We had a good time at Rocky Mountain National Park with daughter and grandson. We couldn't hike any big hikes because spouse's right ankle sprain is still healing. I'm sure that Mr. Grandson was happy about not having to go on any death marches! He did get to go on some brief, flat hikes, go to the go-cart-bumper boats-mini golf place and go out to eat several times as well as go on a surrey bike ride during a visit with spouse's Denver cousins.
I walked into downtown Estes Park two nights with daughter - very enjoyable - and walked one afternoon around Lake Estes. All 4 of us walked around Sprague Lake on a very windy Monday - water was slopping out of the lake onto the boardwalk on to one small section.
We attempted to go to Loch Vale but didn't get very far which didn't surprise me. Spouse's ankle needs to heal more. It would help if he'd take short walks everyday and do the exercises the physical therapist has given him. You can take a patient to the physical therapist but it doesn't do any good if they don't do their homework.
I wish I could live in Estes Park. I wouldn't enjoy the summer crowds but they do have a hiker shuttle into the park and a shopper shuttle downtown to reduce traffic congestion. Estes Park is the loveliest place on Earth! The 9 hour drive up there is a bit much for a 5 day weekend. If we lived there, that would be eliminated!
Yesterday's WI hike was up Rabbit Ridge Road from the Coyote Call Trail and over to Rabbit Mountain and then down the face of the mountain at the game trail saddle- it was an enjoyable workout. The hiking announcement said it's 7 miles RT and 2,000' elevation gain. I kept my GPS off so I can't verify that.
Eleven started out but only 4 made it to Rabbit Mountain with one waiting back at a saddle to go down with us. It was a cool, overcast day with some minor drizzles - not even enough to break out my golf umbrella. Of course, I couldn't have anyway because I was totally dependent on the golf umbrella as a walking stick whilst traveling along trail-less, hazard-strewn Rabbit Ridge!
We had a new hiker recruit and it may have been too much for her. We'll see if she returns! I hope she does - she was nice. I filled her in about the best local hiking books and told her about all the health food stores in Santa Fe.
The leader did a good job except when we got back down to the road, she didn't realize it was the Rabbit Ridge Road and not the other connecting logging road. As we started going uphill, I told the new recruit my suspicions. We were saved by one of the hikers noticing a unique, bi-level scat pile that I had pointed out that morning as we ascended Rabbit Ridge Road.
One of the hikers told us of her hike down the Falls Trail in Bandelier National Monument last winter when she saw the Rio Grande covered with frozen chunks of snow. She said it almost looked like, if the chunks would stop moving, she could walk across to the other side. It sounded quite magical. She's 84 and did the hike by herself. She's quite fast and can keep up with hikers younger than herself.
One hiker I know planned to come but had a bout of vertigo Tuesday which kept her home.
The man who hikes with his dog had a bad fall recently and is recovering. I don't know all the details.
Today I checked out the Route. I need to bring a trash bag next time. There are already more beer cans and bottles to pick up. Also, someone snapped the top off a spindly limber pine and a larger but equally spindly ponderosa pine - both near FR2998. I'll need to take my handy-dandy folding pruning saw and cut down the standing tree trunks. One will be a cinch but the other will require some minor sweat equity. As it is now, the tree remains look too pitiful. In addition, I dragged a fallen tree off Guardrail Hill and moved some cut tree debris blocking my way near Paintball Road. The tree debris wasn't thrown across the trail maliciously because they didn't harm my cairn and they probably didn't even realize anyone tries to keep that pathway open. I built and augmented a number of cairns and tore out some baby NM locust. The Route could easily be named Cairn Mania.
I saw the loco-lady-walker-in-white-today. She was on Camp May Road. From above the road at the back of The Ocean, I watched her hop the guardrail and continue down the old road that runs below the new road - the same path I take. I wonder if she uses the rest of the Route? I also wondered if I'm really very different from her. After all, a woman of my age should probably not be spending so much time on a simple route through the woods. I'm not exactly obsessed because I don't go to the Route every day but when I'm on it, I am somewhat obsessed with "house-keeping" chores!
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