Rocky Mountain National Park

   RMNP is only 30 miles from my home but I've only been there a few times in all the years I've lived here. All national parks are not dog friendly, so it feels strange to go for a hike without my dog. Also it's a 20$ fee to enter the park, so I usually opt for places that are free and Hazel dog can come along. But old age does have it's perks. I was able to score a 10$ lifetime pass before the fee went up.

So today I decided to take advantage of my free pass and start exploring RMNP. Hazel got a good long walk, I grabbed my coffee, some breakfast and headed up to the park.

There are many trails to explore, so it was hard to decide where to start. But after asking friends and reading some guide books, I chose the check out Nymph, Dream and Emerald lakes.


This is the view from the parking lot!

These little guys are all over the place and so damn cute!

Nymph lake view...

I heard lots of chatter and finally was able to grab some pics of the mountain chickadee.

There were a few other people on the trail and we'd change hellos as we passed each other. One guy noticed my Yankee cap I was wearing and said " Go Yanks". We had a nice chat about being a New Yorker and a Yankee fan.

I was just past Dream lake when I heard a familiar sound of a woodpecker. There was a pair flitting around getting breakfast. This gal had just ripped off this piece of bark....

The male was close by. At first I thought they were downy woodpeckers but the yellow head threw me. So looked them up when I got home and realized they are three-toed woodpeckers...cool! A life bird for me!

This is the view above Emerald lake.......

So I headed back down the trail and now it was getting crowded with people hiking up the trail. Old people, kids, athletes, and out of shape people hiked by me as I descended the trail. Again, lots of hellos and are we almost there were the conversations I had with folks. But there's always one jerk and I'm pretty sure he was a red sox fan. As he hiked by he said " oh wearing your Yankee cap because they won last night"? I quickly responded "I wear it ALL the time"! That shut him up pretty quick as I only see red sox caps are here when they are winning......

By the time I got back to the parking lot, it was full and there were at least 50 cars waiting as I drove out. Definitely pays to get to the trails early! 
I had a great time and while I did miss having Hazel dog with me, I will head back soon for more exploring!

Thanks for reading!