Colorado: Part I

The decision to visit Colorado was part spontaneous, part planned, part I needed to make new memories, part birthday gift to myself. I’d visited before but this time I had a goal in mind; photography! (….of course) I had a goal in mind for the Series 2 prints and I knew Colorado would provide the perfect scenery for landscape photography. Now going into this, I knew that Colorado was one of the more photographed locations in the United States, just because of how amazingly breathtaking the area is. I didn’t care. This was going to be my take on things, my artistic vision, my photos. Once I made up my mind, I began planning. Now to anyone that knows me, they know I LOVE a good planning session; finding the lodging, identifying the means of travel, how far of a drive from one location to the next, how much gas would be needed, food, packing lists, extra packing list, gear needed, everything. I was on cloud 9 and I hadn’t even made a deposit for anything yet. I found my Airbnb. It was a quiet little condo in Granby, CO hosted by Erika, who I must say provided one of the best Airbnb experiences I’ve had. Super responsive, helpful and even allowed me to check in super early which I did not see coming. I made arrangements for transportation, which is where I knew things were starting to head down hill ($2,608 down hill to be exact) And then it happened, the week before I was due to depart; Murphy’s Law!

 

Now if you’re not familiar with Murphy’s Law, don’t worry its quite simple. “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” Yeah and it was in full affect. I decided a few weeks earlier that instead of roaming aimlessly around Colorado, looking for something to take pictures of, I would have a set location. I picked the Rocky Mountain National Park. I had a free yearly pass and it had everything; mountains, forested areas, lakes, little towns surrounding the area. Through my research I discovered the Bear Lake Corridor trail, consisting of approximately 6 miles of hiking to about 5 gorgeous lakes; Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake and Lake Haiyaha (still not sure how that last one is pronounced lol) I watched videos of the hike, looked up pictures of the lakes because I had never heard about them before. T’was perfect. And I don’t know what compelled me to check the park website, but boy was I  glad I  did. Just a week before leaving, I discovered that you needed a timed reservation ticket in order to enter the park, accompanied by your entrance pass. What. The. Yeah, kinda annoying especially because there were no available passes for the dates that I would be there AND they wouldn’t be available until 5 pm MDT the night before said requested date. Outstanding. But no matter, I’d deal with that when the time comes. Oh but Mr. Murphy and his stupid ass law wasn’t done with me just yet. The Monday before I was due to leave Oklahoma, I noticed it was pretty cloudy outside, I checked the weather for Oklahoma, rain for the foreseeable future, perfect. Now what about Colorado you might ask? Also…RAIN…for the entire time I was going to be there. Touché Mr. Murphy, touché. Not going to lie, I began to panic, but only a lot. I had already paid for the entire cost of the Airbnb, paid $2,608 for vehicle arrangements, and now I was at risk of my whole trip getting rained out. But thanks to some amazing friends, I was reined back in and reminded that anything is possible and to not give up hope just yet. But I found a work around; leave early. And that’s exactly what I did. I hopped online, found a hotel for one night and was ready to hit the road.

 

Wednesday morning, 23 June 2021, 0300 I set out for the Rocky Mountain National Park. I kissed Athena goodbye (my dog), loaded up the car, cracked open a 12 oz Redbull and hit the road. The drive to Colorado was similar to that of just about any other long trip I’ve made before. Equipped with caffeine, gummy bears and a Danish or two, I blasted my music to keep me awake and enjoyed the scenery as it converted from the flat, monotonous plains of Oklahoma and Texas, to the mountainous landscape of northern New Mexico and finally the real deal; Colorado Rocky Mountains. Now again, I had visited Colorado before, but I’m so obsessed with mountains and knowing I would be smack dab in the middle of the Rockies got my blood pumping. 6 hours, 4 hours, 3 hours, 1 hour and 45 minutes, 1 hours and 37 minutes and 25 seconds, 1 hour and 15 minutes and Murphy STRIKES AGAIN! My ‘check engine’ light comes on! I thought it was a cruel joke some mechanic was playing on me, or maybe a sign that this trip wasn’t suppose to happen. Needless to say, I did not remain calm at all. I was 30 minutes from any exit and was unsure how serious the issue was. Finally I see an exit, I peel off to the first gas station I could find, grab my phone and went to the only website I could think of to counter Murphy’s Law; Google! After a little looking, I found the issue was not a big problem and that all I needed to do was go get it checked at AutoZone…..30 minutes in the opposite direction! I plugged it in to my GPS, beat feet, got to AutoZone and got the issue resolved. Then back to the park. Now the day before, I played the park’s silly little game and got a timed reservation ticket to enter the park between 4-6 pm and I had timed my drive to arrive slightly earlier so I had time to shoot around the park. I figured I’d still be good on time, I just had to get there. 30 minutes, 26 minutes, 17 minutes, at this point I was driving through the mountains. It was breathtaking, the twisting, winding roads followed the natural streams and rapids that flowed down from the icy peaks of the Rockies. I pulled over to get a few pictures of the mountains, streams and flowers and I smelled the sweet, inviting smell of lavender everywhere. I couldn’t believe it. I had never smelled lavender unless in was compressed in a can or burning from a candle and it smell amazing. I hop back in the car and continue driving, trying to focus on the road but constantly distracted by the enveloping majesty of the mountains and landscape. And this b**** Murphy shows up again……I started to smell gas. I pulled over, got out the car to inspect where it was coming from and from my gas tank came pouring out the insanely powerful smell of gasoline. I had a faulty gas cap and the fumes and fuel were leaking. I got back in the car and thought “Just get to the park. Get to the entrance and one of the park rangers could help you.” I drove up to the park entrance…only it was an old, abandoned, no longer in use park entrance and now I was lost. I was lost in the mountains with no cell service and leaking gas lol I could’ve have planned a better trip. I kept driving and checking my phone praying that I would get service so that I could figure out where the hell I was. And then out of nowhere, on the side of a mountain, two bars!!! I pulled off on to one of the scenic lookout points and return to my friend Google, located the park’s main entrance and it was only about 17 minutes away. If my calculations were correct (which at this point I didn’t really trust at all) I would make it to the park gate at 3:50. I’d be right on time.

 

I kept driving, down this mountain, twisting winding roads, until I started getting closer. Now, I like to think of myself as a pretty unique thinker, a pre-planner, someone who is ready for most things and someone who had a different line of thought than most. Well apparently not, as the line to get into the park was about a mile long. Apparently everyone else had the same idea that I did. I wait and I’m finally in the park. I follow directions to the Bear Lake corridor, up the mountain and I can start to feel my heart pounding, the excitement was kicking in. I was almost there and this was the moment I had been waiting for. 12 hours on the road and I was finally about to arrive at my destination. I park in the Park & Ride lot which was about 4 miles from the start point for the trail. I see the shuttle transporting hikers to the Bear Lake corridor and I hop on. The bus dropped us off at the trail head and I start booking it! Why you may ask? Well on the short bus ride, the driver announced that the last bus leaving to the Park & Ride lot would be taking off at 7:30 and anyone that missed the bus would have to take the additional 4 mile hike back to their cars. Yeah, naw I wasn’t about to play that game. So I started my ascent to the first lake; Nymph Lake.

 

So here’s 2 things you should do and should never do if you visit the Rocky Mountains for a hike. You SHOULD be very honest with yourself and your group (if you’re not traveling alone) about your level of physical fitness and you SHOULD NEVER power walk up the mountain. It is disrespectful and the mountain and altitude will make you pay for your arrogance! I thought I was in relatively good shape until I took my first 28 step and almost died. I was gasping for air, like a surfer being pulled under by a shark. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure both my legs cramped up too. Here’s the worst part though, I couldn’t stop or take a break. Not because of the time hack or because there was so much adrenaline pumping through me, no……..it was because while getting off the bus, I semi-bullied my way past about 13 people and took off with so much confidence that I would die of embarrassment if they had caught up to me 6 minutes into the hike. So I keep pushing until I get to Nymph Lake. As I approached the lake, I noticed how it was more of a pond if anything. The water was still, keeping the water lilies afloat, engulfed by the surrounding evergreens. Then from behind the clouds and overcast, the sun pierced through the gloom and cast its light on the lake and I witnessed the pond transform into a beautiful lake! As I took in this spectacle, I knew I couldn’t stick around forever. I took a sip of water and powered on, following the manicured trail around the right side of the lake and continued to incline. At this point I was about 1.2 miles in, yet I felt I have been walking forever and oddly enough I got a burst of energy out of nowhere. Along the trail, I ran into a few families and couples and exchanged stories of what brought them to the park. As an introvert, this was very out of character for me but I ended up meeting some very interesting folks. I continued the hike and about 30 minutes later (and after almost passing out twice because I forgot to breathe while snapping pics), I noticed it got very cold, I saw snow and then realized just how high up I was. The trail continued over a narrow bridge and suddenly a clearing. There was a wooden sign for Dream Lake and Emerald Lake to the right, Lake Haiyaha to the left. I took a right and a few seconds later, there it was. Dream Lake.

 

I’m usually good with describing things, finding certain words to convey a message and invoke feeling synonymous to my own. However, when it comes to Dream Lake, I’m still speechless (which is why I’m glad I just took a picture of it lol) It was like a scene out of a fairy-tale movie, the scene where the mystical forest spirit peered through the trees at the opposite end of the water. Where the valiant knight would shed his armor, wade into the loch and emerge blessed and rejuvenated. Something Bob Ross couldn’t have even painted! It was absolutely beautiful and although I took so many photos of this lake, I don’t think a single one truly pays this lake justice like experiencing it in person would. The calm waters, luscious evergreens surrounding it with their roots twisting downward to the shores to absorb the crisp, clear water, the peaks shrouded by the low hanging clouds in the distance, the serenity of the entire place, even as fellow hikers marched by and marveled, it was absolute bliss. I can completely understand why its called Dream Lake! After almost filling my memory card with every possible angle of the lake that I could, I checked my watch and it was time for my descent. I took one more look at the lake, just to take everything in one last time (at least one last time before I would come back another day), put in my headphones and started walking back. I passed Nymph Lake again, snapped a few pics and soon returned to the start point. Off to the right, I saw hikers heading to Bear Lake. I still had about 30 minutes before the shuttle departed back to my car and I headed down the path to lake. By this point the sun was almost completely out and as I approached, it glistened off the rippling water of Bear Lake. I couldn’t believe how absolutely amazing this place was. After everything I endured, all the hiccups along the way, I had finally made it and I didn’t have a single regret. Now I’m sure you’re wondering about the other two lakes; Emerald Lake and Lake Haiyaha. Well that’s a story for another time.