Moore Park (Page 6) |
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by Jerry Cates |
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Breakfast consisted of re-hydrated scrambled eggs -- which tasted quite unlike any scrambled eggs that ever crossed my palate -- cooked in a tiny fry pan. After washing utensils and tidying up the campsite, I set out again for the Longs Peak ranger station. A photo of the trail back to the station is shown below. This shows the relatively steep portion leading back to Eugenia Mine.
My plan was to take it easy today, and avoid getting too sore, while still logging a few miles of hiking. I decided to hike to the ranger station and back, without the backpack. With luck, this baby hike would help prepare me for much harder work at higher altitudes over the next couple of days. I started out strong, passing Eugenia Mine, crossing over Inn Brook, and continuing on to the fork. There, a right turn would send me up the trail toward the peak. A number of hikers were on that trail, and are shown in the photo below.
The trail to the left led back to the ranger station, today's destination. On the way I met a number of hikers, some already returning from the peak. The man in the photo below was a veteran hiker, who had already logged twelve hikes to the top of Longs this year.
This fellow was proud of his accomplishments, and rightly so. He would probably make a great guide... Several others had suffered defeat. Most in that group had gotten a dose of altitude sickness.
The young lady in the photo above was all smiles. I asked if she made it to the top, and she had, which explained her smile. We talked for awhile, so I could ask about conditions on the peak. She said there was still a little ice on the trail past the Keyhole, and urged me to be careful. Get this: she suffers from chronic asthma. Imagine, hiking at this elevation with chronic asthma! I was impressed. But she emphasized that she did not have any trouble breathing, either on this trip or on others in the Rockies. Well, that figures. The clean Rocky Mountain air is an excellent balm for respiratory problems... Next: Moore Park Page 7... Longs Peak Menu ... Bugsinthenews ... Books About Longs Peak |
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