Day 21: Rocky Mountain National Park

When we visited our friends in Boise, Andrea made me soak my feet in an epsom salt bath after hiking. This soaking made the persistent blister on the bottom of my foot go down. It hasn't reappeared. I have also been putting duct tape over the spots on the bottom of my feet prone to blisters. The duct tape and epsom salt have pretty much solved my blister problem, which has made hiking a much better experience!

Today the weather was predicted to be perfect for hiking until about 3pm. Edon and I left Ezi to rest at the hotel room and went to a nearby hike called Gem Lake Trail. It was a short (3.4 mile roundtrip) "easy" trail. Trails that climb elevation are not really easy for people from Florida, but it was easier than some of the other trails we have been doing. It had great views of the mountains as we ascended. There were also big, fun rocks to climb along the trail and at the top on the side of the lake. 

We went back to the hotel and made sandwiches for lunch. Ezi joined us as we ventured out again. Our first stop was the Falls Creek Visitor Center. They provided us with some trail suggestions and trail maps. 

Edon and I left Ezi to rest in the car and walked one mile up a seasonally-closed (to cars) road to Cascade Falls. It was a beautiful waterfall. Edon did some sketchy rock climbing near the falls and slipped into the water. Luckily he was totally okay. His shoes, socks, and shorts did get wet though and he had made me a nervous wreck.

After the falls we drove as far we could on the Trail Ridge Road. This road normally cuts through the entire park and is the highest highway in the US. Unfortunately, it was only open for less than 10 miles. Heavy snowfall this season has prevented the road from being open beyond this point. Still, the views from the road of the surrounding mountains were amazing. 

After this Edon and I spent a few minutes on the Deer Mountain Trail. I kept putting off doing this trail because I couldn't remember from reviews if it was worth doing or not. I knew the first part of the trail was good for viewing wildflowers, but there haven't been many wildflowers in the park. I wish we had made more time to spend on this trail. There were great mountain views as we walked. The wildflowers were just starting to make an appearance, but we were too early to see many. Oh well.

On the way back to the hotel I stopped at the Stanley Hotel. This is the hotel of The Shining fame. Luckily parking was free (normally it is $10). The kids haven't read or watched The Shining and felt uncomfortable just walking into a hotel they weren't going to stay at, so they sat in the car. I walked into the hotel lobby and looked around. It wasn't awkward at all. They had a gift shop with all kinds of shirts, jewelry, etc., plus a section just for The Shining. I was glad I popped in.

Tomorrow we head to Colorado Springs.