The expanse of these canyons is impressive. They’re wide and deep and intensely colorful. However, the gorges are north-facing and they’re viewed from a road that runs along the rim. As a photographer I was disappointed with my timing. I arrived in the autumn in the late afternoon when shadows were long and much of the beauty was obscured in relative darkness. Though I’m glad I went, it was a disappointing photographic experience.
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Timing is key. To this point all of Rocky Mountain National Park had been open and this included Trail Ridge Road which run the length of the park along part of the Rockies’ spine. As I pulled in to Estes Park after a long day it started to rain. By morning Trail Ridge Road was closed for the season as the roads were impassible due to snow. Timing is key.
What to do?
Thankfully there were still many options; snow at the lower elevations had melted. I had long planned to hike to burn off energy after so many days behind the wheel. Back home I had researched this outing and selected a 9+ mile hike which would take me to six lakes. An overview of the area can be seen here; I visited Bear, Dream, Emerald, Haiyaha, Mills and Jewel lakes and in that order. It turned out to be a simply glorious day for hiking and in the Rockies no less! Timing is key.
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It’s sometimes difficult to admit how little I know about U.S. history. I knew that people moved west, that gold was an important lure, and that the journey was a hardship. I knew there were trails people followed. I even knew some of the trails’ names: Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, and California Trail. However, ask me details of any particular trail and I’d have told you nothing important.
After visiting the National Trails Headquarters I know enough to learn more! There in Omaha City I picked-up a few maps, I toured the museum facilities, I talked with Rangers. I learned the basics and committed myself to learn as opportunities presented themselves. It wasn’t long before I could do just that when I was headed south through Wyoming. It was then that I found three important milestones along the trails, two of which are described below.
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Look closely. You can see the claw marks left by the bear as it tried to climb up the surging column of ground that rose up to protect the fleeing maiden. The indian gods had protected her from attack of the savage beast and she rested safely atop until it was safe to descend. That’s indian lore surrounding Devils Tower; its distinct character cries out for definition.
If Mt. Rushmore was out-of-the-way then Devils Tower was in the middle of nowhere. However, the logic in my head went something like this … “Will I ever have a better opportunity to visit this site?” The answer wasn’t likely to be yes so I took the detour. I visited the first-ever National Monument.
As you first see it in the distance there’s no mistaking where your’e headed.
The natural forces that caused this upsurge were quite distinct. The result is a mysterious rock formation. Around its base is a path along the treeline, great for walking to see the tower from all sides. While that was certainly enough for me, as you can see in these pictures, it wasn’t enough for everyone.
Below are four pictures of people climbing the tower.
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This profile view of George Washington is one I hadn’t seen before and which under these lighting conditions looks quite good. Pat on the back complete. I chose it for its distinction.
Mt. Rushmore is the most notable destinations. Vaguely I knew of Badlands but I’d not even heard of either Wind Cave or Jewel Cave. Not surprisingly, since they’re all National Parks, I found them really worthwhile visits.
This set of parks is the primary reason I traveled so far north on my way to Los Angeles. Mt. Rushmore was my prime attraction. Its not that I reeeeeally wanted to see four Presidents’ heads carved in the side of a mountain. Superficially Mt. Rushmore sounds kind of goofy, kind of like an attention-getting stunt. Of course I was wrong. It’s a National Park for a reason!
This site pays homage to some of the U.S.’s greatest leaders. It’s sedate and respectful and the carvings are huge! I learned about the site’s construction and of the many difficult challenges they had to overcome during construction. Distinctive subtleties were interesting such as how the create a “glint in the eye” effect (by using pillar protrusions in each pupil). Plaques on display along the walking trail explain the history and the significant contributions of the four Presidents. I didn’t think that Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt (Teddy) and Lincoln all had big heads … but now I know better! See pictures below.
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My hike was 125 miles: 115 miles along the Appalachian Trail plus another 10 along Shenandoah’s Dickey Ridge Trail to the park’s entrance. In addition, I biked 105 miles along Skyline Drive. I have no idea where I got the idea pursue this big goal but I can briefly describe how I did it.
Stage 1: It all started innocently enough. “Why not hike a little section of that famous Appalachian Trail which runs 2,170 miles from Georgia to Maine?” I thought. Linden, VA on Interstate 66 was a convenient place to start so I did a couple of one-day hikes along it till I reached Skyline Drive which runs along the ridges of the Shenandoah National Park. When I arrived, the next phase of my adventure occurred to me.
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I won’t deny it. The best part of this hike was the 10.2 mile bike ride of which all but 1.4 miles was downhill. What a thrill! I can hike uphill forever but I wither quickly when I have to bike the same incline.
When my hike planning went well on this adventure then I’d end the hike with my return being largely a downhill bicycle ride. This wasn’t always possible to plan. While I have elevation information for the hiking trails, I didn’t have something similar for the Skyline Drive. I have since collected that data using a GPS but I didn’t have it at the time. I just assumed the road contour generally followed the Trail and this was only true some of the time.
This hike was made to truly finish off my hike-bike of the entire length of the National Park. Hiking the Appalachian Trail within the park only covered 95 miles of its 105 mile length. The northern-most 10 miles are a separate hike along Dickey Ridge, a trail I hiked today.
I have now hiked the entire Shenandoah National Park from top to bottom!
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First it was an idea and then an accomplishment. Within 24 hours I hiked 22 miles and biked 17.5 miles and in between I slept like a log on Loft Mountain. This took me half way through the South District of Shenandoah. My second time out I hiked an even more ambitious 23.1 miles and biked 22.1 miles while collapsing at a Days Inn overnight. I was going out with a bang! (Or a thud!)
Allow me to give you a feel for what a day hike along the AT is like. The picture below I took early on my first day. From this view point you can see Loft Mountain in the distance. Over hill and dale the day’s hike was 13 miles and this is what it looked like. Good thing I didn’t expose myself to this ominous prospect too often or I might have given up!
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Today I paid a little more attention to the wildlife around me.
The most exciting creature I saw was a black bear but as is always the case he ran off before I could frame a shot. Many deer did the same thing but one allowed me to get quite close … that is, until I inhaled a fly and started to cough uncontrollably. The most threatening creature was a three foot long snake which I almost stepped on. While I saw many critters I heard many more. If I were a birder I’m sure I’d have been in bird-heaven!
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Nowhere on my plan did I write “Oh yeah and climb England’s tallest peak.”
Nowhere!
Still, that’s what I did while visiting Fort Williams in western Scotland, on the border of the highlands. From near sea level it’s a persistent climb over several miles as you climb to the peak. At the base they were warning people off due to bad weather but when was I going to come back? Not any time soon so I put on all the layers of clothes I had and set out. It was rewarding.
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