Garden of the Gods & Pikes Peak

Garden of the Gods was our multi-day stopping point on our way home from our October 2020 journey; it was also the first place we went on our honeymoon, and this was the first time we returned since then. Once, freshly married, well rested, and otherwise bright-eyed and bushy-tailed; the second time older, wiser, and with more children and much less sleep. 

I liked it better the second time.

The first time, we did what I think most people do--drive in, do the visitor's center, walk the paved paths and see the cool rocks. If that's all you do, it's still otherwordly and interesting. You see amazing things and learn cool history, and it's all very accessible--it's a great place no matter how you tackle it. 

The second time, though--this second time was something more for me. There's a decent amount of easy to moderate hiking all through Garden of the Gods, and since we just came off much higher elevations, it was all cinch. Our hiking was extremely facilitated by the fact we stayed at a VRBO that was literally on the park boundary, so we just hiked in all the days we were there. 

Both times we've been, we've also done Pikes Peak. We've only done the drive up, hang out, drive down thing, with some stops and tiny hikes at a few places. 

Stay

We loved our VRBO house this time around. We stayed in a house right by the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, and we hiked in through there.

Hiking

There are 21 miles of hiking in Garden of the Gods, and we often combined trails at intersection points.

South Garden Parking Lot--we did the Ute Trail, Niobrara Trail, Ridge Loop, and Old Colorado City from this parking lot / trailhead. We rarely were around people, and it was easy hiking with fantastic views. Some times you are meandering through a grassy plain area, looking at the wild rock formations, and then suddenly you are IN the rock formations. It was the best of both words, and these were the trails we actually most often took from the backside, hiking in from our rental.

From the Trading Post area: We did a slightly shortened version of The Scotsman Trail, which gives you some big highlights of this side of the park (Balanced Rock, Siamese Twins, The Scotsman, and a bit beyond before looping back.

Accessible Trails: These are paved and real stunners. We treated them more like easy strolls and exploring, and we got to see a bunch of rock climbers, which really set the kids' imaginations on fire. Get here from the main parking lots. 

Hikes for the future at Garden of the Gods:

1. Buckskin Charlie Loop
2. Full Scotsman Loop
3. Full Cabin Canyon and Central Garden Trail Loop (about 4 miles total)
4. Complete Outer Loop of the Park
5. Bretag Trail combined with Palmer Trail

Eats

Basically all our meals on this trip were at home, with the notable exception of ice cream at the Colorado City Creamery and high elevation doughnuts at the top of Pike's Peak. The last time we were here, we stayed at a B&B and snagged take out, so I am afraid I am of no help on this point. Other than the ice cream. Ice cream is always a good choice. 

To Do List for the Future

I am absolutely, 10000% going to sign up for rock climbing lessons and sessions next time we are there. You'll find that's probably a theme for me--it's something I really want to try generally--but it's even more true here. There were people! Climbing up these gorgeous red rocks! Standing on the peaks of rock fins! It was so cool.

If it had been running, we would have done the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, but alas, the entire peak was under construction while we were there, and it was honestly all a mess. I was glad we had memories from our honeymoon of how outstanding it can be, because otherwise, it was disappointing. We would have loved to get our train-obsessed little one on the railway, so that's on the list for next time. 

Speaking of Pikes Peak, that's one I would like to do again, for the third time in my life, but I want o hike parts. I would love to take a shortened summit route, or even just point-to-point hike part of the trail with a vehicle pick up. I'd also like to spend more time hiking the trails at the lower elevations and points of interests.

Picture Post: Moraine Park

 Moraine Park, in pictures. 

This is a frustrating picture post for me, though it's a pristine memory. It was completely spur of the moment--my brother and I flung ourselves out of the car with nothing more than a vague inclination of where and when JK would return to pick us up, and headed out with one hydration pack between us--an no camera. We had our phones, but I didn't even have my Moment lens. So, even though I have a lot of pictures in this post, the quality is not great. However, it was also nice being caught without my good camera--I just kind of sunk into the experience and enjoyed it. It's preserved in my brain, mostly. 

Unlike many of my other pictures from this trip, the haze you see isn't smoke--it's rain, fog, sleet, and snow. It started off just foggy, then rained lightly, before switching to sleet and snow. It was quite the adventure, and while it blocked some of the huge majestic views, there's something ethereal about being there in the fog, knowing all you need to do is part the veil and step through.

This was the view we kept driving past, enticing me to come hike.

This was the start of the hike, when the fog was just starting to come in from higher elevations, and my brother and I decided to impulse hike. We actually followed the rest of the road from here, rather than setting out on this trail, and hiked along the marked trail that peeks in and out of the tree line, far away from the road or people.

Once you are off the road and onto the trail, the stream meanders alongside you.

Looking back at the tree line we had been ducking in and out of.

 

Looking forward to the rest of the tree line trail, heading towards looming giants encased in fog.

Again with the obligatory dead tree picture, or as my niece puts it, photographing a symbol of your mortality.

One of my favorite pictures from this hike, because this is what the view was often like. Lacy pines gently framing the mountain and meadow landscape.

I'll take one brother, on the rocks.

This picture always makes me smile. It's not my normal hiking gear--I generally wear less bulky layers, but again, I was not planning to hike just then and I was coming down from an actual blizzard around 12,000 ft. I ended up being somewhat glad of it, though, because this was about when it started to sleet and snow.

That pine in the right corner is where we had just been standing on those rocks.

My brother thought this looked like a fish; I thought it looked like one of the sand worms from Dune.

I have so many versions of this picture.

Towards the end of the hike, you cross over the stream and head into the trailhead parking lot. From there, the Moraine Park campgrounds are easily accessible, and we were mostly walking through the campgrounds and alongside the road.

My brother got down to the water level, as he does.

This was the most stunning feature of this entire hike, but it's one that pictures can't capture. The trees at the back of the picture was where we were hiking, and all those dots in the middle are elk. The entire hike, they were bugling. We hiked a massive oval loop around the meadow, listening to them and the sleet and nothing else. 

Picture Post: Lily Lake

 Lily Lake, in pictures.

This was a hike (Lily Lake and Lily Ridge) we did in RMNP towards the end of our time there, though after a long day of other hikes. It was one of our favorites for many reasons: ease of access, ability to be an easy walk around the lake if desired, ability to climb the ridge for a harder hike, view payoff to effort ratio, and the ability to add on longer hikes from the same location and trailhead. 

We did this hike without JD, who was 3 at the time, because he was toast for the day and wanted to hang with his Grams. He absolutely could have done this and enjoyed it. There were very few other people around, but again, it was mid/late October, later in the day, and the fires were starting grow.

Parts of the trail are boardwalk-type or flat; parks are rocky stairs; parts are just plain rock scrambles.

A view from part of the way up the ridge, looking down at the lake. 

Near the top. If you look closely, you can see St. Vrain Ave, and part of the flat trail that takes only around the lake. This gives you an idea of easy it is to get to this lake--St. Vrain is not a NPS road, and this is a whole different access point to the park. You can also see the smoke haze.

My adventure baby made it to the ridge top, and she felt pretty pleased with herself and the view.

My youngest niece accompanied us on this hike, and she was utterly bemused and baffled by the interest her dad and I had in some of the old, twisted, often dead trees. "Is because you are OLD? Do you like to contemplate YOUR MORTALITY?" Ahh, teens. The shade is efficient and well honed. Despite my mortality, obviously symbolized by the dead tree I had never seen before that point, this is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

I wish I had more pictures of the descent down the ridge, because it was equally beautiful, but at that point, we got very goofy, and it's lots of family pictures of us goofing off while we hiked down. This is after we made it down the ridge; the path was flat dirt for a bit, then transitioned into boardwalk.

There's an overlook pier right off the parking lot, with an obvious real stunner of a view. I am almost certain that this is one of the three or four places for which you can get a special use permit to get married. Can you imagine? I bet the pictures are amazing. 

There were a few spots where you could get down to the water itself, which is my brother's favorite thing to do.

Fire: Rocky Mountain National Park

I am sure it did not escape some of you that I mentioned our trip to Rocky Mountain National Park was in October 2020--the year that the infamous East Troublesome and Cameron Peak fires ripped through RMNP.

We had monitored the fire for weeks leading up to the trip. Although we were worried, we (perhaps foolishly) decided to to take the trip anyway, but decided to be ready to pack up and leave with minutes notice. Anything that was absolutely critical and had to come with us stayed in bins near out cabin door; we would leave with the two bins and ourselves. If we had time, there would be more packing. In retrospect, as I type that, it seems bananas, but I am a plan for the worst type person, so I can't say that I was ACTUALLY thinking we would do that, just that I would plan for it, as always.

When we first arrived in Estes Park, the Cameron Peak fire had been holding steady, through half of September and the first part of October. East Troublesome had not even started until after our arrival. My brother, who lives in Arizona and has more than once had to evacuate his home due to fire, gave us some things to watch for and other information, and kept a close eye on it from afar. 

Almost immediately upon arrival, we met the neighbors of our cabin. They are full time residents, and we all took an instant liking to each other. They warned us about locking our car to keep bears out (!!) and making sure doors were locked for the same reason, and we hopefully amused them with kid antics. They also were keeping a close eye on the fires, and were steadily preparing to leave, just in case--but either way, they were planning on a road trip out east towards the end of October, so they were leaving either way. They'd promised us that if they heard something on their radio or their alerts, they would come bang on our door to tell us it was time to leave. This was reassuring but also very yikes.

On October 13, the Cameron Peak started rapidly expanding, and on October 14, the East Troublesome was fire was spotted and grew rapidly. My brother and his family were coming out on the 16th, but were getting increasingly nervous. Again, in retrospect, if the family who has more experience with wildfires than you do is nervous, rethink your anxiety levels. We kept watching the reports, I signed myself for the residential and county alerts to my phone, and my brother came.

Amid the obvious amazing time we had, there was a low level of buzzing anxiety. We watch the reports, we refreshed the fire maps, and by this point (October 16th through 18th) you could see clear towering stacks of smoke in the direction of both fires. It started to feel a bit like Estes Park was being hunted by a fire god, using his hands to peer through trees and mountains. In what almost did it for me, my brother mapped out the roads around us, and realizing we were on a dead end road, made plans for what he needed to do if we had to off-road to escape. Again, hindsight.

Our last two days in RMNP (the 19th and 20th, leaving the morning of the 21th around 10 am) were still magical and wonderful, but also felt like we were waiting on tippie toes. Our hikes all had more than a faint smell of campfire to them. Many of pictures have a general hazy quality, and it's not a filter--it's smoke. The mountains became lurking giants rather than brilliantly detailed against a blue sky. We said our goodbyes to our neighbors, exchanged numbers and addresses, and headed out to Colorado Springs. We drove for a few hours before the smoke really cleared and all the while, we looked back at it. My impression of being surrounded by smoke only grew stronger the more we moved away--it seemed like Estes Park was being enveloped. 

 
So much haze.

That impression was correct. On October 21, the day we left, both fires grew exponentially and expanded. The Cameron Peak fire grew wildly and began closing Estes Park in. The Est Troublesome fire grew into RMNP and crossed the continental divide, and reached the western edge of Estes Park on October 23. East Troublesome fire came within a literal hairbreadth of burning the beloved YMCA of the Rockies, and the very cabin where we stayed. The fire was halted less than a mile from both. The YMCA of the Rockies described it as a miracle that it didn't take them, and that seems very true. 

Black is fire; the circled area was our cabin. Red is mandatory evacuation.

I watched this unfold what felt like minutes after leaving. We were still in Colorado--down in Colorado Springs. The places we had just beheld and been amazed by were on fire. The place I thought was the most magical wonderscape I'd ever seen was burning and black. It was heartbreaking and sobering. 

I'm sure you've seen the pictures of people fleeing Estes Park. I won't put them here, because they're not mine and lawyers love copyright laws. There's the "Welcome to Estes Park" sign with deep orange smokey skies; The Stanley Hotel, looking again like it's in a apocalyptic horror movie with a bright orange sky; the lights of Grand Lake with the fires of Mordor about to overtake it; and images of cars lined up, trying to leave, while black smoke turned the sky to ink as the fire stretched its finger over them.

I think the image that broke my heart first can be found here. It's Lake Estes, with elk and other animals at the water, and the world is orange with fire. 

If this small brush left such a lasting impression on me, just a person who was there and loves the place, I can't imagine what it was like for people who live there, work there, or have even deeper connections. It was all so scary and devastating. I did track down our neighbors--calling them to make sure they had gotten out okay, which they had--and I am grateful for their unasked for, unprompted kindness and protectiveness, when they had no obligation to do that for us. 

There are areas of the park still very much in recovery, and some areas are still closed, which you can read more about here. It also includes links to information on the fires themselves and their timelines, as well as a link to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, which is taking donations to help with recovery efforts. 

Picture Post: Alluvial Fan and Bierstadt Lake

Here's a pictures post for you, with some descriptive captions. 

The Alluvial Fan

The above image is the rocky "rapids" of the Alluvial Fan. This picture was taken from just off the accessible path leading up to the waterfall, though waterfall is not entirely accurate. 

One of the actual waterfall parts of the Alluvial Fan. This was reached via a hike up the boulders on the west side of the falls. We could have gone higher, and others did, but we decided that it was already a successful excursion. 

An example of the climb up and down you might have to take. We actually avoided this route, choosing instead to stick to boulders and avoiding impacting any plant life. 

 

What remains one of my favorite pictures from the park. It was taken with my iPhone with a Moment lens, but the lens was a bit grubby from my fingers at this point. JK is helping EJ cross the waterway, having first checked all rocks himself with his trekking poles. Even a shallow amount of water can be dangerous, and you have to have great care and respect when dealing with it. Seeing them working together carefully, against the mountain backdrop, was a heart soaring moment. 

Bierstadt Lake

While I may have slightly skewed the image--my hands were jostling around quite a bit--you can see it's a pretty steep incline up.

I believe I mentioned parts of the trail were steep and rocky, right? Never fear, it was great fun. The "rock climbing" aspect kept the kids endless entertained.

This was our first peek at the clearing where the lake was, and I could have sat here all day. It's the picture definition of anticipation--you know it's right there, right up ahead, waiting for you.

While this is not my favorite picture of Bierstadt Lake that we took--silly wide angle lens on my phone made it look smaller than it is--it's the one I choose for this for the colors, for the mountains, and the sky.

There were parts of the hike that were flat and the floor was blanketed by pine needles.

On our way back down, looking over Glacier Creek Stables. 

Rocky Mountain National Park

 We've been back to Rocky Mountain National Park quite a few times--honeymoon, anniversary, quick trips, etc. None of those times were quite so epic as October 2020, when we went to RMNP for a week and a half, and then stayed a few days at Garden of the Gods. This part will cover RMNP, and we will save Garden of the Gods for later. 

Deciding To Go

It was pandemic times. We had planned a glorious trip for March 2020--Zion, Escalante, Grand Canyon, Saguaro--which, well. We all know what happened to plans in the United States in March 2020. By the end of July, we were more comfortable with what safety precautions were needed and our itch to travel was at an all time high. Driving to our original plan was just too far, but Estes Park? That seemed doable. EJ, our oldest, was in virtual school. JD was still in daycare. So, reader, we went for it. I took two weeks off; JK planned to work remotely a bit; EJ would do some school. We were going to drive it, rent a cabin, and just hike around.

Getting There

Whew, driving from Indiana to Colorado was something else. JK and I decided that if it was just us, we would have a grand time either way (making a long trip out of it, or just barreling straight through). The kids had other ideas. They slept until Missouri, they were well behaved until 3 pm, and then it all disintegrated, understandably. 

The drive is EASY. Get on I-70. Drive until you hit Denver. We stopped in Denver and stayed at a hotel--Denver was as far as the kids could make it, and we knew there was a giant train station in downtown Denver that would delight the very soul of JD. Sure enough, we had a leisurely morning, stopped in bookstores, explored downtown, and yes, sat on the platform and watched trains for quite some time.

The drive from Denver to Estes Park is gorgeous--mountains, twists, turns, and then, suddenly you open up on to Estes Park and it's just stunning. We had some time to kill so we got ice cream--yes, in October, and it was snowing--before checking into our VRBO.

You don't need 4WD in summer, but we were sure glad to have it in October. There were a few times where it snowed and sleeted while we were up over 12,000 feet on winding roads.

Staying There

We've stayed in hotels, in B&Bs, and in VRBO-style cabins/houses. So far, our favorite was the cabin we stayed in for this trip. We almost exclusively tend to rent or otherwise stay along Tunnel Road, aka Highway 66 in Estes Park, and that's where our cabin was again. You generally get great views here, it's an easy shot to the market, super close to Beaver Meadows Entrance, there's a coffee shop and a great barbeque place, the river is right there, AND, most important to me (us), the road dead ends. At that dead end is a small parking lot that's almost never full, and you can hike right into the backcountry to RMNP.

My next place that I want to stay is the YMCA of the Rockies. Depending on how many of us there are, we will do a cabin or stay in the lodge. You should seriously check them out--they get rave reviews, there's lots to do on the grounds (rock climbing! fire pits! axe throwing! a pool!), you can hike into the park, and they do things like guided hikes. 

If I get to take a solo trip this year, YMCA of the Rockies is absolutely where I am staying. I like supporting a beloved fixture of the community that I love generally. On a trip by myself, where I really want to hike, I appreciate the guide--not because I am not confident in my hiking and map abilities, but because my parents did not raise a fool. One wrong footstep is a broken ankle, no matter how prepared you are, and I would rather would have someone around.

Hikes

We've done a fair number of hikes in RMNP, so I'm going to share the hikes we liked best... so far. 

1. Bierstadt Lake. There are two ways to get here--the shorter way, which has a ton of switchbacks and feels like you are clawing your way up through rocks on the side of a mountain, and there's the longer way, which starts at Bear Lake and is a more gradual increase. Reader, we hiked the short way. Honestly, I wouldn't trade it. It was exhausting and we were sucking wind for sure, but the views off those switchbacks were amazing. Then we plunged into a forest, only to be confronted with what felt like a hike through a creek bed full of rocks on the way up--so vertical that it felt like a scramble. Yes, the kids did it, even JD, who was 3 at the time. The reward is a mountain lake that's isolated. I felt like I was alone in a divot at the top of the world. I definitely want to try the other routes, but I did love this.
2. Moraine Park. Every time we drove past Moraine Park, every time, the words "want" and "to" and "hike" and "THAT" were tumbling off my tongue. I am sure I got annoying. But it's this gorgeous giant meadow surrounded by rising land around it. Every time I've been there, animals like to hang out, and there's a meandering stream running through it. I got my wish rather abruptly in October 2020. My brother had flown out with some of his family to see us and stay for a few days. On our way back down Trail Ridge Road, we drove past Moraine Park, and he blurted out "I HAVE to hike that." So out of the car he and I tumbled, leaving behind our spouses and children, with one hydration pack between us, in the sleet/snow. Promises were made to return a few hours later to pick us up, and off we went. It was magical. It's fairly flat, so it could be a good first day hike. You weave in and out of the tree line, alongside the stream, and in the middle, the elk were bugling. There was no sound but the elk, the stream, and the sleet hitting my coat. It we had more water (and we're getting fairly soaked and snowed upon), we likely would have picked another trail that led off it and kept going. This is an all time favorite of mine, and I can't wait to have the kids do it with us.
3. Bear Lake - Nymph Lake - Dream Lake - Emerald Lake. This is an easy way to hit four mountain lakes. The hike is not hard around Bear Lake, and then you can tack on the hikes to other three lakes. It's about 3 miles from trail head to Emerald Lake, and an elevation gain of 700 ft. This is definitely a busier trail, though the numbers decrease the further you go. It feels very quintessential--lakes, trees, mountains, at a very low (or "low" depending on ability) barrier. 
4. East Portal / Wind River / Emerald Mountain / Sprague Lake. These are lumped together because we've done all or parts of these trails, some times jumping trails at intersections. This is why we love our Tunnel Road stays so much--the trail head is at the end of the road, and we can hike to Sprague Lake, up Emerald Mountain, or on a much longer hike over towards Estes Cone and Lily Mountain. Sometimes, we just go up here and hike the trails aimlessly, just enjoying the backcountry. It's so quiet. SO QUIET that the silence fills your ears and you start hearing everything. Sprague Lake is a real stunner for sunrise, too. Emerald Mountain is a hard climb (or at least, it was for me, since I stupidly did it on the first day there--altitude adjustment is a thing, people), but oh man, the views are something. Gosh, I love this trail head.
5. Lily Ridge / Lily Lake / Lily Mountain. This was a surprise for us, though it shouldn't have been. It's an incredibly easy lake to access--it's right there off the parking area, and yet, it did not really register with us that it was there until we drove past on way to Allenspark for family pictures. We went here after a huge day--hiking up above tree line, my hike with my brother around Moraine Park, and then this area. Lily Lake trail is a great, accessible, flat trail around the lake. It's a real stunner. If you're in the mood for a hike rather than a stroll, Lily Ridge Trail is what you want. It's rated easy, but my heart was pounding on the way up--could have been wiped out from the rest of the day, though. It's short, but take your time and take in the views. Best to have a map for this one, because parts of the trial are over rock and it's easy to lose the trial (but you can always see where you need to be, so don't worry too much). We did the hard climb first, rather than last. There's lots of rocks, some almost scrambling, and the view payoff is fantastic for very little effort. The Lily Mountain  climb is fairly demanding--4 miles, 1300 ft elevation gain. Fun fact: Lily Mountain itself is in Roosevelt National Forest, and the trail head is a bit before the Lily Lake Parking lot. Because it's in a National Forest, you can have a leashed dog with you. Make sure you have a map--the trial is dicey at the start. It's a workout, and there's a scramble at the top, but my God, the views. It's so worth it.
6. Alpine Visitors Center. It's not a hike--not really. It's walking up a staircase, but damn, if you are a flatlander like me, it's a HIKE at that elevation. We did this on our honeymoon and I didn't make it. That's when we first found out I get altitude sickness. People on the path were encouraging me to keep going but I could barely hear them--all I could hear was my head pounding, feeling like it was going to explode, my vision was weird, and the only thing I knew was that down was safety. After careful preparation, I was thrilled to climb this staircase with no problem in later years. Every time I've been back has been in the snow--snow pelting my face, 60 MPH winds, fog, and still, it's gorgeous. You're in the alpine. You're above the tree line. You are at the top and you can see everywhere (unless your eyelids froze to your face or your brother threw a snowball into your face). A similar experience is the Tundra Communities Trail
7. Ute Trail. There's lots of areas and ways to use the Ute Trail, so take your pick. There's rich and important history to it that gives you a little extra chill as you are walking. If you can, consider having someone drop you at one point and pick you up at another, doing a point to point hike (unless you are feeling some of the longer, 8 mile type hikes). We liked Poudre Lake to the Alpine Ridge, and taking the Ute Trail from the Alpine Visitors Center to Forest Canyon pass, with a pick up there. The Ute Trail gives you a lit of everything, below tree line, above it, alpine meadow, trees, lakes, rocks.
8. Alluvial Fan. Our family is a big fan of the Alluvial Fan trail and area (heh). The Alluvial Fan trial itself is accessible; the waterfall is very pretty, and the views as you turn around and look back are, of course, stunning. What makes this place so cool is how it came to be--an earthen dam gave way and flooded the park, leaving behind a whole new landscape--boulders displaced and scattered around in a field of rock, trees and earth ripped out, etc. The trail is very short and easy, but the kids went nuts over the boulders, climbing on top of boulders three times their size. We spent a huge amount of time here, given how short the trial was. If you are surefooted and careful, you can do what we saw others doing (and what we did)--hike up the side, on the rocks and boulders, climbing up alongside the tumbling water (rapids might be more accurate?). We hiked up quite a way with EJ and eventually found a narrow place to cross and descend. It was a huge hit and favorite memory. This area in particular is a stunner in the fall--there's huge groves of aspen trees, so leave from here and wander up towards Endo Valley, then hang out at that picnic area, exploring. I think this (Alluvial Fan, Old Fall River Road, Endo Valley) is a great first day or two activity--flat-ish, more exploring than strenuous hiking, easy pay off on fun and views, and neat history.

Hikes on our list:

1. Ute Trail Hikes. Hiking the Ute Trail to Peak 12150; Beaver Meadows to Ute Trail (we'd like to do this as a point to point).
2. Old Fall River Road--you can drive it in the summer, one way, up only. Other times, you can bike or walk it--pretty sure you can even ski or snowshoe it.
3. Glacier Gorge trailhead to The Loch, Lake of Glass, and Sky Pond. This is a huge one that I would plan to spend all day on. I suspect that JK and I alone could do it in a decent amount of time, but why would I want to do that? I want to spend all the time I can with this trail.
4. Glacier Gorge trail to Mills Lake, Shelf Lake, and Solitude Lake. Some day, I'd also like to give Black Lake, Green Lake, Blue Lake, and Frozen Lake a go.
5. Beaver Ponds, Cub Lake, Fern Lake--this is one of those trails we saw leading off as my brother and I were hiking Moraine Park. 
6. Cache La Poudre River Trail.
7. West side--while we've done some hikes and nature trails on this side, we've not really dug in much. We tend to come over, do a short hike or two, and head back, but that's a complete disservice to the west side, and we are looking forward to some more in-depth exploring. Green Mountain trail; Big Meadows Trail; Onahu Trail; Valley and River Loop; Granite Falls.
8. Wild Basin--I am so excited to explore this area, which we have not gotten to at all. Cascade Falls and Ouzel Lake are on the list, along with others. 

Eats

We loved Coffee on the Rocks, Inkwell and Brew, Kind Coffee, and Mile High Coffee. The Rock Inn was delicious, as was Smokin' Dave's BBQ (also great for huge family style meal take out). The Egg of Estes was great for breakfast. Poppy's Pizza and Grill was perfect for a takeout pizza night. We did a lot of cooking at home, and we used The Country Market. I know there's a debate of over prices and stock, but that was closest to us, and we were not being fancy--we were doing basic grilling and veggies. There are also places like Scratch Deli where they will make a picnic lunch for you--high recommend.

Lastly, You Need Pie. No serious, the Estes Park Pie Shop is right, and you need pie. From them. Immediately. Every day.

Random Thoughts and Tips

Altitude issues. As noted, I got (and likely still can/will) get altitude sickness. I know there are medications and "this one weird trick" type tips that people give, but none of that was going to cut it for me. Here's what I did. (1) Exercise and train. Swimming, intense spin classes, as much walking and hiking ahead of time. The swimming really helps me build up my lung capacity, which I think helped the most. Basically, fitness helps. (2) Plan your days--start easy. We planned short, flat, gentle hikes for the first few days. More exploring, rather than challenges. (3) So much water. All the water. Constant hydration. Like Mad Eye Moody, but water instead of vigilance. Also sunscreen. (3) No alcohol. I know, I know, you're on vacation, and you want a beer after that hike. For me, I am pretty much zero alcohol in the mountains. One glass of wine, one spiked seltzer in the mountains is a recipe for the worst hangover ever for me. So I don't. My mountain indulgence is hot chocolate or tea, with plenty of water to rehydrate. (4) Take your time. If you are a flatlander, there's only so much you can do to prepare. Plan for hikes to take longer, and really, there's no drawback to that. Take in the view! That's what you came for, not some athletics feat where you hike a mountain in record time (unless that's you, then go on with your badass self). Sit on a rock. Take a break. Take some pictures. Ponder.

Maps. If you're hiking, get good, detailed maps. Physical maps are great, if you know how to use them. Maps on your phone, say from All Trails or a similar type, are also great. Make sure you've downloaded them and your phone is fully charged, if you are going that route. It's saved us many a time from veering off onto another trail accidentally and taking a road not intended.

First aid. I don't hike with a basic first aid kit, and I have absolutely used it--on myself, on JK, on the kids, on random hikers passing by. I got a great compact one off Amazon that I replenish, and sometimes JK hikes it with it hooked to his belt.

Pictures. First off, we treated ourselves and got professional family pictures last time we were out there. We found a great photographer, paid for half an hour of her time (a mini session), and walked away having had fun and with great family pictures in the freaking mountain. Highly recommend. Second, we bought a lightweight, easy to use mirrorless camera. JK fell in love with it and he's become our family picture taker. We dropped $500 on it, but man, that little machine was worth it. The pictures are amazing, form the mountains to soccer games. Third, I got some Moment lenses. Basically, they are souped up lenses that I attach to my phone and they really enhance the quality of my phone pictures. I have a zoom, a wide angle, and a filter that helps adjust for super bright light. Those three things have made some great photos right off my phone. Last, take your time. Take the picture. But also enjoy the moment--don't worry about capturing everything. It's impossible.

Location and seasons and timing hikes. We've been in RMNP in summer, late summer, and fall. Perhaps I am biased because of the time spent and depth we got to experience, but my favorite is the fall. We've gone in September and October (most recently, after the reservation system was in effect), and in the later parts of October, there were less people, the aspens were still gorgeous, we will had some 50F-60F days, and we had some snow. Summer had its own beauty--more flowers, the streams and waterfalls were fuller, the weather was nicer, and the greenery was stunning. There were considerably more people. If you are a hiker, its easy enough to get away from the people, but have fun getting in the park.

As far as location goes, we've obviously stayed only in Estes Park, with wanderings over to Grand Lake area. You get devotees of both, and I am excited to do more exploring on the Grand Lake end soon. What's really calling me, though, is Wild Basin. It's quieter, less explored, and, well, wilder. The road is dicey and the parking is limited. The wildlife and plant life are abundant.

Timing hikes is key, especially if you are going above the tree line. Thunderstorms out of nowhere are a real things, and you do not want to be caught caught above the tree line in one. Also, check to make sure areas of the park you want to visit are open, and have not been closed due to congestion or recent fires. 

Other things I want to do:

1. Back country hiking and camping.
2. Camping at Moraine Park campgrounds.
3. Visit in winter to cross country ski and snowshoe.
4. Summit a few of the lower peaks.
5. hike across the continental divide.
6. Take rock climbing lessons from one of the local outfitters.

Well, hello there.

 A long time ago, I was a bored* law student and I started a blog. I was newly engaged and living apart my from fiancée while he finished law school. Then we got married, and I inherited his mischievous golden retriever who I loved but alas, made it to 12 years old before needing to say goodbye. Then JK and I got a new dog, Telly, who was... chaotic good? Chaotic evil? Lawful evil? I don't know, but he was mischief personified. He lived with us in bliss but not harmony until July 2020, so well into the pandemic.

Did I mention there was a pandemic? And we have two kids?

We are very golden retriever focused over here, so now we have Finn OH AND two children. They are lovely, adorable creatures with funny personalities who give us both love and grief, in all the best ways. It seems that mostly harmless mischief is our brand for all creatures for whom we provide care because honestly, it's a bit out of control over here most of the time, and it's fun.

If I sent you here, looking for old travel posts or old posts on craniosynostosis, I've hidden them. Remind me, and I will get you the info you need another way. If you are here because of craniosynostosis: I am giving you a hug right now. You're not alone. A shocking number of us have gone through this.

My law-work life is stressful AF and honestly, I don't ever want to talk about it here, except maybe in vague moments or funny nonconfidential anecdotes. Mostly, what I want to you about is hiking and travel. Yes, I am aware that we are still pandemic-ing, so at first, I am probably going to rehash some favorite trips, but we are slowly starting to venture out with mostly drivable trips. 

JK and I somehow stumbled into hiking on our honeymoon. We planned to go to Hawaii but then decided Colorado was cheaper and easier to get to, and less likely to have cell service in the mountains. We were correct on all accounts. We went to Colorado Springs, and then to Estes Park and had a blast. We saw cool trails and wandered off down, or rather, in the Rocky Mountains, UP them, utterly unprepared. No water, no hiking supplies, sneakers not boots, just honeymooning fools. We discovered that I get altitude sickness! That was fun. But nevertheless, it was so stunning that we kept going back. We kept loving being outdoors. We kept hiking, with dogs, and then with kids. The hiking gear and experience grew, and we are where we are now.

So, let's chat hiking and parks and travel and dogs and kids on the road. Maybe there will be legal-ese, too.

*not bored, like, no work, more like, oh Lord, please give me something else to do besides this never ending drudgery.