New Year’s in Rocky Mountain National Park: You can set up the year just right.

Posted: January 24th, 2010 | Author: Roger Ludwig | Filed under: Colorado | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

My friend Sue said that the way you spend New Year’s Day is how you will spend the rest of the year. “Chinese tradition,“ she said. Wow. So how could I have a really great day and set fate on a roll to a splendid year?

Picture this: effortlessly gliding across a sparkling snow field under towering peaks beneath a bluebird sky. That was my plan. Cross country skiing. Why not Rocky Mountain National Park?

The afternoon of the first of twenty-ten I rushed into the visitors center, out of breath, having successfully run the gauntlet of Estes Park shops without spending a cent. The snowy-haired ranger looked at me like I was nuts. Wrong side of the park. Not enough snow on this side. Rarely is.

“Do you have snowshoes? The snowshoeing is very popular, up and around Bear Lake.”

“Well, yes,” I replied without enthusiasm. My snowshoes are huge. Made to carry a fully loaded behemoth across an ocean of deep powder. They weigh, I think, thirty pounds each. I don’t like them.

“Well, good,” he said. “Go up to Bear Lake.” Ok, so maybe I’ll get some fine sunset photos of that ships-prow of a mountain, Hallett Peak. Maybe the Tribune-Eagle will like them. It was an hour to sundown.

As I drove up the clouds came down, swallowing all traces of mountain. This could be Kansas with a low ceiling and pine trees for all I could see.

I found a place to park and hoisted the mighty snowshoes, poles and pack. Forgot to bring water. Great. “Don’t eat yellow snow.“ Famous Eskimo advice. Laden with gear, stumbling toward the trails across the icy parking lot, I would not let twenty-ten fizzle due to lack of effort.

Snowshoes strapped on, I pushed off. Heave ho. Heavily plodding up the hill, the tubular frames of the shoes banging into each other as I waddled, legs further and further apart. That was bad enough.

But everyone was be-bopping around me. Sweet college girls with tiny little snow shoes. Young fathers with toddlers bouncing in packs on their backs with tiny little snow shoes. Spry old ladies, yes, with tiny little snow shoes. These people were having a lot of fun. Read the rest of this entry »