SHANE'S HIKING JOURNAL - JULY 1, 2006 - JULY 8, 2006
ESTES PARK, COLORADO
INCLUDING ROCKY MOUNTAIN
NATIONAL PARK & ENVIRONS
While this isn't purely a hiking trip, I thought I'd include it here because most of the story and images are relevant to the outdoors.
Andrea (my wife), Virginia (5), Madeline (14 months), and I took an airplane ride to Denver, Colorado, and then rented a car and drove to Estes Park, Colorado in order to accept my in-laws invitation of a week long visit. Without their kind assistance, the trip couldn't have happened.
While I don't like to fly, the hassle at the airport proved minimal, and the flights were all easy. Traveling with a 14 month old is nowhere near as bad as I thought it might be. Traveling with a 5 year old proved to be far worse than I thought it would be. If traveling with a 5 year old was a slasher movie, they wouldn't be able to play it in the United States. Virginia was always looking for the next thrill rather than enjoying the thrill she was having.
Rather than dwell on that, I'll just say that once we got the rental car (Mercury Grand Marquis) and drove on up to Estes Park, we had a nice time. The house is half way up the south side of Prospect Mountain. Sitting on the sofa and looking out the windows reveals Twin Sisters (in the middle) and Lily Mountain (on the right). I could have sat there all week...
3. Next time, bring the hiking poles, stupid.
4. A fat 37 year old can still out hike a fit 67 year old, but not by much,
especially if the 67 year old grew up in those parts - even if the 37 year
old is humping a pack with a bunch of crap in it for the 5 year old that the
37 year old sometimes has to carry.
5. The altitude wasn't so bad.
6. It rained a lot.
7. Everybody was sick at some point, except me.
8. Unless you count the headaches.
9. The food in Colorado generally sucks.
10. Did I mention that traveling with a 5 year old is enough to pop an
aneurism?
11. Not only did I sail through security both times, they didn't even look
at me funny. I felt strange...
12. My FIL wanted to test fire the bear spray in the house. I did manage
to stop him. He still doesn't see what the big deal is.
13. On the way back, we missed the first flight.
14. Don't order fish in the mountains.
15. The American Airlines lady went the extra mile and got us on the next
flight. She even moved people around so that we could all sit together.
16. Climbing a 9,700 foot mountain with a 5 year old is an unworkable idea.
17. Climbing a 9,700 foot mountain without a 5 year old is doable, but
still not very smart.
18. New Orleans still smells the same.
19. Nobody makes a vanilla malt like Roberts right down the street from me.
20. I like the mountains, but after 8 days, I'm glad to be back in
flatland.
21. Vacationing with kids is more work than it's worth.
22. I'm more tired than when I left.
Shane
