Spike season has returned to Rocky Mountain National Park. That is to say, if you are heading out for a hike in the Park, you should plan on winter trail conditions and it would be a good idea to have some kind of traction footwear handy. Current conditions can create slick and icy trails. November is a good month to get acclimated for winter. 

Regulating body temperature while hiking during this transition season can be tricky depending on elevation, aspect to the sun, and of course the daily weather conditions. Be prepared to stop frequently to either layer-up or dress-down. Our trail pages offer up National Weather Service trail specific weather conditions and forecasts to help you to be better prepared. Check them out to know before you go.

And don't forget to admire this season of change. Beautiful ice formations are forming along open water, various signs of wildlife can be noticed as they prepare for the winter months, and the lower sun on the southern horizon creates dramatic light and shadows.

​Changes are in the air during the month of November. We are now 36 days away from Winter Solstice.

A good trail for snowy mountain vistas on a sunny day. With the sun being lower to the horizon this time of year, try to be on the trail before 10am to capture the best lighting on the mountains for photos.

A lower elevation, longer loop hike. Good sunshine will keep the beginning of this trail along the south base of Lumpy Ridge snow free for much of the year, and some years the entire trail can remain snow free into November. But right now you can count on snow and ice covering over much of the trail on the back side of this hike. After your hike, stop in to Lumpy Ridge Brewery for an apes beer!

A good hike to get an early taste of winter. This alpine lake trail is popular no matter what time of year. Use this shorter hike to make sure you have all of your winter gear ready to go for this season. 

November is the month winter moves down to lower elevation in Rocky Mountain National Park. It can be a challenge for hiking as you will need to be ready for any and all conditions. So get out and enjoy the seasonal transition!

by Scott Rashid
Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute
Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute
​As fall ends and winter begins, birds begin to move to their wintering grounds, or the areas where they will spend the winter months, where they hope food and water is plentiful. Some of the birds that nest here also winter here, but other birds simply arrive in September and October to winter here, here being Colorado and specifically the Estes Valley and Rock Mountain National Park (RMNP).

Migration takes many forms, and in fact, there are multiple types of migrations.  There is elevational migration, latitudinal migration. longitudinal migration, circular migration and leapfrog migration.

What began as a few friends who love hiking together in Kansas has now grown into a group of 70+ women who love to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park! How did this community of women come together and what is it they gain by hiking together?

Rocky Mountain Day Hikes asked a few questions to Jeri Brungardt and Cindy Coughenour, the founders of Women Hiking Kansas and Beyond (WHKSAB), to find out how this love of hiking brought scores of women together from the lower elevation undulating terrain of Kansas to the steep and high altitude trails of Rocky Mountain National Park.

RMDH: Where in Kansas is Women Hiking Kansas and Beyond based? ​
Jeri & Cindy: We are based out of Wichita and Salina, Kansas. Cindy lives in Wichita, and I live in Salina. We started the group when both of us lived in Wichita but since we are a Facebook group the specific location we are in is not a big detriment.

RMDH: How did you come up with the idea and what need are you trying to fulfill?
Jeri & Cindy: Cindy and I met through a work experience. We became friends and started hiking with each other and a few other friends. We would post our adventures on Facebook and had so many of our friends asking to go along with us.

We would try to remember who asked to go along with us but then the list got too long. So we brainstormed this idea of having a real hiking group and see how many might really be interested. We truly had no idea how fast and how well the concept would take off and grow.

The need we are trying to fulfill is to provide females with a positive and comfortable hiking experience. We hope they all are, or become, appreciative of the outdoors.

by Marlene Borneman

​In the autumn months, Colorado is known for spectacular displays of golden quaking aspens (Populus tremuloides).  Mountainsides glow in deep golds, red and oranges mid-September through mid-October.  No doubt an aspen grove or even one lone aspen tree in the autumn months can take your breath away.
 
In Rocky Mountain National Park many native shrubs and flowering plants give brilliant fall colors on the forest floor, on hillsides, and along streams and creeks.

Here is a tour of Rocky’s Best autumn colors beyond the aspens to take in while hiking this fall.

Willows - Rocky Mountain National Park boasts many species of willows. Willows, (Salix), grow along creeks, streams, and rivers, in all elevations giving stunning deep yellows.

Squashberry - Viburnum edule, also known as highbush cranberry, decorates moist areas along streams and creeks with crimson red leaves and red berries making for a very pretty fall display. The berries contain a drupe which is a stony pit.

Chokecherry - Prunus virginiana, is in the Rose Family Chokecherry. It's a large shrub with white fragrant flowers flowers in the spring and dark purple berries in late summer. In autumn months chokecherry shrubs gives deep red, orange and yellow colors to the hillsides.

Ferns hugging the forest floor show off hues of deep bronze, shades of brown and gold.

Whortleberry - Vaccinium myrtillus, carpets the forest floor with amazing colors that hang on until late October or until the first snowfalls.

Golden hues of grasses in the high meadows shimmer in the sunlight.

Alpine avens give the tundra a striking scene with their fern-like leaves turning the tundra into a blaze of deep maroon.

Fireweed - Chamerion angustifolium, with deep pink flowers in late summer transforms in fall with showy seed capsules wrapped in long hairy magical strands and spirals appearing magical along their large deep red foliage.

The most common species of Geranium, Geranium caespitosum, adds to the understory with shades of red, yellow and orange leaves.

By Scott Rashid
Colorado Avian research and Rehabilitation Institute (CARRI).

Since 2007 the Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute has been studying the fall movements of both Boreal and Northern Saw-whet Owls in Northern Colorado. This is accomplished by capturing birds in the fall. After they are captured, we check their condition by measuring and weighing them, then a numbered leg band is placed on each owl to identify individuals, before releasing them.
 
Birds are captured in 3, 40-foot (12 meter) nets. Each net has four pockets that stretch the length of the net. The nets are placed in the woods in a “U” shape.  After dark, the call of the owl we are intending to capture is broadcasted.
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As the owls are moving to what will eventually be their wintering grounds, in the fall, they come towards the call, fly around the speakers and land in one of the nets and are captured. To reduce excess stress to the owls, we place video cameras on each of the nets so we can monitor the nets in real time. 

The signal from the cameras is sent via WIFI to a computer that is inside a nearby building allowing us to monitor the nets. This way, as soon as the owls land in one of the nets we can rush to the nets and extract them, place them in a cloth bag and bring them into the building to be processed.

Processing the owls consists of determining the age and sex of each bird, placing a numbered leg band on them, measuring their wings and tails, weighing each bird, and determining their age before releasing them. The information that we obtain from the owls is sent to the bird banding laboratory in Laurel Layland via computer.

If any one finds a banded bird, they simply contact the banding laboratory using their website www.usgs.gov/labs/bird-banding-laboratory, fill out the information, and the lab will let  them know who originally banded the bird and were it was banded. The banding laboratory will then send you a certificate of appreciation. They will also let the person that banded the bird know that the bird was obtained.
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The calls of the birds are broadcast using a cell phone and Bluetooth speakers. The cameras are powered using a portable power station. The battery lasts about eight hours, enabling us to work well into the night to research the owls.

There are multiple banding stations all over the country capturing these owls. We are one of the few in the country that use cameras to monitor the nets. We have found that having cameras on the nets reduces stress on the bird immensely, eliminates predation of the owls when they are in the nets, and enables us to run off any large animals like bears, elk, and deer that come near the nets. These large creatures can destroy the nets by walking through them.

As we have been operating our banding station for many years, people from around the country come to see the owls. Some of these individuals are fellow researchers that want to see how our operation compares to theirs. As few banding stations use cameras and want to see how well they work for the project.
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This season, we have several wonderful volunteers that will be assisting us with the research.  Some have never seen this type of research before, but are excited to learn the process, and a few have assisted us for years and have their assigned jobs. This is an amazing operation to see, as it is a good way to see the owls up close in and learn about their natural history.

Since we began capturing owls in the fall, we have banded more than 400 birds. The surprising thing about this is we have only had three owls either recaptured or found dead.  One bird banded in Pinewood Springs was recaptured in Estes Park a year later. Another bird captured in Estes Park, was recaptured live and released in Eastern Pennsylvania, and another bird was recaptured in the same banding site that it was originally banded.
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This research is important to see how many of these owls are in the area and what the health of the birds are, which also tells us of the health of the forests where the bird reside.

This article is republished from Continental Divide Research Learning Center 

Research Study

​To determine how beaver ponds affect the resilience of watersheds, Dunn set out to perform a research project to answer the following three questions: Do burned ponds store greater relative volumes of sediment compared to unburned ponds?, Do post-fire sedimentation rates in burned ponds exceed pre-fire and unburned sedimentation rates?, and Is post-fire sediment stored in beaver ponds coarser and have a higher abundance of organic carbon relative to pre-fire sediment? The rate and volume of sediment, carbon storage, and sediment grain size are expected to increase after a fire during the period when vegetation is recovering (Figure 2).

Applications in the NPS
​Beaver ponds, which once were abundant on the RMNP landscape and are now less common, drastically changing the hydrology of the environment. Beaver dams (Figure 4) create upstream ponds that store sediment and carbon. Due to the effects, mimicking beaver dams with structures is a strategy under consideration for fire-prone areas. The research that Sarah conducted provides evidence that beaver ponds effectively trap and retain post-fire sediment. The increased sediment in beaver ponds post-fire builds on the existing knowledge that beaver ponds provide to the ecosystem is evident through the increase of pooling water and decreased water flow (Figure 4). These findings contribute to the park’s efforts to restore beaver habitat.

by Karen McPherson

Editor’s Note: This is the story of Gene Kiernan and his attempt to climb Longs Peak at the age of 87. It is a story of how experience, preparation, physical conditioning, and planning are the keys to creating a successful backcountry trip… and it still may not be enough. Our thanks goes out to the Kieran family for sharing their story with writer Karen McPherson.
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The Oldest Man to Climb Longs Peak: Col. Butler’s 1926 Record Challenged by Gene Kiernan
Reverend William “Col. Billy” Butler climbed Longs Peak on his 85th birthday, September 2, 1926. Billy climbed with two friends, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Leonard of Longmont. Coincidentally, Mr. Leonard was also celebrating his birthday, albeit only 30 years of age. At the time of his climb, Col. Billy was commander of his local post of the Grand Arm of the Republic, a fraternal organization for Union veterans who served in the American Civil War. He became a minister after completing his service (hence, “Reverend”). 

Col. Billy’s climb occurred during the summer climbing season, which typically runs from mid-July through early September. This is the most “approachable” time to climb Longs Peak, the tallest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park standing at 14,259 feet above sea level. 

Col. Billy and his friends left from Longmont, camped the first night at the base of Longs Peak, and climbed up and back home in just under 46 hours. Col. Billy’s enduring record, having lasted–so far–for 98 years, is a testament to his feat of sportsmanship. 

Col. Billy felt, “fit as a fiddle.” Nearly 100 years later, so did Gene Kiernan. One can assume Kiernan is not the only octogenarian to challenge Col. Billy’s record, but his story is available and should be told to the advantage of others in pursuit of this formidable mountain.

Gene Kiernan climbed Longs for the first time at 65 years of age. He is a self-described “compulsive goal-setter.” He ran his own company as an architect and builder. He is a road bike warrior: biking from Canada to the Gulf, throughout France, and across 28 of the United States. He is no stranger to training, preparation, and determination. He attempted a solo climb of Longs Peak last summer at 86 years of age but was turned away at Granite Pass by an electrical storm. Determined to try again, a RMNP ranger at the trailhead gave him tips and encouraged him to assemble a team. Learning of Col Billy’s 98-year-old record motivated him to call in his A-team.

This A-team included his friend Steve O’Conner, an iron-man athlete who had climbed to the base of Everest, completed the Annapurna circuit, and submitted five 14’ers; O’Conners wife, Carol, self-described “sherpa”; and friend Charlie Scarlett, Gene’s road biking comrade for 20 years and whose resume includes hiking Kilimanjaro. “Team Geno” also included his two children: Steve, an elite triathlete, and his daughter, Kelly, who regularly climbs 13ers near her home in Pagosa Springs, CO, and the youngest of the group at 50 years of age. A fit and qualified team.

Gene was the captain of the ship. He had arranged and shopped for a week’s worth of meals, made sure everyone arrived in time to acclimate and led a practice hike to Chasm Lake and Granite Pass.
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Team Geno may have signed up with mixed sentiments of obligation and adventure, but they were unanimously inspired to physically and emotionally support Gene’s admirable quest. His children especially wanted to be part of their father’s achievement. 

On the day of the hike, Steve and Gene set off at 7 am, allowing Gene to “take his time.” Kelly, Charlie, and the O’Conners left about an hour and a half later, knowing they could travel faster and set up camp. 

Gene was to carry an abnormally light pack of water, snacks, and rain gear. The rest of the team carried their own gear, shared supplies for the group, and absorbed the rest of Gene’s gear. They all carried approximately 30 pounds, except for Steve, who had the largest and heaviest pack. 

Rain was predicted and everything could be wet. They planned to camp at the Boulderfield, six miles from the trailhead and at an elevation of 12,760 feet. Once they went up through the Keyhole and around the Narrows, they could determine if the back side was frozen. If so, they would head back. A difficult decision, but not a hard one. If not, they planned to summit by 11 am and get back down before afternoon thunderstorms. All they needed was good weather.

Unfortunately, Team Geno had the grave misfortune of a sideways hail storm in the Boulder Field. To compound the matter, they found themselves without the right gear and no food to speak of. Ultimately, it was Steve and Kelly who risked their lives to save a man who, despite his inexhaustible leadership, packed neither pants nor a cold-weather sleeping bag. 

Two steps forward, one steps back.
Members of the group peeled off throughout the climb for various reasons. Charlie was driven, in part, by his own desire to climb Longs Peak at the age of 72, but found it a relentless challenge, especially with a 30-pound pack. Despite his will to continue, altitude sickness caused occasional staggering and unsure footing. He fell farther and farther behind and, at one point, almost fell over backward. In hindsight, he had forgotten his fleece jacket — a frigid mistake for a sleepover in the Boulderfield. He made the wise decision to turn back. Unfortunately, he had the group’s stove in his pack.

Kelly played the mountain goat, arriving first to ensure the group had safe campsites and filtered water. Unfortunately, by the time Gene reached the Boulder Field, there wasn’t time to set up his tent before the wind, rain, and sleet started. Kelly huddled with Gene in her tent while waiting out the first squall. The furious weather that night took its toll on Gene, even though Steve and Kelly offered him their clothes, a tent, body warmth, and a sleeping bag. He was dehydrated and presented signs of hypothermia.

Meanwhile, the O’Conners couldn’t leave their tent in fear of freezing. They were cold and wet; they had one pair of dry socks and wet boots. They focused on surviving horrendous weather after a slow ascent, a late-in-the-day arrival to the Boulder Field, and no stove to make warm food. Steve O’Conner reflects, “We were all put at risk by poor decisions and oversight. It threatened my ability to summit and I very much feared Gene was going to perish that night. I was prepared to lift a body off the mountain. At one point, Kelly asked me to poke him with a stick to be sure he was still alive.”

In the end, the group endured 6 dark hours of serious storms and no sleep as they shifted between frustration and fear.

by Jamie Palmesano - Brownfield’s

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”  We are graced by the changing seasons of life. All four seasons in Rocky Mountain National Park are magical, but there is something extra special about autumn in the mountains. From bugling elk to quaking aspen, the sights and sounds of fall in RMNP are unmatched. September has a beauty all of its own and there are plenty of easy and moderate hikes that will fully immerse you in the awe of autumn. These are my five favorite fall hikes in RMNP.

Bierstadt Lake
Bierstadt Lake is nestled in the forest and boasts beautiful views of the Continental Divide. This shallow mountain lake has no streams flowing in or out of it. The lake is named after artist, Albert Bierstadt, whose 1870’s paintings of Longs Peak and Bierstadt Lake have inspired many for generations.

I recommend starting this hike at the Bear Lake Trailhead and concluding it at the Bierstadt Lake Trailhead. As you start on the Bear Lake trail, you’ll climb towards the lake on the Flattop Mountain Trail and later follow the Bierstadt Lake Trail.

Within the first half mile of the hike, you encounter a stunning grove of aspen on the Flattop Mountain Trail. Looking back, you can find some openings to peak through the aspen and glimpse Bear Lake in its golden glory. Views of Keyboard of the Winds on Longs Peak are also visible through the aspen. The trail is mostly flat after the first mile and winds through the evergreen forest. Once you have arrived at the lake, the best views are from the north side.

The Continental Divide is reflected into Bierstadt Lake and makes for a perfect portrait of the mountains. You'll have marvelous panoramic views of the mountains (from left to right: Longs Peak, Chiefs Head Peak, McHenrys Peak, Powell Peak, Taylor Peak, Otis Peak, Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain.)

The key to capturing all of fall’s beauty on this hike is to descend down the Bierstadt Lake trail rather than returning to Bear Lake. You can take advantage of RMNP’s wonderful shuttle system and ride the free shuttle back to the Bear Lake parking lot.

The Bierstadt Lake Trail steadily descends more than 600 feet along a series of switchbacks lined with lodgepole pines and aspens. Ahead of you, lies some of the most spectacular views of the Continental Divide with the colors of fall painted on the canvas of creation. It’s an iconic view of Rocky Mountain National Park in the fall and should be on every hiking bucket list.

Alberta Falls
Alberta Falls is arguably the best waterfall in Rocky Mountain National Park. This 30-foot waterfall is tucked in a gorge on Glacier Creek surrounded by trees and rocks. Its thunderous roar fills the air and the mist from the falls can be felt by standing on the rocks below.

This waterfall was named after Abner Sprague’s wife, Alberta, who were among the first settlers in Estes Park and homesteaded in Moraine Park in the 1870’s. The nearly one-mile trail to Alberta Falls is dotted with aspen trees glowing gold in the Colorado sunshine. This path is among my favorite for fall foliage. With approximately 200 feet of elevation gain, this is one of the most accessible waterfalls in RMNP. It is a very popular destination, so you may want to consider utilizing RMNP’s free shuttle service, as parking is limited.

Cub Lake
​The hike to Cub Lake begins in the Moraine Park area of RMNP at the Cub Lake Trailhead. The hike starts by crossing the Big Thompson River and traveling around the edge of Moraine Park. Shortly into the hike, you will pass Beaver Ponds on your left. Moose and elk are frequently sighted along this trail, especially in the fall. The annual elk rut is a staple to the autumn experience in the Rocky Mountains. The word rut comes from the Latin word “rugire,” meaning "to roar" and is used to describe the mating season for the elk.

As you wander along the path, you will often hear the unique call of the elk known as bugling and their sounds echo in the valley.  Around the two-mile mark, you will pass through a healthy grove of aspen that shimmer and sparkle with their golden leaves.

Once you arrive at the lake, you will see the underbrush, the ferns, grasses, and even the lily pads are dressed in yellows and oranges to honor the season. Unfortunately, the Fern Lake Fire in 2012 took a major toll on the area, so the lake is not as picturesque as it once was, but it still retains its rugged charm.

Deer Mountain
Deer Mountain is a pleasant six mile out-and-back hike where you get the satisfaction of summiting a mountain without it being terribly strenuous. One of the defining characteristics of this hike is that it offers fantastic views of Longs Peak, Upper Beaver Meadows, Moraine Park and Estes Park. Aspen line the side of the trail within the first mile of the hike and show off their color in fall. Aspen trees are also sprinkled throughout the remainder of the hike. At the summit, the 360-degree panoramic views of the area are breath-taking. If you have a youngster itching to climb a mountain, this is a great “first summit hike” for kids.

Lily Lake
Lily Lake is the most easily accessible area to take in the colors of fall and behold a beautiful mountain lake. Sitting right off Highway 7, Lily Lake offers a handicap accessible trail around the lake. For those who would like a bit more of a climb, you can take the ridge trail to the right of the lake and look down upon the lake.

Perched proudly behind Lily Lake, stands Longs Peak at 14,259 ft. It is the area’s only fourteener and the most famous mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park. There are aspen trees along both sides of Highway 7 offering outstanding fall colors everywhere you look.

Lauren DeStefano once said, “Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”

I echo these sentiments. Fall in Rocky Mountain National Park is indeed the grand finale of the year. With each leaf underfoot, every tree swaying in the breeze, the call of the elk in the distance, and the sapphire sky above, I am reminded of the beauty of this majestic land. This incredible valley beckons you to come and enjoy this glorious playground with the child-like wonder you had when you first laid eyes on it. And, with a grateful heart, realize that each changing season is a good and perfect gift.

​All photos by Jamie Palmesano

by Ally Anderson
​Physiology and Medical Sciences
UA Franke Honors College
University of Arizona  

“The mountains are calling and I must go."

This is a popular quote by John Muir that rang true for a young college student named Ely Bordt. His first experience traveling to the Rocky Mountains pulled him in and never let him go. The Rockies challenged him and changed him, teaching him what his mind and body are truly capable of with enough grit and enthusiasm.
 
It all started the summer of 2017 when Ely participated in a Colorado Ecosystem Field Studies program. The field study website describes this experience as ”An opportunity to study the Colorado Rockies and apply your classroom and textbook learning while immersed in an incredible mountain ecosystem setting.” 

After that first taste of living and working in the mountains, Ely's life trajectory shifted as he felt a strong pull towards the mountains postgrad.
 
As a wide-eyed college graduate, Ely jumped at the opportunity to trade the flat lands of Indiana for the Colorado Rockies. Flashforward to February of 2021, Ely got a job in Longmont, Colorado and made a point to be on a trail whenever he wasn't working. Having no prior experience hiking or climbing, Ely would often hit the trials with the sole motivation of good views and impressive photos.
 
This all changed when a year later he met his mentor, Kevin Rusk, a seasoned mountain climber with a big heart to show Ely the joy of pushing his body to new heights in the Rockies.
 
Kevin taught Ely how to use his gear to climb in different terrains and instilled in him the importance of precautionary measures like bringing a rope even if you don't think you’ll need it. Ely followed Kevin's footsteps all winter, learning to climb glaciers, starting at their first climb together up Tyndall Glacier. When that winter was over, they climbed rocks together through the summer.
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“(Kevin) thought, let's get you off a trail and into some ropes, and since then... It erupted and now I'm snow climbing, rock climbing, and scrambling and don't so much stick with trails anymore, I aim to get off the trails.” -Ely

As mileage started to increase and he started to fall more and more in love with the mountains, Ely went from a novice climber to someone whose mind revolved around getting back into the challenging terrain of the mountains.

Rocky Mountain National Park and the Indian Peaks south of the park became his favorite spots in his early years of serious climbing. He worked tirelessly to condition his body to handle even the most advanced terrain alongside his mentor Kevin.
 
How is it that in only a few short years, Ely has managed to completely shift his lifestyle from somewhat sedentary to extremely athletic? What are the physiological implications that come along with the ability to sustain endurance and strength while clinging to the side of a mountain? How does Ely fuel and train his body to perform at such a capacity?
 
Shift in Lifestyle and Mental Headspace
 Ely has not always been able to casually climb Longs Peak. Longs is a challenging 14er that requires great deals of mental and physical toughness and is a great achievement for those who complete it. Ely has joyfully completed this climb multiple times and has plans to climb it again!
 
This kind of ambition and ability to take on such challenges illustrates the dramatic shift from how he held himself in his childhood. He explains his early years as a period of time when he was overweight and lacking motivation to keep a consistent exercise regime due to a lack of excitement towards most types of physical activity.
 
”Prior to hiking, I was a gamer. I spent a lot of time online. There's a lot of toxicity online. I didn’t get out much. Hiking allows me to clear my mind.” - Ely
 
He was an uninspired kid, most often seen indoors playing video games, lacking the desire for exploration or challenging physical feats. 

Fast forward to the present day, Ely is calmer and more mellow, feeding off of the serine mountain landscape he surrounds himself with. He's a social young adult, full of ambition and he credits this dramatic shift into a more positive headspace to the mountains.
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“I was entirely unathletic prior to that (moving to Colorado), it was a big change. The views drive me to get out but more so, if I go too long without the mountains, I'm thinking, I need to get a workout in. I need to get active.” -Ely

“The mountains are something I get hungry for if I go too long without” -Ely

Ely explained how he's tried weightlifting and cycling, but the mountains are the first and only thing that he's seen dramatically motivate him to get active. He has gone from an unmotivated child to a driven athlete looking forward to the next adventure, overall more enthusiastic and motivated about life as a whole.
 
Why Does Exercise Improve My Headspace?
As Ely experienced firsthand, there is a link between a lifestyle that prioritizes physical activity and improved mental headspace. The moment someone participates in physical activity, there are neurochemical changes that start taking place. 

There are hormones directly correlated to stress, which are reduced upon an exercise induced increase in heart rate. As these stress hormones are reduced, chemicals in the brain called endorphins are increased.
 
Endorphins act on the body to brighten a person’s mood and alleviate stress. These chemical changes happen every time a person is physically active and even more consistently in someone who has a habit of increasing their heart rate through exercise. This explains why Ely’s attitude and outlook seemed to transform completely as he became more active. He began to alter his brain chemistry as a whole!
 
Building Cardiovascular Stamina
 On top of building mental endurance, Ely has also been on a journey of building cardiovascular stamina. This is the ability of the heart and lungs to endure longer and harder through difficult exercise.
 
Coming from an inactive lifestyle in Indiana, Ely describes this as a significant challenge. He started training on lower elevation trails in the Boulder Colorado area and built up to the challenging elevations of the Rocky Mountain National Park.
 
Ely noticed improvements in his cardiovascular capacity when he got out into the mountains as much as possible getting as high as possible! He would celebrate each landmark climb at a higher elevation, constantly pushing himself to get higher and on more challenging trials.
 
Training at Altitude
 A very common strategy among athletes is training at higher altitudes to develop stronger cardiovascular endurance because of the cardiovascular challenge of being in low-oxygen environments.
 
Something special happens to the body’s ability to carry oxygen when someone puts themselves in a high-altitude environment where the oxygen is thin and less abundant. The low amounts of oxygen trigger a hormone called EPO (erythropoietin), which stimulates the production of red blood cells. The red blood cells begin to grow larger and increase in number to maximize the amount of oxygen they can hold and transport throughout the body.
 
Ely, being an elite athlete who spends the majority of his time exercising at high elevation, has red blood cells that look differently than those of an athlete at sea level who has an abundance of oxygen in the air around them!
 
If Ely were to go down to sea level, theoretically, he would find that his cardiovascular endurance would be even better. He has such a high number of red blood cells at a greater volume ready to make the most of little amounts of oxygen but finding that at sea level there is more oxygen to use than normal.
 
It is very common for athletes to train at high altitudes to change their red blood cell composition and come back down to sea level with an advantage.
 
Fueling the Body to Endure the Mountains
 Once Ely became more acclimated to the high elevation of the Colorado Rockies he was able to withstand more difficult trails mentally and cardiovascularly. He started to push the limits of what his body was able to achieve and to do so, he needed the right fuel.
 
This meant taking nutrition to a whole new level. Ely describes his diet as high protein and high carb to have energy to perform at challenging levels, restore muscle, and maintain strength. 

Ely has a specific diet the day before a big hike. He prioritizes water, drinking four liters throughout the day before his planned day in the mountains. He also prioritizes eating as many calories as he can: chips, queso, whole pizzas, you name it. Ely expressed that the biggest component of waking up with energy is drinking substantial amounts of water the day before.
 
While he’s out on the trail, Ely focuses on his sugar intake: fruit snacks, Honey Stingers, and salt tablets with and without caffeine. Ely is slightly anemic, meaning he has a blood disorder that reduces the effectiveness of the blood stream's ability to carry oxygen. To combat this, the morning of a big day in the mountains he will eat two servings of dry Cheerios. This cereal contains 70% of his daily iron intake.
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Consuming great amounts of iron translates to an increased amount of hemoglobin and an increased amount of oxygen capacity in the mountains. He eats these Cheerios without milk because milk inhibits iron absorption when eaten in conjunction with iron.

Importance of Good Nutrition
 Ely's methods of fueling his body before and during athletic activity are widely used by athletes performing at his level of difficulty. His emphasis on water intake the day before extreme physical exertion is very important, especially on a hot day where perspiration is more likely.
 
Water is important in so many aspects of body functionality including regulation of body temperature, lubrication of the joints, and transportation and digestion of important nutrients. Adequate levels of hydration affect many aspects of athletic performance.
 
Carbohydrates are used by the body as its main fuel source during any kind of energy expenditure. Having a plentiful store of carbohydrates for the body to use will supply more energy and allow it to endure harder and longer. Nutritionists also recommend athletes prioritize snacks throughout the day, as Ely does, to maintain energy and nutrition, keeping the body strong and able to endure.
 
What is Next for Ely Bordt in the Mountains
 ”My biggest challenge is just bravery” -Ely
 
In past summers, Ely has done a lot of fourth-class scrambling. His goal for this summer is to get into more low fifth-class scrambling. This is the kind of terrain that borders the need for a rope. He aims now to challenge himself on more difficult terrain that is intimidating and more technical. If it is at all possible to be done without a rope, that's the way he wants to get it done. Ely does prioritize his safety, carrying with him what Kevin taught him in the beginning.
 
“When I talk about getting into these technical terrains being my goals next summer, I always go in with what he (Kevin) taught me about having an exit strategy. I'll probably bring a rope and even if I don't use it on the way up, if I get cliffed out and need a way to get out of what I'm on, a rope will always be handy for at least rappelling and getting off.” -Ely
 
Ely wants to get in the right mental space to be able to handle harder terrains such as the north face of Longs Peak.
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“I can see the goals I had and met, and I'm now wondering what I can do next” -Ely

Take advantage of these late summer days to practice slowing time with an immersion in Rocky Mountain National Park.

By Jamie Palmesano
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Ansel Adams, America’s most famous photographer said, “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”  Making photos is one of the most delightful parts of hiking Rocky Mountain National Park. We live in an age where nearly everyone now carries a camera in their pocket. Whether you have a DSLR or an iPhone, a few tricks of the trade can help you create outstanding photos to commemorate your hiking adventures. These are my favorite five tips for creating powerful scenic images and capturing the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. With each tip, there is a photograph to demonstrate how that photography rule looks in real life.
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RULE OF THIRDS
The Rule of Thirds can help you compose a well-balanced photograph.  Imagine that your image is divided into nine equal parts by two vertical and two horizontal lines.  You want to position the most important elements of your image along these lines or at the points where these lines meet.  This will create a wonderful balance to your scene and highlight the key features of your image. 

LINES LEADING TO INTEREST
When we look at a photo, our eyes are naturally dawn along lines.  It’s how we see.  There are lines everywhere around us, whether they are fences or sidewalks or trails or trees. If you place these naturally created lines within your photograph to lead to a point of interest, it will pull the viewer into your image.  Leading lines can take you toward a subject or even move you through a scene.  

POINT OF VIEW
The point of view or perspective may be the most influential tool used to create a powerful image. Just like in life, how we see a situation will determine our success or failure.  Often, if we simply change our perspective, we see a situation through a totally different lens and find treasures, even in difficult situations. In photography, the point of view has a significant impact on the composition of our photo. It truly determines the message we convey with each image. Rather than just standing there and pointing your camera in front of you and shooting at eye level, change your perspective. Consider laying on the ground, climb a high rock, move to the side, get close up or zoom way out. Play around with different angles.  Make your photograph tell a story by showing the object from a different vantage point.  

FRAMING
There are natural frames everywhere we look. Trees, archways, branches, holes in rocks all create natural frames by placing them around the edge of a composition to isolate the subject from the rest of the image. A more focused image will naturally draw your eye to the point of interest. The frame will highlight the main subject in a photograph. This tip works in tandem with point of view because oftentimes you will need to change your position to locate these natural frames.

BACKGROUND
Our human eyes can seamlessly distinguish between different elements in a scene, but the camera struggles to do this. A camera has a tendency to flatten both the foreground and background, unless you are intentional about preventing this. Look for a background that is unobtrusive, especially if you have people in the picture. Be sure a branch isn’t sticking out from behind someone’s head. If you are photographing flowers, make sure there aren’t limbs or weeds distracting from the flower. Always be sure to consciously check your background before clicking the photo. Another trick is to blur the background by either changing the depth of field or using portrait mode on your camera. Blurring the background isolates the main subject and allows it to fully encapsulate the frame.  When photographing wildlife, it is tempting to zoom in as close as you can and only frame the animal. But, oftentimes, if you look carefully at the background, you can use the animal to tell a bigger story.

By utilizing these five techniques, you will be able to create photographs that capture the essence of Rocky Mountain National Park. We often forget that the word photography inherently puts you, the photographer, as the author and creator of an image. The Greek root words, “photo” meaning light and “graph” meaning to write, give us the very definition of the word, photography.  Photography means “to write with light.”

​The next time you lace up your hiking boots and sling your backpack over your shoulder, remember that an adventure awaits where you can write with light and make photographs that will last a lifetime.

By Murray Selleck

There’s not much you can do when you’re inside a thunderstorm cloud with lightning flashing and thunder pounding simultaneously. The crack and flash of lightning hurt our eyes so harshly that even with them closed the light penetrated through eyelids squeezed closed tight.

Being inside the belly of a timpani drum while the drummer pounds out a rhythm might give you an idea of the ear punishing thunder but it wouldn’t describe the anxiety of being caught out and exposed in such a mountain storm.

That was our luck camped way above timberline on a snowfield up in the North Cascades. We were a group of climbers on a month’s long mountaineering course with the National Outdoor Leadership School and we were just about as exposed as a person could be.

The day had been overcast, not unusual for the North Cascades. Across a deep valley from us was Mount Johannesburg with a strange lenticular cloud silently smothering its summit. The sun was setting and an eerie orange, green and yellowish glow was coloring the clouds. It was such an unusual color it created a feeling of unease in all of us. And what felt like a heartbeat, the cloud shifted and moved onto us and let loose its maelstrom.   

We did what we could taking all our ice axes and planting them in a cluster above camp to create a lightning rod. Or so we hoped. We grabbed a couple tents and raced down the snowy slope loosing as much elevation as possible before rain, thunder, and lightning told us far enough. We crammed as many of us that would fit into a few two person tents and waited it out, each of us silent with our own thoughts of adrenalin enhanced doom.

Never again is the take away lesson of that experience. One hopes to never again be so susceptible to good or bad luck or whims of a mythological Zeus. But for those of us who love the  mountains, love being among the highest peaks, we take precautions, plan, pack, minimize the risks as much as possible and return again and again.

Elevation defines Rocky Mountain National Park, with the world of the Alpine being an exciting place to be during the month of July. This Land-Above-the-Trees is the last place winter holds its grip in the spring and the first place it descends upon in the fall. That makes summer in the alpine zone short but spectacular. The burst of little tiny flowers can change almost daily. To truly appreciate these little gems, you really need to get on your belly. 

​Now is the time to hike some high-elevation trails. Here are three hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park to enjoy this July. 

Note: As spectacular as alpine hikes are in July, it is also a time for thunder and lightening storms. So know before you go, start super early, and always be prepared to decend! For more on lightening safety tips, read more here.

A Rocky Mountain National Park classic, this hike will take you right up to the east face of Longs Peak, known as The Diamond. Waterfalls and wildflowers greet the hiker with a little bit of rock scramble on the final push to the lake.
 
For more on this trail, visit:  Chasm Lake trail

Starting at Milner Pass on Trail Ridge road, this trail quickly gains in elevation and most of the hike is spent rolling across the open tundra before making a final push for the Mt Ida summit. The views are 360 with the Never Summer Range to the west.

For more on this trail, visit: Mt Ida trail

Accessing this trail involves driving up the one-way Fall River Road to the Chapin Pass trailhead. The trail up these three summits is not maintained by the Park, so pay attention to where you are while you enjoy the thrill of tagging multiple summits. 

For more on this trail, visit: Chapin, Chiquita, Ypsilon trail

Hiking in the rarefied air of the alpine is truly a rarefied experience, and July is prime time to be there. You won't want to miss this!

by Scott Rashid, Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute
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Now that summer is here, birds are singing, nesting and raising their young. In the winter, the common birds include Common Ravens, American Crows, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Black-billed Magpies, Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees, all three rosy-finches, the three species of nuthatches and more.

However, when the migrants begin arriving from their wintering grounds the number of bird species exponentially increase. Most of the birds that spend the winter here, also remain here year-round. There are a few species that migrate north to nest. These northern migrants include the Northern Shrike, Gray-crowned Rosy-finch, Common Redpoll, Lapland Longspur, and the Snow Bunting.

Collecting trail tags is a rocky mountain tradition.
by Jamie Palmesano, Brownfield’s
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Nicolette Sowder once said, “Children deserve to grow and learn in a place, and alongside a force, that is as wild and alive as they are.” Wild and alive is a perfect description of Rocky Mountain National Park! There is almost nothing as precious as watching the little feet of a child hike these rugged Rocky Mountain trails, outfitted with a tiny backpack, a cute ball cap, cool sunglasses, and their special water bottle.

They skip and jump, climb on rocks, talk incessantly, look for treasures, and remind us of true childhood wonder. The trails of Rocky Mountain National Park are filled with children of all ages experiencing the joy of nature and a sense of adventure. Though the journey itself is satisfying, there is something powerful about a small incentive to help those little legs reach the destination. The reward is called Trail Tags.

In 1972, Lyle and Marge from Lincoln, Nebraska, founded the company called LYMA and began creating Trail Tags, which are commemorative patches, to give hikers the perfect souvenir. Out of a sincere love for hiking the Rockies, they started a business to give hikers a literal badge of honor. Trail Tags are high quality, custom designed, hand-sewn embroidered patches for popular hiking trails. Each patch features a special graphic as well as a border color that signifies the distance of the hike.

Lyle and Marge fell in love with Estes Park and became passionate about hiking.  They believed hiking was a great way to create life long memories for yourself, your family and friends. The Trail Tags gained in popularity over the years. In the 1990’s, they sold their business to Mary Conway who continued the tradition. In 2005, Brian and Mary Shaw moved from California to Nebraska and bought the business. They have been hiking the trails of RMNP ever since and have brought many new Trail Tags to the collection.

The Shaws have updated numerous tags as well as continually added new destinations based upon customer feedback and requests. Mary said, “We love reading emails from customers who have been buying tags for years and are now passing down that tradition to their kids.”

Earning Trail Tags for Rocky Mountain National Park and surrounding destinations has become quite a hobby for many people. One local mom has used Trail Tags as a great incentive to get her little hikers on big hikes. Laura Reese grew up earning Trail Tags sporadically when they vacationed to Estes Park and wanted to make sure her kids got a Trail Tag for each hike they completed.

Their family became serious about earning and collecting Trail Tags when they moved to Estes Park six years ago. The kids love the colors around the edges of the tags to indicate the length of the trail.  The Reese family has pretty strict rules about earning Trail Tags. Laura said, “In our family, to earn a Trail Tag, you have to walk to the destination and back on your own two feet. You can hold a parent’s hand, take as many “breathers” as you want, and fuel yourself on lollipops, but you can’t be carried.”

With the incentive of badges, these kids have become great little hikers.  “Our oldest two kids did Flattop and Hallett at the ages of six and eight, which is almost a 10-mile round trip hike. The longest hike our now 6-year-old has done was Sandbeach Lake, which is almost 9 miles round trip. Our youngest just turned 2, and her longest hike was Alberta Falls, which is 1.6 miles round trip. Our oldest two hope to earn their first gold Trail Tag this summer,” said Reese.

Collecting Trail Tags isn’t just for kids, though. Adults love the challenge as well.  Charlie Garcia became passionate about earning Trail Tags at the age of 22 when he started working at the YMCA of the Rockies. Today, Charlie has earned 113 of the 124 currently available.  Just last week, Charlie walked into Brownfield’s with a big smile on his face and headed straight for the Trail Tag wall.  He completed the last of the blue and gold hikes, which of course, are the most strenuous. When asked, Charlie said the Trail Tag that was the hardest to earn was by far “Mummy Kill.” In order to earn the Mummy Kill patch, the hiker traverses six peaks in the Mummy Range, which is roughly 16 miles and over 5,600 feet of elevation gain.
 
Trail Tags range in price from $1.00 - $2.00 each, depending on where you purchase them. There are numerous establishments selling these wonderful RMNP souvenirs throughout Estes Park and Grand Lake. If you want to start a fun tradition for your family, consider collecting Trail Tags. They are a small, inexpensive way to tell a big story about your Rocky Mountain adventures.  Happy hiking!

​You can purchase RMNP Trail Tags from these retailers:
Brownfield's, Estes Park Mountain Shop, Kirk's Fly Shop, Estes Village, Never Summer Mtn Products, Outdoor World, Rams Horn Village, Scot's Sporting Goods, Village Store, and YMCA of the Rockies.

Trail Tag Display Ideas:
https://shopbrownfields.com/pages/trail-tag-ideas

by Murray Selleck

Summer Solstice: Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 2:50 pm Mountain Time.
Sunrise 5:32 am. Sunset 8:31pm (depending on where you are in Colorado)
Nearly 15 hours of daylight.

I’m not sure where I read the idea of celebrating the summer solstice by sitting quietly, watching, and listening to this day transition from overnight dark skies to morning light. However, once I took the idea to heart I plan my Summer Solstice to do just that… to bear witness to the day’s beginning sunrise and its slow return to darkness at sunset.

Certainly I could do this “ritual” any day of the year and I know it to be a good thing. It is a way to acknowledge our Earth and all its creatures and recognize our true place within the most relevant world wide web.

The subtleness of light and sound are a wonder. The sound of the main creek running through our valley is always the first dominating sound we hear. The sound of flowing water is comforting knowing that drought can easily arrive in a matter of days at anytime.

Robins are the first to add their voices to this current of sound. Stellar jays are quick to follow with their bird song version of a rusty gate hinge opening. You can’t hold a grudge against a bird for who they are or what they sound like but we are grateful when the jays move along.

Woodpeckers take up the beat of the day by drumming their concussion resistant heads against our nearby forest trees. It’s easy to hear the different densities of the trees they hammer on with the pitch of their staccato rhythm.

Not to be drummed out come the honks of a pair of Canada geese as they compare the virtues of the several ponds they can choose to float on. But my favorite soon follows with the jurassic sound of sandhill cranes. Even from a distance their prehistoric sound carries loud enough to make you think they are nearby standing on their stick thin legs or flying leisurely on the flaps of long slow motion wings.

Our morning dark sky and few lingering stars fade to a dull sky the color of mourning doves. The sky’s deep blue color will appear as a whisper until we recognize its sudden appearance. Morning clouds catch the first hint of sunrise color and high along the ridge line across the valley sunlight hits the very top limbs of the spruce and pine forest. Sunshine arrives and the contours of the valley’s hills and dales define themselves in shadows where side creeks and springs carve their downhill watery courses.

However, towards the end of the day as the sun sets in the west our pause in life’s daily responsibilities will again stop as we settle back into our patio garden chairs to watch and listen. The colors of the sunset becomes lowlight alpenglow and this shadowless light slowly fades into darkness. The sounds of the day become quieter. Deer slowly climb the hill to our east. A few elk dash for cover across the meadow to our south. A fox slowly one steps it nearby as she pauses and listens for any tell-tale burrowing underground. Coyotes sing-song and yip their excitement for the day’s end.

Slowly, almost one by one, until there are too many to count, stars appear above and this longest day of light comes to a close. The named constellations take form and begin to trace the short summer season towards autumn and the cold and dark days of winter to come.
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So we give our thanks to a Summer Solstice day and remind ourselves to remember that every day is special and unique and worthy of our acknowledgement, our witness, and gratitude, if only for a moment…

by Dave Rusk
​It's almost the Summer Solstice, also known as the First Day of Summer. If you haven’t been out hiking by this time it’s time to get started! The daylight hours are long, the high trails in Rocky Mountain National Park are free of snow with prolific alpine flowers blooming. 

​Here are four hikes from short and easy to long and challenging to get you out on this spectacular day of prolonged daylight.

Tundra Communities Trail - 0.6 miles

Want to watch the sunrise from the top of the world? Head up Trail Ridge Road to the Rock Cut parking area and get on the Tundra Communities Trail. You will need to get there early, sunrise is at 5:32am on June 20th, and you will need to be there even earlier if you want to join the picas and watch the first light hit the summit of Longs Peak. A great way to celebrate the start the summer. Be sure to bring warm clothes though, temperatures can often drop to near freezing overnight on the tundra.
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After watching the sunrise, head down to Grand Lake for the day. And then end your solstice day by coming back to the Tundra Communities Trail for sunset at 8:36pm.
For more on this trail visit: tundra-communities-trail

Mill Lake - 2.8 miles

While Mills Lake is one of the very popular hikes in the Bear Lake corridor you can make it a special summer solstice evening hike after 6 pm when most visitors have gone home. Bring a thermos of tea, find a spot to settle in, and enjoy a spectacular sunset on the surrounding peaks. Plan to stay after dark and watch the full moon rise over Longs Peak (the actual full moon is on June 21 at 7:07pm). Plan to wrap up in something warm after the sun goes down and be sure to bring your headlamp for the hike out!

Reminder: A timed-entry reservation is required for the Bear Lake corridor if you hike between the hours of 5am and 6pm.
For more information on this trail visit: mills-lake-trail

Lion Lakes Basin - 7 miles

A hike to Lion Lake Basin requires a lot of day light, not just for the 14 miles out and back, but because you will want to have time to explore once you get there. The trail proper ends at Lion Lake No. 1. This is a spectacular destination on its own but after that there is Trio Falls, Lion Lake No. 2, and Snowbank Lake. Chiefs Head Peak and Mt. Alice serve as a spectacular scenic backdrop. There are no established trails to the upper lakes so travel carefully across these sensitive areas, and as always, watch the weather. All of these lakes are in the subalpine and alpine so plan and pack accordingly.
For more information on this trail, visit: lion-lake-basin-trail

Flattop Mtn-North Inlet Trail - 17.7 miles

For the ultimate all day hike follow a trail that leads to dinner in Grand Lake. This thru-hike starts at Bear Lake and follows the Flattop trail to its broad summit before connecting with the trail to North Inlet. Be sure you have your hat, sunglasses and sunscreen as you will be traversing across the Continental Divide for a while. The trail then drops into the North Inlet drainage and eventually takes you right into downtown Grand Lake! Don't forget to make transportation arrangements to get back to Estes Park!

​Reminder: A timed-entry reservation is required for the Bear Lake corridor if you hike between the hours of 5am and 6pm. 
For more information on this trail, visit: Flattop-N.Inlet-trail

Middle school, high school, college students, and young adults from Brownfield’s team are doing the same thing in the wee hours of the morning. A group of dedicated and devoted hikers meet at 4:30am to pile into a couple of cars and head into Rocky Mountain National Park before the 5am reservations are required.

Without knowing their work schedules a month or more in advance nor being able to plan for weather, this group of committed hikers needed to adjust to the new reservation system. Before the reservation system, they could freely enter the RMNP and make hiking plans based upon their work schedules and the weather forecast.  Rather than give up their special hiking tradition together, they opted to start their hikes before the break of dawn.
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In a digital world filled with distractions, it's remarkable to think that young people from 14 years old to their late-twenties would get up hours before most alarms sound and venture into RMNP to embrace all the glory of nature. If this weren’t impressive enough, the number of miles they log is mind-blowing. The hiking group will often hike upwards of 15 miles before they put in a full day of work at Brownfield’s.

Once we turned onto the last portion of the trail, it is a downhill grade all the way. Gentle switchbacks make it an easy walk down. We had a group of 6 people including two nine-year-old boys and completed the entire adventure in just over an hour.

Total Distance - 1.6 miles
Elevation Gain - 416 feet
Average Time - 54 minutes
Trail Rating - Easy to Moderate

Lily Lake Trail
Our second hike is one that I have always called a walk. Being a .8-mile flat loop with only 40 feet of elevation gain around a beautiful lake, most would not consider this as a worthy hike. Because of its expansive views of Longs Peek and Mount Meeker with this quaint lake in the front, we are placing it on our short list of must do hikes! Lily Lake Trailhead is located outside Estes Park on Highway 7 across the street from Twin Sisters Mountain.

Breath Book Review by Murray Selleck

Breathing is a pretty natural thing. We humans average 25,000 breaths a day without even thinking about it. How would it feel, though, if we did think about each individual breath and reap the benefits of more efficient breathing? This is what I’ve been trying to practice for awhile since reading the book, BREATH - The New Science of a Lost Art, by author James Nestor.

I wouldn’t call this book a scientific study or even place it in the genre of self help. However, I do find the ideas presented to be compelling and the book is an intriguing read. I should also say that the ideas presented are controversial to some, not wholly based as accepted or proven science, and the ideas regarding the healing benefits or reversing chronic illness just by changing how a person breathes are mostly anecdotal.

One benefit that I have realized through circular breathing is I can maintain a very consistent pace whether backcountry skiing or hiking summer trails. My new  breathing pattern controls the pace and not the pace controlling my breathing (gasp)! When I start out I am less likely to start fast and try to get away from the trailhead as quickly as I can. Part of that way-too-fast pace at the start is the excitement of getting out on a trail. With better breathing I can be more “in the moment” from the very start, be more aware of my surroundings, and feel more calm and less inclined to “cover some distance.”

Another benefit dawned on me this past winter. I consistently came home saying I was overdressed and overheated. I didn’t realize until later in the winter that by breathing “circular” I was changing my metabolism. My new breathing was making me warmer even on the coldest of winter days while I was layering up in my usual old way. I adjusted my clothing layering system and finally towards mid-winter I once again maintained a comfortable temperature during my outings.

Other benefits of better breathing are reduced stress, lower blood pressure, reduced lactic acid build-up in your muscles, increased energy, improved immune system, and increase the feeling of being in the moment, present, and calm.

I do recommend reading BREATH - The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor for those who are interested. In the Appendix of Breath, Nester offers several different breathing techniques from the basic to pretty involved. It’s all interesting and worth experimenting.

So as you begin a new hiking season in Rocky Mountain National Park think about each breath you take. Are you gulping for air? Are you short of breath? Are your legs tired soon after starting? Change your breathing. Practice breathing more efficiently. All you might risk is better well being!

Signs of beaver activity from left to right: Recently chewed willow stems. A beave lodge made of sticks and mud. An active beaver dam. A food cache of aspen stems in the water. NPS Photo. Food cache photo courtesy of J. Sueltenfuss

by Scott Rashid,
Director of Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute (CARRI)

There are four species of small owls that reside in and around Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). The Boreal Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Flammulated Owl and the Northern Pygmy-Owl. All these owls are secondary cavity nesting species, which means that they need to nest in a cavity but cannot create one themselves. Therefore, they need to use an abandoned woodpecker cavity or a nest box that has been provided for them.

Apart from the Flammulated Owl, these owls can be found in the area year-round. The Boreal Owl is often found in the Boreal Forest above 9000 feet, the Northern Saw-whet can be found in a multitude of habitats form just below tree line to the foothills. The Northern Pygmy-Owl has a bit more preferred habitat, as they prefer a mixed forest type that consists of aspen, fir, spruce, juniper downed logs, small openings within the forests and a water source.
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The diminutive Flammulated Owls winter in Mexico and nest up here where they feed primarily on insects, including moths, beetles, and crickets. The Boreal Owl feeds upon voles, mice, small birds and large insects. The Northern Saw-whet prefers deer mice but will also take a few voles and occasionally a bird or two. The Northern Pygmy-Owls have a more varied diet and consume voles, chipmunks, small to medium-sized birds, and nestlings.

The Northern Flicker, the largest woodpecker in the area and is the bird that constructs the cavity that these owls prefer. Northern Flickers create a cavity that has a roughly three-inch entrance hole and is about a foot deep. That appears to be sufficient for each species to raise their families.

Northern Pygmy-Owls and Northern Saw-whet Owls prefer a nest cavity that is close to water. In many cases, these birds will choose a nest that is within a few yards of a water source, which could be a creek, stream or pond. This is because both species often capture creatures as large if not larger than themselves, and often get bloody. Having a water source near their nests affords them the luxury of bathing when dirty. Clean feathers help keep the owls warm and dry.
 
Northern Saw-whet Owls have a territory that is about 400 yards, where the Northern Pygmy-Owl has a territory that is about ¾ of a square mile. The Boreal Owl seems only to defend the nest tree and not a territory. The Flammulated Owl has a rather tiny territory as they feed upon insects that are often much more numerous and easier to capture than small birds and mammals.

Male Northern Saw-whet Owls begin soliciting a female in January, and begin nesting in March. Boreal Owls often begin calling for a female in February and being nesting in March or April. The Northern Pygmy-Owl begins courtship in mid-February and start nesting in late April, early May. The Flammulated Owls Begin arriving here in Late April and begin nesting in May or June.
 
All the owls raise between two and seven owlets. If they nest in a natural cavity, they usually raise two to three owlets, because a natural cavity frequently is so small it cannot fit more than two owlets and the adult female. If they use a nest box, which is much larger than the natural cavity, they can raise as many as seven.

The young of these owls remain in their cavities for about four weeks before they fledge. After fledging they remain with their parents for about a month before moving out on their own. This movement often occurs in July or August depending upon when they hatched.
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Each fall, after dark, researchers around the country broadcast the calls of the owls and set up a series of mist nets to capture the owls as they move in their wintering grounds. We operate one of those research stations in RMNP where we capture and band both Northern Saw-whet Owls and Boreal Owls.

The reason for banding the birds is to gain insight into where the birds move to and how long they live. Due to the birds being nomadic, we have only had three Northern Saw-whet Owls recaptured. One Northern Saw-whet Owl was banded in Pinewood Springs, about 15 miles east of Estes Park and recaptured in Estes Park two years later. Another bird was recaptured where it was banded in Estes and the third was banded in Estes and recaptured in Eastern Pennsylvania.
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Except for the Flammulated Owls, the owls are vocalizing now and can be heard calling for mates. The Northern Pygmy-Owl is active during the day, and the others are active after dark. Hopefully you can get out this spring and hear/see one or more of these wonderful creatures.

by Scott Rashid
To see and read more from Scott visit his website Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute 

There are birds that spend the winter in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), including Townsend’s Solitaires, Black-billed Magpies, Pygmy Nuthatches, Clark’s Nutcrackers, American Robins, Canada Jays, rosy-finches, and Common Ravens. Several species leave the park to spend the winter in Estes Park to find bird feeders, often staying near them feeding until spring.
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As Spring arrives, many avian species begin arriving in the area. Over the years, there have been more than 300 species documented either passing through Estes Park and RMNP, or nesting there. We are very familiar with many of these including Black-Billed Magpies, Steller’s Jays, House Finches, Cassin’s Finches, Cooper’s Hawks, Pine Siskins, Lesser Goldfinches and more.

There are many areas in and around the park where multiple species can be seen. One of the best locations to see birds is Lake Estes and the surrounding area. On the west end of Lake Estes is a bird sanctuary where more than 305 species have been documented.  Many of those use the sanctuary for resting and feeding before moving off to their nesting grounds, others will nest there.

The list of birds that simply pass through in the spring includes Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, Blue-winged Teal, Rudy Duck, Redhead, Killdeer, Bobolink, American Dipper, Sharp-shinned Hawk, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Franklin’s Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Wilson’s Snipe, Peregrine Falcon, Prairie Falcon,  Eastern and Western Kingbird, Roug-winged Swallow, and many more.
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Lake Estes and the surrounding area including the dog park, golf course and the marina are great places to search for birds of different species. For example, species including Sandhill Cranes, Killdeer, Long-billed Curlews, Prairie Falcons, Red-tailed Hawks, Savanah, Lincoln’s, White crowned and White-throated Sparrows, are frequently seen on the golf course. Common Loons, Western Grebes, Clark’s Grebes, Wilson’s Phalaropes, Spotted Sandpipers, White-faced Ibis’ and Canvasbacks have been seen from the marina swimming in the lake.

The baseball field, playground, and dog park are good for sparrows, including Lark Buntings, Clay-colored Sparrows, Brewer’s Sparrows, Painted Buntings, Lazuli Buntings, Western Meadowlarks, Gray Catbirds, Brewer’s Blackbirds, Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Mockingbirds.

The species that nest in the sanctuary include Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, Canada Geese, Mallards, Pygmy Nuthatches, Common Grackles, Pine Siskins, Warbling Vireos, and Spotted Sandpipers.  The waterfowl (ducks and geese) often nest on the ground near the water, the waxwings nest along the river, the nuthatches construct their cavities in the trees along the creek and the American Robins and Warbling Vireos construct new nests yearly in different locations.

Within RMNP, many species of raptors migrate through. These include Swainson’s Hawks, Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Broad-winged Hawks Merlins, and American Kestrels. Other species that move through the park include warblers like the Bay-breasted Warbler, Palm Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Magnolia Warbler and more. 

Other species that have been documented passing through include American White Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, Franklin’s Gulls, Marbled Godwits, Bonaparte’s Gulls, Common Goldeneye, Lazuli Buntings, Lark Buntings, Harris’s Sparrows, and Gray Catbirds.

The area has had multiple rarities seen including the Baltimore Oriole, Black-throated Sparrow, Black Phoebe, Hooded Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Great-crested Flycatcher, Common Redpoll, Summer Tanager, Rusty Blackbird, Painted Bunting, Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Lesser Nighthawk and the Golden-crowned Sparrow.
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Birds have wings and fly very well, which often means that a rare species can show up almost anywhere. As many rare birds have been seen in and around Estes and RMNP. It is a good idea to get out and search for birds, you may find something rare.

by Murray Selleck

Snow is the lifeblood of Colorado. It is the surface of our winter playground and it is the source of our springtime and summer water. Without snow, Colorado itself (and lots of other western states) would be impossible!

All snow is good and there are all kinds of it. No matter how it falls, or floats, or gets blown from the sky we need every flake. However, just because all snow is good doesn’t mean all snow is easy. Some snow is difficult if not outright dangerous. Heavy wet spring snow is tough to shovel and when snow layers pile up on top of one another avalanches are a constant hazard, especially in Colorado.

The good news is more times than not snow is fun, beautiful, and inspiring. Fun with all its options to go out and play in it. Beautiful in the way it changes color when its surface reflects the light from our sunrises and sunsets. And inspiring in the way that your imagination can run with possibilities. Snowmen, snow caves, snow forts, igloos, and snow sculptures all show how creative and malleable snow can be.
 
Snow is not monolithic. There is not one kind of snow and it is constantly changing as it falls, as the wind blows, or as temperatures rise and fall. With those thoughts in mind here is a list of snow types, conditions, and a bit of winter time slang that you may encounter in Rocky Mountain National Park. What follows is our best attempt at naming all the different kinds of snow we could think of and a brief sentence on how to use it in a conversation.

The food group of defined snow:
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Corn snow is typically found in springtime after a few freeze/thaw cycles. Clear starry nights with bone cold temperatures followed by warm spring-like temperatures will form corn snow. Early in the morning the snow will be crusty hard but as the sun works its magic the crust layer loosens. It is this thin loose layer on top that is corn snow. It becomes easy to ski since it is so carvy and the firm crust underneath supports your weight so you won’t break through.
“We harvested that corn like it was nobody’s business!”
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Sugar snow is found deep within the snowpack often right at ground level. The earth gives off heat even in the dead of winter and the first few snowfalls of the season often transform into an incredibly weak, sugary layer that will not bond to itself or anything else for that matter. It may also be referred to as rotten snow due to its loose nature. You’ll sink right through it if you find a pocket of it close enough to the surface.
“This sugar snow ain’t sweet.” 

Chowder is a mixed bag of wet, clumpy, and really thick snow. Homemade chowder is good eating but chowder snow is nasty skiing. You have to show a great deal of determination to keep your skis going the direction you want them to. Skis tend to deflect off chowder snow sending you and your skis in different directions!
“This chowda sucks!” (Say it like you’re from Maine).

Mashed potatoes snow is similar to chowder in that both snow types are thick and heavy. The only good news is mashed potatoe snow is a bit more consistent but no less energy draining.
“Nothing but mashed potatoes and no gravy today.”

Butter snow is dreamy. Think of a hot knife slicing through butter in your kitchen. Then think of a pair of skis slicing through a layer of snow so easy all you can imagine is carving butter. As with skiing and French cooking butter is an essential ingredient.
“It was sooo good. It was butter!”
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Champagne snow is synonymous with the Steamboat Ski Resort. Champagne snow is some of the driest fluffiest snow on earth. Other definitions of this type of snow are listed below including blower. Snow so light all you have to do to clean your windshield is blow and viola, your done!
“Champagne don’t make me crazy.”

 The Soft Stuff:

Powder snow is the friendliest. Light and soft and the deeper the better. Easy to ski through, easy to break trail through whether on skis or snowshoes, easy to shovel, and easy to exaggerate its depth.
“36 inches easy. In places I bet the powder was up to here!” (Lift your hand up as far up as you can above your head).

Fluff is powder snow… so fluffy it almost doesn’t fall from the sky it is so light.

Blower snow is mentioned above with champagne snow. Blower snow can leave a snowy airborne contrail behind a skier as he or she is making turns. So light and blower it becomes airborne a second or third or fourth time!
“I sneezed and my windshield cleaned itself… it was blower.”

Der is short for powder.
“There's der in those woods!”

Freshies is slang for fresh snow that has fallen overnight.
“Freshies are the best!”
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Pow Pow is when you just can’t think of another description for powder snow.
"Nothing’s greater than rippin’ (making turns in) pow pow!”

The Tough Snow Conditions. Mean snow. Unforgiving snow:

Crud snow is just as it sounds. Cruddy, chopped, inconsistent, and windblown all together at once.
“I can’t ski this crud. I’m going home.”

Mank is another name for cruddy snow. Mank has a wetter and heavier element to it beyond just cruddy. Mank is thick and not funny snow.
“I can’t ski this mank. No joke. I’m going home.”

Sierra cement could be used for home construction right up until the sun shines. Before then sierra cement is the most humid, wet, and thick snow to fall from the sky. While the Sierra Mountains made this snow type infamous it can fall just about anywhere in the mountains if the conditions are right. Three feet of sierra cement could fall overnight and you would still only ski the top few inches of it because of how thick it is.
“This sierra cement is a poor man’s champagne.”
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Suncupped snow is amazing to look at and tough to ski tour or snowshoe over. Think of an empty egg carton… the side that holds the eggs. The deep depressions with curved upped peaks defines suncupped snow nicely. Suncups form in the spring and typically are found on large snowfields. They are a challenge to hike through or ski over since the uneven surface with potentially deep pockets and substantial ridges inhibit an easy stride or surface to balance on.
“Suncups suck but they’re amazing to look at.”

Snow on the Surface:

Hoarfrost are some of the most beautiful snow crystals to be seen. It is worth one's while to look at hoarfrost crystals closely. They occur in an intricate variety of forms. Some of the most beautiful hoarfrost appears like leaves of a fern or feathers from a bird. Hoarfrost can develop on the snowpack surface, tree branches, ski poles left outside, pretty much anywhere. It forms on the ground by direct condensation at temperatures below freezing. See photo above.
"A hoarfrost is beautiful to see but it is also the next weakest layer once new snow buries it."
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Crust forms after sunny warm days followed by freezing nights. Crusts are typically found on south facing slopes, or certainly, where the sun shines brightest including open meadows. Crust snow is very loud snow as you travel over it. If a strong enough crust forms that will support your weight it can be quite fun to ski. Nordic skate skiers will ski a backcountry crust for miles on end and have a blast. Timing is everything since once the day warms up your solid crust may become thick like a slushy.
“Nothing beats a great spring crust day.”
 
Breakable or Fry-able crust is a nasty crust. The crust layer may support you up to a moment, typically just as your confidence builds, only to have it give way underneath you. You may rasp your shin against the crust that remains as it rakes into your legs. It can hurt. It’s worse than snow snakes in powder because of the painful element to your lower legs. Once you have broken through a crust it is tough to regain your balance and get back on top because it will only giveaway again.
“This breakable crust is like the worst *&^#{!!  yuck I've ever tried to ski!”

Dust on crust is when a light snow has fallen overnight on a crusty snow layer. There really isn’t enough snow to make it carvable or to quiet the loud crunch underneath your skis or snowshoes. Dust on crust considered a why bother snow?
“Coma se coma saw… it’s just dust on crust.”
 
Windblown and Spindrift are just as the name suggests. Windblown snow races along the surface creating solid drifts and filling in snowshoe and ski trails until they completely disappear. Windblown snow and spindrift can hurt when it hits you in the face. Little stinging shards of icy snow will have you trying to moonwalk to keep your face out of the wind. On the other hand spindrift can beautiful as it catches sunlight and become tiny airborne rainbows.
1st skier - “This spindrift hurts my face!” 2nd skier - "Your face hurts my face, too!"
 
Bullet proof is similar to a crust snow only this snow is so hard it feels like it could stop a bullet. Bullet proof snow can be formed by freeze/thaw cycles or a hard wind or a long duration between snowstorms. It is so hard you can’t even kick step your way up a slope and climbing skins on your skis are borderline ineffective.
“Ice axes and crampons are the way to go when its bullet proof.”

Falling Snow:

Charlie Brown Snow. There is a scene in a Charlie Brown Christmas when Charlie and Linus and walking to the Christmas tree lot. Snow is falling so lightly you can practically count the snowflakes as they descend. This kind of snow falls with no trace of wind and falls gracefully, smoothly, slowly, magically.
“I love that scene in a Charlie Brown Christmas with the snow falling and a nice mellow jazzy riff as a background soundtrack."

Wind driven, stinging, white out, or blizzard snow can be horrible to be out in. These kind of snows are horizontal snow. It is blowing so hard the snow has zero chance of landing. Of course, it will accumulate somewhere and that will typically be in your ears, nose, eyes, against your back and legs pretty much everywhere you don’t want it to be.
1st person, “I can’t hear or see you!” 2nd person, “What did you say? I can’t even see you!”

Silver dollar snow are snowflakes that are as big or bigger than silver dollars. They’re huge. Typically silver dollar snow falls in the spring as remnants as a storm is on its way out.
“If I had a silver dollar for each of those flakes I could _____ (fill in the blank).”

Graupel is a kind of styrofoamy hail but it is softer than hail and never becomes as big as hail can become. I once had the pleasure of skiing in the backcountry down a slope with practically a foot of graupel. Very unusual to see that much accumulation but really fun to ski. Graupel is a mix of snow crystals and ice but softer and styrofoamy.
"I usually don't grovel about graupel but today I'll make an exception."
 
Snirt and Snain. Are these even real snowflakes? Snirt is snow mixed with dirt. In Colorado the dirty snow that falls can come from the Utah desert or even as far as the Gobi desert. The unfortunate fact about snirt is come springtime dirty snow melts faster than clean snow. Dirty snow can shorten the spring runoff time reducing the amount of moisture that soaks into the ground versus just running off downstream. Snain is snow mixed with rain. Talk about yuck. It is neither snow or rain it is just wet and miserable.
"Snirt, snain, burp, snort, poop... It kinda is all the same thing."

This sums up our snow effort. March can be a banner month for adding to our snowpack. Typically, it is a warmer month so the snow that falls is wetter and heavier. But as we said at the outset... All snow is good snow so the more snow the better. No matter what you call it!

by Marlene Borneman

​"Go to the winter woods: listen there, look, watch, and “the dead months” will give you a subtler secret than any you have yet found in the forest." Fiona Macleod, Where the Forest Murmurs

The name Wild Basin dates back to the early days of Enos and Joe Mills. Wild Basin is the southeastern section of Rocky Mountain National Park and designated as wilderness. It holds the headwaters of the North St. Vrain River and is filled with many lakes, creeks, and waterfalls. It is also home to a number of the most remote and rugged high peaks in the park. Wild Basin is indeed wild!
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Sandbeach Trail January  4, 2024 - Little to no snow describes the beginning of the Sandbeach Lake trail early this year. In fact, there was no need for snowshoes or even microspikes until about 1.5 miles up the trail. Icy spots were manageable and in many places the trail was bare. The start of the trail is on the south facing slopes of a moraine exposing it to the sun. Nonetheless, I found the lack of snow very unusual for January. 

Meeker Park Junction
Approximately 1.5 miles up the trail we reach the Meeker Park Junction. At this point we hiked west where the trail follows a north facing slope.  Here the snow became significant in the trees; however, the trail was well packed requiring only microspikes to be worn. It was very pleasant hiking along this section traveling through a thick conifer forest and aspen groves. Soon, we cross Campers Creek on a short foot bridge.  
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Hunters Creek at 3.2 miles
At 3.2 miles we cross Hunters Creek over another foot bridge. Hunters Creek is a dazzling stream in any season. The winter snows and frigid temperatures transform this creek to a magical scene adorned with dramatic ice crystals and snow sculptures. In summer months its banks are decorated with spectacular wildflowers! At this point the trail becomes steeper and we begin the climb toward the Sandbeach Lake.

 Sandbeach Lake
Sandbeach Lake sits at 10,283 feet. This destination is very popular in summer months as it hosts four individual campsites and one group site. The shoreline is just as its namesake implies. A beautiful serene setting surrounded by fine sand and large boulders complete with spectacular views. To the south St. Vrain and Meadow Mountains with massive Copeland Mountain capturing the scene. To the north there are views of Mount Meeker and Longs Peak. Be cautious about walking out on the lake even on the coldest of days as it is often not completely frozen.

The author enjoying lunch at Sandbeach Lake
A Snickers  bar is a favorite for lunch. Easy and light to carry with little trash to pack out. Winter months offer solitude in Wild Basin. Moose are often seen at the lake and wandering the trail. On this day we did not see any wildlife including no birds. This is rare as the Gray Jay aka “camp robber” is typically all over the place or rather all over your lunch!

Sandbeach Lake:
Sandbeach Lake elevation:  10,283
Round trip from Sandbeach Lake Trailhead:  8.4 miles
​Elevation gain:  1,943