boots etc.) so we wondered if we were getting in over our heads. It turned out to be fine and we think they were part of an avalanche class. We hiked up from Bear Lake to a series of small lakes, with nice views all along the way. There was a lot of snow--probably 2-3 feet--but the surface was packed and hard from snowshoers so we were able to walk on it without sinking in.

From RMNP Dec 21

We eventually got to the edge of Dream Lake where the view was just stunning.

From RMNP Dec 21

We were alone and we stayed a few minutes to enjoy the view. Cassie remarked that if this kind of scene doesn't make you believe in God, then nothing will. So then we debated the existence and nature of God for a bit. It is certainly awe-inspiring. The size and scale are hard to grasp.

Beyond this point, the track on the snow got softer and we began sinking in, so we turned around. It's a good excuse to buy some snowshoes. After a snack, we drove back down to a trailhead with a long dirt road to try some cross-country skiing. There was much less snow in that area, but just enough to ski. After skiing for a while, we photographed two scenes that we had photographed back in August. This picture appears at the top of this blog (cropped).