Wednesday, August 2, 2000 - Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Moore's Park

Still pretty tired from our marathon drive the day before, Joe and I slept in before finally getting up, eating breakfast, and tearing down our camp at the KOA.  There were some things that we wanted to shop for in Estes Park, so we drove downtown and walked up and down the main street.  One of the most amusing sights in Estes Park is one particular intersection where a young man helped people avoid getting run over by cars.  The guy would just sit on a rail at one corner, very unassuming, but when the "walk" signs started to flash he'd start shouting directions at everybody, giving us the expert instructions that would save our lives.  It's probably not the dream summer job, but all of us are thankful (and amused) for his efforts.

We shopped for several hours.  Joe bought quite a few things, while I limited my spending to a small plastic trowel for digging "catholes" in the wilderness.  We ate lunch at a local burger joint (there's something about craving fast food during wilderness trips) and then drove into Rocky Mountain National Park.  We decided that we'd drive up to the Alpine Visitor Center before seeking out our camping permit.  It's a beautiful drive to the Alpine Visitor Center, with miles of road above treeline.  The world above treeline is a pretty magical place, and Rocky Mountain National Park manages to put a road right through it without totally ruining the experience.

We didn't stay long at the visitor's center.  It was fairly windy and cold and we still had a lot to do before hitting the trail later that afternoon.  We drove back down to the main visitor's center where we could pick up a backcountry camping permit.  Reservations were accepted for these permits, but of course Joe and I had not planned ahead.  Somehow we just figured things would work out.

At the backcountry permit office we examined the latest campsite information, looking for open sites that would accommodate us on our journey to the top of Longs Peak.  We needed sites for three days, after which we would be heading to Breckenridge to join the rest of the climbing crew.  The only nearby site available on the first night (where we hoped to be staying in only a few hours) was at Moore's Park, a small site located 1.7 miles from the Long's Peak Ranger Station, and about 1.4 miles north of the Longs Peak Trail.  This was a bit out of the way, but it looked nice and it wouldn't take us long to hike in.  For the second night there was one open spot at the Boulderfield.  The Boulderfield is one of the highest campsites in the country, located at 12,800 feet and about 6 miles from the Ranger Station.  Joe and I both liked the idea of camping there, even if it meant climbing 3,360 vertical feet with full packs.  For the third night we found a spot a Goblin's Forest, the last campsite on the Longs Peak Trail on our way back to the Ranger Station.  We thought that this would be nice since all we'd have to do on the last day is pack up and hike 1.2 miles to the car.

A very friendly and likeable park ranger named Ray Nordeen helped us with our permits and explained just how lucky we were to get a spot in the Boulderfield.  They had no open spots for at least the next three weeks, and it's rare for anyone to just walk in and get a spot.  He also verbally guided us through our climb, explaining certain obstacles and timeframes that we should observe to ensure our safety.  He explained that the Keyhole, located just above the Boulderfield, would be where we would want to judge the weather and "fish or cut bait".  Past the Keyhole, there simply aren't many places to sit out a storm.  Longs had claimed its first lightning victim the week before and Ray wasn't interested in any others.

With our $15 permit in hand, Joe and I headed south for Longs Peak.  It was getting late in the afternoon and we really didn't have any more time to spare.  We got to the Longs Peak Ranger Station and started sorting out our gear.  There was lots of it and packing took considerably longer than we had planned.  It was pretty breezy and it seemed like it could start raining at any time.  It was as if we just couldn't pack fast enough and every time we turned around there was something else we had forgot to pack.  Finally, shortly after 7:00 pm, we headed for our campsite at Moore's Park.  That would have been fine except that I forgot the map.  We hadn't gotten very far, so went back to the car and got it.  It didn't take long but trying to hurry back up the hill reminded me that my body still had some adjusting to do before heading to 14,000 feet.  Joe and I continued on, but then I remembered that we forgot our permit.  Back to the car...  I had a hard time finding it, and it was frustrating enough knowing that we would really have to move to ensure setting up camp with in any sort of daylight.  Eventually I found it, ran back to Joe (okay, tried to run), and we were on our way.  For real this time.

There wasn't much vertical gain to Moore's Park and Joe and I got there in a very respectable 40 minutes, giving us just enough time to set up camp before dark.  Even though Joe and I didn't really have a schedule to follow, we still seemed to be getting things done at the last minute.

Last Updated:  Saturday, October 14, 2000