McGregor Mountain Blog

It’s been a great month here at the lodge! We have had wonderful guests, many who have commented on what a great time of year it is to visit as it’s much quieter than the busy summer season and the wildlife is very active. We’ve had our usual wildlife visitors and we have even been seeing a black fox around the property. We had seen one a few years ago, but it has been a while. I’ve had the camera at the ready hoping to get a shot, but I tend to only see him at night. Hopefully I’ll get one to share soon!

It was just announced that ‘Savor Estes Park’ will be back this March! Every Thursday in March participating restaurants will be offering absolutely dirt cheap options in an attempt to get more people to try their restaurants. Here is an excerpt from enjoyestespark.com

“Participating restaurants will be serving a 6” plate of some of their specialty foods with a glass of wine, beer or soft drink. The cost for each restaurant is $3.00 per person. Residents or visitors are encouraged to visit 2-3 different restaurants each week that they haven’t been to or go to your favorite restaurants and enjoy their fabulous cuisine at a very reasonable price. You will even find a few new restaurants that you will surely will go back to sometime soon. ”

You can get more info here… http://www.enjoyestespark.com/savorestes.php

I went on a couple of occasions last year, and it was a really good way to get to know what the restaurants offer. It makes it easier to refer great spots to you!

Also, I had a little adventure yesterday and put up a trip report on my own site. Feel free to check it out!

Hallett Peak – Winter Ascent

I’ll have more pictures for you very soon, and hopefully some of that black fox!

Michael

As promised as couple of days ago, I have some pictures from Rocky Mountain National Park to share with you! One of my regular hiking/running buddies, Alan, and I decided to hit the divide via Flattop Mountain for a day out in the mountains. The weather was supposed to be perfect, with temps in the 30’s and 10 mile per hour winds, which on the divide is like paradise. Usually the temps are in the teens or far below with 50+ mile per hour winds, so we were excited for an unusually nice day.

Well, the forecast was off in one critical area…the wind. While the temperature was only slightly cooler than projected, the winds were about 4 times as strong, making for a very uncomfortable journey above treeline on the Flattop Mountain Trail. Only about 30 minutes above tree-line we decided to change our plans and head for the North Longs Peak Trail in Glacier Gorge. Here, we’d be able to get some miles in while staying below the trees and out of the wind. So, down we went, back toward the Bear Lake parking lot.

We were soon hiking past Alberta Falls in Glacier Gorge and decided to play a little bit! We followed the stream up into the canyon taking a few breaks to play on the ice. It was a blast. We would find some spots that cascaded down stream and slide on our rear ends on top of the ice. In some spots we’d get going pretty quick…sometimes we don’t act our age out there, but it sure is fun! Onward and upward! We soon crossed the bridge on the North Longs Trail and were excited about the views we would soon be treated to! This is one of our favorite trails as it’s seldom used so solitude is rampant, and the views are some of the best in the park.

We were soon dissapointed because the higher we would climb, the more drifted and hard to follow the trail got. I don’t think it has been traveled once this winter! But we are not the type to be deterred from a good day out in the hills just because there is no trail to follow. We made the easy decision to just head straight up the very steep slopes above us to the summit of Half Mountain. This is a fantastic mountain lining the lower ends of Glacier Gorge directly above Milles Lake. As we climbed, the views got better and better and the air thinner and thinner! It isn’t a high summit, just around 11,500 feet (a kiss below I think), but it’s steep and loose terrain makes it a formidable and protected summit.

We had a great time just playing, scrambling over some of the rock outcroppings, marvelling at some of the ancient trees that lined the route, and simply enjoying a day in the mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park! Once we reached the top of the gully we were climbing, a short 3rd class scramble spit us out about 15 minutes below the summit. We hopped up the rocky tundra and were soon signing the summit register on top of a new summit for each of us! We marveled at the views, which are some of the best in the park giving one a great perspective on Glacier Gorge and much of the divide. We took some pictures and figured we better get a move on. It was 2:00 and I needed to be at work by 4 or 4:30!

We made quick work on the descent until we got to the bottom of the valley! Here we wallowed for about 30 minutes in waist deep snow and willows. I guess that taught us to leave our snowshoes behind! It was, by far, the most tiring part of the day! Once we did manage to claw our way back to the trail, we flew toward the car and soon had another great day in the books!

After all, this is why we visit places such as Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. To get out and explore this harsh mountain landscape. To take in the glorious creation around us. To rejuvinate our spirits and make memories that will last us the rest of our lives!

It looks like we will try to climbing the S Gully route on Thatchtop in the next few weeks… I’ll have to share that experience with you as well!

Michael