Rocky Mountain National Park

The Rockies.  This is a picture of Glacier Gorge in Rocky Mountain National Park.  I flew out to see Rush with a good friend Scott and his wife Debbie.  The show was at Red Rocks, the best place to see a band like Rush, where the setting makes it extra special.  The show was perfect as I was able to move up to around 10 rows from the front and look Geddy and Alex right in the eye due to the upward slope of the amphetheatre.

I was also able to get back some years lost with Scott.  We have always connected through Rush, science, and politics, and we had great debates over wine, beer, and great food.  A perfect visit by any measure.  I like Colorado and I think if I could move anywhere, I would move there.  Good people, good mountains, and centrally located in the US with a large Southwest terminal.

After my visit, I rented a car and drove to RMNP.  My goal was to find a good backpacking trail that would take me about three days to complete.  I scoped the loop from top of the road around Bear Lake (I think that’s what it was called) to Fern Lake, and then back down to the road in a big sweeping loop.  The trail takes you up to under some huge mountains and some tiny lakes.  My campsite at Fern Lake was a bit off the lake, as they have designated camp sites, but it was secluded and very nice.  After talking to someone on the trail, I decided I should not hang out on the Fern Lake loop for another day, but I should finish the loop and then head up to Glacier Gorge.  I packed up, finished the loop, and hiked to Glacier Gorge.  Glacier Gorge was a wonderful view with logs floating in the water and light shining through the clouds onto the mountains surrounding the gorge.

I recommend Glacier Gorge as a great day hike.  I would have loved to go further into the gorge, maybe if I had more time.  The Fern Lake loop is perfect for a one night backpacking trip also.  I can’t wait to get back to see Scott and maybe cross the Continental Divide next time.

The episode of Beautiful Places below is actually a combination of the Fern Lake trip and the Glacier Gorge hike.  I had about 10 minutes worth of memory cards in my Panosonic camera back then and I had to really be tight about what shots I kept and which I deleted.  Now I have hours worth of cards and I just shoot at will.  The show is a good one with a corny John Denver quote at the end.  I don’t really care though as John Denver represents this area for me and I love his music.  John Denver Rocks!  So I had to put the song in there.