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Not much swimming goes on in the park but this article talks about how to recognize someone who is drowning. Sounds like we've been misled by holywood.
Unsuspecting

--Aaron
(I can't believe this took me four "takes" to make it.....ugh )

When this happened my first thought was the mental angst that Lisa would endure for the days to come. After reading the report I have more respect for her than ever. She is one TOUGH woman. I can't imagine sitting there and watching your hiking partner die. She could have given up right then and there and curled up and died next to him, especially in her physically injured state, but she refused. I have no doubt she would have walked all the way back to the trailhead if that's what it took to survive. The mind is an extremely powerful thing, even more powerful than the body. Because of the strength that she has shown I have no doubt that she will make it through this difficult time and be even stronger as a result.

This is my last set of trip report photos for 2011, the only Colorado images I have to share this year.  Despite only having a few days to tour Colorado in 2011, it was rewarding.  The good news is that the 2012 planning is under way, and it's already shaping up to be much more Colorado-focused.  

Trip photos: Colorado Fall 2011

(Please forgive any redundancy if you may have seen this link elsewhere on the web today....)

           

Hey all... an update on the cause of Dave's death: The coroners report came out yesterday... I was looking at it this morning on a different computer and can't find it now... but the cause of death is officially said to be hypothermia. His injuries from the avalanche were not severe (or not thought to be), he just got too cold and passed out/passed away. This sounds like it could have been due to hypothermia and exposure/exhaustion... body just couldn't handle it all. But officially stating hypothermia. It was horribly cold, windy, snowy, etc and they were already experiencing hypothermia/frost bite earlier in their ordeal... it's amazing Lisa made it out and amazing Dave lasted as long as he did.

And we need to remember that no one is experienced 'enough' to avoid these kinds of events. Part of why we love these mountains is the very fact they are so wild and untamed. It speaks to a deep part of who we are as humans... we just have to remember that these same reasons that draw us to the mountains are the same ones that threaten to endanger us for no other reason other than the mountains being what they are... wild and untamed. It's why it is so rewarding to stand on a summit, or visit a remote lake... we tap into that aspect of the hills and it feeds us! Be careful and thank God for every step you take on those trails, both out AND back!

Iceberg: That is a Bighorn Mountain Summit Cairn.

GNP Girl:  I love your summit pose. I've never put my arms straight out like that for fear that the wind will lift me up like a hang glider. You are a brave one!

Melanie and Marsha:  Just imagine how much better my pictures will be with Aaron D and Aaron C in EVERY shot. With Aaron C I'm guaranteed that every picture will get two thumbs up.

Kristin surveying the scene. The clouds continued to build, blocking out the Mummy Range.



Looking the other way from the summit, there's Snowdrift Peak out in the sun and the top of Tyndall Glacier up close in the shade. Middle right is part of the Tonahutu trail we were on.



The clouds were darkening as we headed down from Flattop. We did get a light sprinkle and a bit of very fine hail before reaching tree line but not enough to get wet.



One last look at Longs.



The view from the Dream Lake overlook. I believe that's Knob #1 (per Ed's numbering system) above the lake on the other side. Far across is Mills Lake.



The last picture of the day a bit below tree line. It was cloudy and breezy the rest of the way which was nice, as a return from Flattop can be quite hot on a sunny day.



4 of 4

ScottO

I did a lot of research before I shot the eclipse and it came out much better than the last one I attempted.  At least there were only a few dive bombing bugs, and the temperature only got to 59 degrees.

The eclipse in Florida (EST) began at the uncivilized hour of 1:33 a.m and I took the last image at 5:02 a.m.
I went out in the everglades  to a rest area on the cross state highway (Alligator Alley) to get these shots, thus avoiding city light glare
All shots were taken with my D300 and 300mm f4 lens.  I shot ISO 200 for all shots except the "red" phase when the moon was really dark. Shutter speeds varied from 640 to 160 depending on size of moon and cloud cover for the white moon shots
The I bumped the ISO to both 800 and 1600 and exposed for 1.3-4 seconds.  I had to use the faster shutter speeds because the moon moved at a rate of 3 pixels per second for each 100mm of lens when mounted on the D300.

To make matters a bit worse we picked up a light wispy cloud cover midway during the red phase which lasted through the reappearance of the moon--thus those shots look a bit soft.

The best part of the night was the standing on my head to frame the moon in the viewfinder and then avoiding the gator (only about 5 feet) who strolled by during the red phase.

So here is my first "successful" lunar eclipse effort.



Larry

It seems fit that this trip report should start out with a WC Fields quote, "Not fit for man nor beast" but I will just say it was full on winter conditions.
I left Lyons in a temperature of 12F. and I wonder just how cold it was going to be at camp but what concerned me more was the wind I experienced driving up to Bear Lake. It was windy enough in the usual windy spots on the way to Estes Park and when I got the view of the Divide, I could see the peaks were shrouded in blowing snow. Not the kind of weather I was hoping for... Sure, I had been checking the weather forecast and the weather was holding true to the predicted low temps and strong winds.
I had hoped to ultimately go up Otis Peak a ways to build an igloo and spend three nights. This was my twenty eighth consecutive Thanksgiving in a snow shelter and I knew I had experienced weather just as bad over the years but it had been over ten years since it was this cold.
Well, experienced or not, the peak wasn't going to give itself to me on this trip but I figured I might just as well head that way and stop to build an igloo when needed.
When I got to Estes Park the temperature had dropped to 8F. and the wind was blowing down Elkhorn stronger than I'd felt it for a long time but then, I know the woods and know how to stay out of the wind on most trips up to timberline. I have my excellent leather boots, that fit so good, and my favorite Smart Wool socks to keep my feet warm but I'd left my full cover insulated gaiters at home. I instead foolishly thought my standard gaiters would do the job.
I drove up the Bear Lake road enjoying the new snow in anticipation of what snow conditions I would experience in snowshoeing and building the igloo. By the time I reached the parking lot, the temperature had dropped to 5F. and the winds were picking up also. I wasn't a gusty type wind but a steady 10mph which cut through to the bone when standing in the parking lot and getting ready. Luckily I know to have everything ready so all I need to do it put the snowshoes and pack on before heading out.
I pushed hard at first to get some body heat going and I warmed up before I got to Nymph Lake but my feet were still chilly so I kept pushing on to stop them from getting any colder. The winter trail up to Nymph is much more sheltered than the summer trail but even in the woods there was a steady 5mph wind that would bring on a chill if taking anything but a short water break.
I pressed on while breaking trail through the snow that had drifted onto the trail overnight. The snow was variable with soft easy snow to break and crusty snow that broke when putting my full weight on the snowshoe. I made good time in spite of breaking trail because I was traveling fast to stay warm and the overall snow conditions were favorable.
After passing Dream Lake, the trail had a lot more snow on it making going a bit slower but I was enjoying the depth of snow base we have this year. The new snow was deep enough that the last 1/2 mile of trail to Lake Haiyaha was completely hidden. Luckily I knew the trail well enough to follow the openings through the trees.
A short ways before reaching Lake Haiyaha I turned off trail and started heading up the side of Otis Peak. I was surprised how deep and firm the snow was with only sinking into the powder about a foot to a solid base below and then finding large areas of rock hard wind drift that was like walking on a hard trail.
I gained 400 feet after leaving the trail before reaching the end of any good tree cover to build the igloo in, it was very obvious that I wasn't gong any higher so I settled on the same sheltered spot I had built an igloo last spring. The wind hadn't died down any and it was moving through the trees at 5mph but the temperature had warmed up to a balmy 8F.
I arrived at the campsite at 11:30 and began building the igloo around 12:30 to hopefully keep me warm with the work of building the igloo. Heh, not so... I even tried doing a little shoveling of the walk to warm up. Nope, just to cold so I put my down coat on and my Forty Below overboots and that did the job. My feet, that had been freezing all day, soon warmed up and I was just warm enough to not overheat with taking a short break from time to time.
I built nearly the first three layers of the igloo before I put the stove inside the igloo to melt snow for water as the walls were blocking the wind good enough that the stove would work. It actually felt kind of strange laying down on the floor of the igloo to light and adjust the stove because it felt great. It was nearly dead calm and I felt so good that I felt like taking a nap. Whoa though, those are the thoughts of a person with hypothermia! I knew better though because I was warm so I got back to work before chilling down to much.
I was building the igloo by myself which requires me to get in and out of the igloo but after I complete the third row of the igloo, I can step over the wall anymore. Consequently I need to dig the door open to get in and out which lets a draft into the igloo again. I was leaving the stove going to melt snow as I worked but it blew out several times while I was building the forth layer of the igloo and I could feel the draft myself when standing in the igloo.
The building technique changes also after the third layer in that I shovel a huge pile of snow into the igloo and then go inside to build blocks and use up the snow. It was a blessing to get out of the wind while inside building and the draft coming in the door got less and less the taller the igloo got but it also makes it awkward to put snow into the form as the shovel handle hits the wall behind me.
I had been working in the dark with a headlamp since I started the stove to melt snow and I was very tired by the time I had finished the igloo. I normally build a seven foot igloo when I build it solo but this time I had decided to fudge on the seven foot pole settings so it builds a 7'11" igloo that is shorter than the 8' igloo the ICEBOX builds. It was a lot of work but then I was spending three nights and it would be enjoyed much more than the cramped 7' igloo.
Well, it was cold, the lighting was terrible for pictures and I was dog tired so I ate a quick cold meal before sliding into the sleeping bag for a long night's sleep. I slept in until 10:00 the next morning only to come out to harsh lighting conditions again for pictures. I hung around camp all day working on the walks and patios around the igloo site.
Towards evening I nearly let the good light slip by as I was cooking a meal but got out just in time to catch some colors:



I had packed a trail down over to a view around the end of Otis looking east:


It was getting dark so I figured I'd head into the igloo and make some coffee:

Last winter I posted about the long-eared owls in my backyard.  I mentioned that my sighting of over 8 owls to Project Feeder Watch was questioned because of the highly unusual sighting.  I backed up my report with pictures to support my findings and over the summer I was contacted by a reporter from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  She wanted to do an article about the owls.



Recently I was sent an advanced copy of the article which will appear in their Regional Roundup of Winter Bird Highlights.  Since I first reported my findings here on the forums, I wanted to share my enthusiasm about my owls with you.  Here is the link to the newsletter.  The owl story is on page 3.

Winter Bird Highlights

I'm hoping, with a little luck, the owls will come back this winter.

B-Jay

An interesting read written by the girl resued.
The report is the one dated June 28th Zimmerman Trail.

WEST SIDE,  WEST SIDE, WEST SIDE!!!

OK, now the nitty gritty!

Three places to see moose that I have found to be reliable year after year are:
1.  the East Inlet trail, as has been mentioned--stop at the first meadow by the campsite.  Moose seem to like the area across the river.where they can hide in the trees and then come down to the water.  Evening seems to be best, but I have gotten great shots in mid day also.
2.  When driving back into the park watch closely the rivers on the left side of the road.  Stop at any turnoff that will allow you to walk to water.  Look for the first large hill on the left side of the road, walk the little trail to view the river.  There are large stands of willow near the river and they love this area.  I see them mostly in the afternoon-close to evening.

BUT MY FAVORITE NEVER FAIL AREA IS:  TRUMPETS PLEASE!!!!.........

In the willows behind the Timbercreek Campground.  Enter the campground, find the amphitheater, follow the trail out to the river.  CAREFULLY look through the willows between the water and the campground.  Mostly LISTEN, you will hear them in the willows which are quite tall and can easily hide a large bull.  You can cross the river and walk toward the forest area on the west side---but this is more of a gamble than a sure thing. Best time is EARLY MORNING!! OR DUSK.

You can cheat and go to the public campground Elk something, just outside the Grand Lake entrance on the left as you turn toward town.  A mama moose and her babe has been in the wood by the tent site for the last three years.

For sheep my best sightings in August have been the Mount Ida trail on the western slopes, Also along the road from Grand Lake to the Poudre Lake parking area on the right hand side just before the turn to the north for Lake Poudre.  I have also seen them on top of Flattop.

Good Luck,and I want to see some photos by Late August!!!

Larry

Here are the pics...




--Aaron

Even though Rocky was full to bursting over the weekend of July 4th, it was still possible -- even easy -- to find places to walk that were not crowded. Having just arrived from sea level on Friday (2nd), we weren't planning on anything above treeline, and downhill seemed like a good idea. And because our favorite approach is not up-and-back walks (we like one-ways and loops better) and we had only one car, we decided to use the park's shuttles. Here are three easy, one-way walks that were pretty un-crowded:

Hallowell Park to the Moraine Park Visitor Center:
This was easiest, but also the least interesting (or most utilitarian, take your pick). Park at the Visitor's Center (the museum), take the shuttle toward Bear Lake, get off at Hallowell Park. Walk about a quarter mile toward Biertadt Lake, then turn back on the Hallowell-Tuxedo horse trail (we encountered no horses and little evidence of much such use). At the South Lateral Moraine horse trail, choose left (up and over the Moraine) or right (across the road and down to the Big Thompson horse bridge below the cataract, back up toward Moraine Park and the museum).
Plus: easy, mostly downhill, only ~3 miles; Minus: horse trails; the first part is along (above) the road.

Bear Lake to Hallowell Park:
Perhaps because we did this fairly early, it was less crazy than we though it would be. Park at Hallowell, take the up-bound shuttle, transfer to the Bear Lake shuttle at the Park-n-Ride and go to Bear Lake. Take the Bierstadt Trail (the first part of which is uphill, for about a half mile). At Bierstadt Lake, take your pick: go straight to Hallowell Park; go around the lake, whatever. Your mileage may vary.
Plus: Variety -- transition of the forest from the sub-alpine at Bear Lake to the sage brush meadow at Hallowell, with aspens and all sorts of wonderful stuff along the way. Mostly downhill (the first part is a good warm-up). Minus: Potential crowds to get to Bear Lake and people on the first part of the trail.

Park-n-Ride to Bear Lake (Glacier Creek Trail):
Park at the Park-n-Ride lot, then (in the upper left corner thereof) head uphill toward Bierstadt Lake. After a quarter mile or so (at the top of a serious hill), turn left and head for the Bierstadt Trailhead -- this is mostly down and through a lovely set of meadows and pine woods. Cross the road at the Storm Peak Trailhead, take that trail across the creek and for another quarter mile or so to the junction with the Glacier Creek Trail and turn right. Although the Glacier Creek Trail is uphill, it's an easy uphill until the junction with the main trail from Glacier Gorge Junction to Alberta Falls, then it's truly uphill for a half-mile to Bear Lake. (You can avoid this last half mile by going to the Glacier Gorge Junction lot to catch the downhill shuttle.)
Plus: Few people (the first piece appears to get little use, as the meadows are trying to overgrow the trail). Varied ecosystems. Some truly spectacular views take you by surprise. Minus: In the afternoon, the downhill shuttle can be crowded.

As noted, these are easy. Perhaps because they don't lead to the high, alpine lakes, they seem to get overlooked. But the (relative) solitude makes up for a lot of that.

Finally, there are only three of many, many possibilities for such shuttle-assisted trips. For example, when we're here for enough time to get acclimated, we'll park at Fern Lake Trailhead, take the shuttles to Bear Lake, and walk back via Odessa/Fern Lakes.

I guess my main point here is this: the NPS provides this helpful shuttle service, so we might as well take advantage of it. HPH

This is treading perilously closely to politics, folks. Any more in this latest direction and I'm locking the thread. HPH

Looking down on Lawn Lake while descending from Mummy Mountain

Just keep moving Swadley. If I have to smell any more of your gas I'm gonna lose it.

Hello,

This was made from a series of photos I took in August 2011. Sandy, Kristin, and Ed were doing their Forest Canyon Overlook to Milner Pass hike while I was closing up our west side cabin and heading over to the east side. The pano needs more work to even out the exposure in places, and you can also see a few of the seems. I probably can't get it much better than this, but it's still a fun one to look at. It's made from 12 photos - 6 pairs of HDR and 2 singles.

Note: when I tested this in the preview, I had to use the back button in the browser to get back, i.e. the close button on the image didn't work. Might be testing the limits of the forum viewer with such a wide photo.



ScottO

Ok--so this is NOT going to be a "technology central" type of answer but it will get you some grand sites and some excellent photos along with a fair bit of hiking.

First, during the day---9 am to 6 pm--follow this basic rule.  Put the sun behind you and shoot your scenic photos.  Sounds dumb, but it works.  You will get rich colors but harsh light.  Play the rule of thirds to frame your photos and put something (besides John) in the foreground for perspective.

Now the advanced ideas.
Get to Moraine Park for "daybreak"  Park near the mail boxes (last turnoff before the bridge on the Bear Lake road)  Find the big rock in the river (can't miss it) aim at the western peaks and wait for the peaks to light up with alpen glow.  You can't miss with this shot!

Better---go to the Bear Lake Parking lot.  Get there 1 hour before sunrise---hike the trail to Dream Lake, or Emerald (how far do you want to walk???  At Dream Lake go to the run off outlet stream at the lake, follow the left side of the stream to near the lake.  Use the stream for a leading line---point camera at Hallet Peak--wait for alpen glow  -- bracket shots--you will get a winner.  At Emerald Lake use the foreground rocks to get perspective of foreground, hold camera vertical, pick a peak for main subject, wait for the glow.

Best scenics of Rocky are with early morning light (Checkout Erik's website as mentioned.

If you don't want early---try Bear Lake, walk to the north side for sunset----use low laying rocks for foreground Long's Peak for background---it will glow at twilight.

Try Alberta falls in late afternoon to get rid of glare on water.
Shoot any waterfall on cloudy, overcast day (there will be no glare) use tripod and slow shutter speeds for great "flowing, smooth" look.

To use technology with photos---get an electric corkscrew to remove cork to enjoy wine while reviewing photos.

Most of all,enjoy your trip to Rocky!!

Larry