» Top of the World Jeff Mather’s Dispatches: The 9 to 5 Life of an International Playboy

Posted in July 2nd, 2008

Greetings from Estes Park, Colorado — the Branson of the West! Okay, that’s not exactly fair, since it’s about a thousand times more upscale than Branson; but there are still lots of T-shirt stores, fudge kitchens, and mini-golf venues.

Nevertheless, we have enjoyed the nearby Rocky Mountain National Park very much. After a lazy morning — less jetlag, more Starbucks — we arrived at Estes Park (7,522 feet) around 11:00 and started driving up Trail Ridge Road inside the park. A couple hours later we turned around near the halfway point (ca. 12,000 feet). My brain was wondering where all the oxygen went.

We’re going hiking tomorrow. On our way out of the park we asked a ranger at the visitors’ center this question: “Do you have any flat, low altitude hikes?” A dozen years ago, when I lived in Wyoming, doing a hike above treeline would have been very easy. But now we’re from the Bay State and feeling the lack of elevation (and physical exertion, too). So we’re starting low.

Here are some photographs that Lisa and I made today. (Click any image for a larger version.) More will follow.

Longs Peak - Rocky Mountain NP