Fern Falls, July 2010

The DC branch of the Highlander Clan chose Fern Falls as their first "adult" hike of the summer.  It did not disappoint!  The hike begins at Fern Lake Trailhead and is 2.7 miles (one-way) with a 745' gain to an elevation of 8,800'.  The first 1.7 miles, which I blogged about here and here, leads to The Pool.  In place of the gorgeous Fall leaves in those pictures, however, were many bright and colorful flowers.  This picture of The Pool shows the drama of the Fern and Spruce Creeks converging with the Big Thompson River. 

The trail to The Pool is fairly easy, but the remaining mile beyond becomes rocky and steep.  The reward is great, though, as Fern Falls is 60' high and cascades through a forested gorge, over huge boulders and fallen trees.  It is so loud that it's difficult to communicate without shouting, and its rushing water creates a fine mist which refreshes the fortunate hiker.

Dr. William Workman of Denver named Fern Falls, as well as Fern Lake and Fern Creek, for his third wife, not, as one might think, for the many bracken ferns that grow along the lower part of the trail.  An avid fisherman, Dr. Workman built Fern Lodge in 1910-1911 and made the area popular by inviting hundreds of visitors to stay in his lodge and explore RMNP.

Y Games

The Y offers the opportunity to play MANY games in the fresh mountain air.  Of course, we have our favorite - the one we always play.  And the Summer of 2010 was no exception!  Can you guess what it is?

Of course!!! It's Miniature Golf!  We've even been known to conduct tournaments in the name of this lady who enthusiastically shares her expertise.

And we get reeeally excited when we finally get the ball in the hole!

After each hole is played we click our balls together with great ceremony.

The Summer of 2010 brought a New Game too.  Can you tell .....

Can ya tell what it is?  Yep!  Tether Ball!

And, little sis can't wait til she's big enough to play.

Fantastically Fruitful Fly Fishing

Three of our Highlander Fly Fishers were able to log time with Sasquatch Fly Fishing Adventures.  Molly and Graham chose to go to the Private Lakes, avoiding the drama that hiking to high mountain lakes sometimes entails.

The Private Lakes belong to the Salvation Army.  They are on land that is used for a children's summer camp and a family camp and conference center.  Certainly not as exciting as hiking up water falls and being blasted by hail or hiding under ledges from lightning!  However, the awesome views of Mt. Meeker, Long's Peak, and Mt. Lady Washington make the experience very enjoyable, indeed!  Even more enjoyable is actually catching fish, which both Molly and Graham did  on this trip.

Molly and Matt fished the Private Lakes too, but, alas, there are no pictures.  And, Matt went on one of the Belly Boating Trips, something he'd always wanted to do.  The Belly Boat allows the fly fisherman to get out into the middle of a lake where it is deeper than he could wade.  This is especially helpful in the smaller lakes that may be surrounded by trees.  However, it does mean hiking up with a heavier pack than the Highlander Clan is accustomed to carrying!  Matt packed his Belly Boat up to Mills Lake.  Unfortunately, there were no pictures from Matt's trip, but I thought you might enjoy these from the same trip, one week later.  Apologies to the stranger whose picture I copied!

Creativity Abounds!

Painting was a real hit this summer!  Can you imagine how many princess figurines were painted by our very own Princesses?  Many, I assure you!

And ... Lauren and Molly created beautiful acrylic masterpieces!  They took a half-day class, painting the majestic view from the Library's front porch.  Also,  ta-da-da-DA!   Molly created our Highlander Clan's first ever silk painting; it's outstanding! 

Not to be outdone, our Princesses created a whole wardrobe for themselves and their sisters:

Our creativity was not just limited to painting and fashion design.  No, indeed.  We donned our Princess outfits and hiked around the Y grounds in search of a suitable stage on which to perform!

Revisit of Hollowell Park

Having discovered Hollowell Park in Oct, 2009, and later learning of its beavers, I was anxious to return.  So, we set out on our last hike of the Memorial Day week.  Finding beaver dams and ponds would satisfy me, as we went in the middle of the day.  This time we followed the trail along Mill Creek (duh!) instead of going the opposite direction.

We collected rocks and noted the flowers along the way.

We even spied deer wandering through the meadow.

Finally, we came to ponds, small ones, at first, and then this larger one!

.....and the pond had a dam!

Could it be the 6 ft dam I'd read about?  (Can ya tell - pond at the top of the picture?  The white is the water rushing over the dam.  I know, I prob'ly shouldn't post a picture that I have to explain!)

The dam didn't look 6 ft high, but we guessed that the water below the dam was unusually high because of the wet Spring and this just might be THE dam!  We wanted to continue on, following Mill Creek, just to be sure that this was THE dam, that there weren't bigger and better ones yet to come!  Alas!  we were halted by a huge marshy area, melting snow flowing into the Creek.  Not being prepared for such, we turned back, leaving further exploration to another day.

Deer Mountain

After dessert at Bald Pate Inn the night before, Emily, Alex, Taylor, and Sean chose Deer Mountain to work off the extra calories.  This is a 3 mile hike (one way) which summits at 10,013 ft. with a 1,093 ft. elevation gain.  It is often referred to as one of the easier summits in the Park.  As a hike, though, RMNP gives it a moderate rating.

The first mile of Deer Mountain Trail is gently ascending and offers some of the best scenery.  This includes Ypsilon Mt. and Beaver Meadow with Longs Peak as its backdrop.  The pines are an impressive size and, especially this year, the wildflowers are in great abundance.

The second mile begins to climb more steeply and is shaded by the pine and fir trees.  However, there are several turnouts revealing gorgeous views of the valleys below and the surrounding mountains.

The last mile of the hike becomes level and even tends toward downhill.  The forest is more open and frames excellent views of Estes Park to the East, Longs Peak to the South,  and Ypsilon Mt. to the Northwest.

At the summit, the trees and rocks testify to the harshness of mountain weather, even at 10,000 ft.  Forest fires have created picturesque snags of burned pine while the wind has flattened the tops of the huge boulders.  These forest fires are caused by lightening, and Deer Mountain seems to be a preferred target.  Hikers should take note and descend when thunderheads start to build.

Estes Park Excursions with a little Candy Competition

Sadly, if not unexpectedly, ALL our excursions into Estes Park had to do with FOOD.  Not an unusual theme for the Highlander Clan.  First there was the Candy Competition, a brilliant idea since it kept candy in the cabin for the whole week.  Emily proposed we pit Hayley's on the south side of Elkhorn ......

against Laura's on the north side, right across the street.

Both establishments serve BOTH ice cream and candy .....

So, it was certainly a fair comparison!  We ate and ate and ate, looking for the differences ..... Finally, we had to ask..... Lo! and Behold!  Both Hayley's and Laura's share the same owner!  Hayley's makes the ice cream and walks it across the street to Laura's who, in turn, supplies Hayley's with candy!

After such an exciting competition, we were still feeling quite dare-devilish and so ..... and so.....we went to eat MEXICAN food!  A huge risk since we are oh, so proud of our Tex-Mex.  I'm pleased to report that Casa Grande's food and margaritas were very acceptable.