The mountains have a special — and relatively new — place in my heart. I moved to Wyoming nearly five years ago and that’s where this love affair started. I’d seen mountains before, I’d skied, but actually living so close to mountains, seeing them day in and day out, driving by and through them regularly.. they really set up shop in your heart and soul.
I recently had a handful of days off in a row so I decided to take advantage by visiting my beloved mountains for my first true solo adventure. I’d already had plans to visit my favorite Lincoln family that weekend. It was cold and rainy and totally Nebraska but seeing them always fills my soul.
From Nebraska I headed west to Denver. After spending the night with some other former Wyoming residents, I continued toward the Rocky’s. My focus for this trip was Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
A stop at the Stanley Hotel is a requirement when you’re in Estes. I’m not big on ghost tours or anything like that, but to humor my mother (who LOVES those shows), I snapped a few pictures and walked around the grounds. I didn’t see any ghosts in the background of my photos… yet.
After the hotel, I started my trek around RMNP. I didn’t get far because of the weather. But I entered the park on the northeast side and stuck to the northern roads. I didn’t do any hiking on this day (that’s coming up), but the drive provided some beautiful views and wildlife sightings. Side note: if you’re traveling alone, look for the Asian tourist to take your photo. They’re great.
Day two: HIKE TIME. I got some advice from a friend who regularly climbs 14ers like it’s nothing and decided to attempt Chasm Lake. I invested about $90 in my feet between the legit “trail” shoes and the cushioned socks I found in a store in Estes. I can’t say for sure, but I’m pretty sure I would have been hurting way worse if I hadn’t had the proper foot-gear.
I got started around 7:30am right after sunrise. It was a Tuesday so there weren’t many people on the trail at all which was great for my self-esteem not having people continually passing me.
I greatly underestimated this hike. It was not easy. It was doable because I was able to finish, but it was rough. It was about 2,500 feet elevation gain and a lot of it was actual steps, not a gradual incline. The views were simply amazing though. About 3/4ths of the way, you get to a wide open meadow and you can see better how much farther “up” you have to go. Spoiler: it was a lot farther.
I was exhausted by this point in the hike but I was linked up with an older couple from Philly and we finished the trek together. As much as I love doing things on my own, for something this physically demanding, it was a great help to have people with you.
I wish the sun had been shining when we finally got to the lake.. alas, we can not control the weather. Was the hike fun? At times. Would I do it again? Nope. Not without proper hydration and time to acclimate. The entire hike took six-hours (which did include many stops heading up and about 30 minutes of being lost with the couple) and honestly… that’s just too long to be walking. But again.. the views.. 
AAdventure Seeker 