Colorado: Part II

Now, as my first day in the Rocky Mountain National Park came to a conclusion, it was time for me to head back down through the park and to my hotel in Denver. The drive out of the park was just as amazing as the ride in, with the sun setting behind the mountains, peaking through the surrounding forests. Every five minutes I wanted to pull over grab my camera and take a pictures. But I knew I needed to get out of the park, find some food and get in my hotel room.

I arrived at the hotel, still slightly in a state of disbelief after what I saw earlier that day at the park. Seeing Dream Lake was definitely a highlight for me and I believe it was because it was a location that met every expectation I could have. So many times when traveling, you come across places and locations that are so sought after or visited so often that they become polluted with tourists (like myself). But Dream Lake was just that…a dream. Preserved, nestled in the mountains, in all its glory. As I unpacked my bag, I thought about the days to come and how I could possibly top Day 1. I grabbed my laptop, dumped my photos from the day, made a few posts on IG and Facebook and prepared myself for bed. Tomorrow that real trip going to begin.

I woke up the following morning rejuvenated and ready to hit the road, back to the mountains and to my happy place. The route to the AirBNB was a little different, but only in the sense that the directions were different. The scenery however, was just as amazing. Maybe it’s just me, but I can never get enough of driving through mountains. The thrill of the twisting and winding roads, not knowing what scenic overlook lies beyond the bend of the highway, the occasional waterfall. I arrived at the AirBNB and again, it was everything I expected it to be. An amazing view, perfectly located in Grandby, there were hiking trails throughout the area, only 30 minutes from the entrance to the park, a cozy aesthetic inside and the best part……..cows! Just down the road from the residence was as best I could describe; a self-service, walk-in petting zoo, “ranch” where you could walk up to, pet and take a stroll with some cows lol. Regardless, it was amazing. After exploring the area a bit, I went to a near by supermarket, grabbed some food (and beers of course), headed back to the house to make an amazing Filet Mignon. Day two was in the books and I was ready to head back to the park.

Now I’m going to blame this on the altitude and the beer, because in the midst of my relaxation….I lost track of what day it was and when I returned to the park. However, the day I did decide to return is definitely one I won’t forget. From the AirBNB, it was a quick drive to the park entrance; however, it wasn’t quite what I thought it would be. This entrance was about 1 hour and 35 minutes from the Bear Lake Corridor and where I needed to be. So this meant driving THROUGH the actual mountains, elevation and all. Through the clouds, along the peaks, through the ice caps and snow….in the middle of June, it was something else. Now as you know, I couldn’t make this drive without stopping and getting some shots. However, I did NOT learn my lesson from my first day in regards to my physical fitness. About halfway through the drive, I saw an overlook spot that just stood out to me. I quickly pulled over, grabbed my camera and drone and headed to snap a few shots. On the way back to my car is when it happened, I started seeing spots! I had walked no more than 50 feet from my car and my lungs had enough of my antics!!! Lol somehow I made it back to my car but had to sit for ten minutes just to catch my breath. When I finally got my life together I continued on to the Bear Lake Corridor entrance.

As I approached the entrance to the Corridor, I immediately noticed that almost all the cars were pulled over on either side of the road and it did take long for me to find out why. First there was one, then two, then three and it wasn’t long until an entire herd of Elk began their march, emerging from the trees across the park. Of course for all of us visitors this was an amazing sight and we HAD to take a picture. Meanwhile, I could see the guard at the corridor entrance, looking amongst the ditched cars in disgust, as if to say “What? You never seen an Elk Herd before? Pff”🙄 But no one payed him any mind and we enjoy what to us was indeed a rare sight. After parking the car, grabbing my gear and heading to the trail head, I revisited a few of the Lakes that I seen already a few days before and of course, I was way more prepared and didn’t lose my breath after 47 seconds of speed walking. However, this time I had two addition lakes to see; Emerald Lake and Lake Haiyaha. Emerald Lake sat just beyond Dream Lake, about a 20 minute walk, filled with the continued beauty of the Rocky Mountains, the still serenity of the forest and crisp, thin mountain air. As I approached the lake, I could see why it was called Emerald Lake. Rightfully so, the lake was a beautiful emerald, almost turquoise green. But what was more impressive than the lake….was the 8 month pregnant woman that decided to randomly get out the house and go for a hike. See, when you travel alone you tend to have no one to talk to and when you have no one to talk to (and you’re an introvert) you tend to hear what everyone else around you is talking about. Welp, that’s what happened! Needless to say, I was very impressed and yet ashamed of myself for even having the thought of complaining about running out of breath! But seeing and hearing about what she was doing definitely motivated me to continue on my hike and get to Lake Haiyaha (which almost killed me….again). From Dream Lake, Lake Haiyaha is the furthest and highest elevation of any of the lakes. And what they don’t tell you about this particular hike is that it gets very sketchy in some places. For a moment in my hike to the top, the path narrowed down to about 3 feet wide….on the side of a cliff. But what was even scarier than that, was the silence. I mentioned before that the still serenity on the way to Emerald Lake was amazing; however, there was something almost eerie about how quiet it was the further up I went. Now again, this trip happened in June, middle of the summer, when it’s expected for wildlife to flourish. The higher up I went the quieter it got. When I reached the lake, it was just as amazing as the previous four that I had seen. The lake was a bright, yet somewhat murky blue, massive boulders encompassing the body of water, and because of the elevation and climate the clouds (yes the clouds not fog) almost kissed the lake causing very limited visibility. But I still couldn’t get over how absolutely silent it was. As I reached into my camera bag, I realized I didn’t hear any other people there, not a single bird, not even a cricket, I was there at this lake, completely alone, with the sun setting and then I heard it. Off in the distance, there was rumbling. My heart sank but I froze, curious to know was it was but horrified to move as I considered the thought it was a mountain lion stalking me and the sound that I heard was actually an echo and that I misplaced the direction it was coming from. To my relief, I came to the realization that it was just a clump of the ice and snow that had fallen off into the lake. And with realization, I packed away my camera and hauled ass back down the mountain to my car.

As I left the park, looking in my rear view mirror at the mountains, I couldn’t help but be overcome with a slight sense of accomplishment. I had planned this trip less than a month before I decided to leave and through all the hiccups that came along with it, I could say that I did exactly what I said I was going to do; spend my birthday hiking in the mountains, visiting the lakes and taking pictures. And that achievement was enough for me.