June 2nd-June 3rd
On June 2nd, 2017 we drove 7 hours from Black Canyon NP to Rocky Mountain National Park! It rained a majority of the day while we were driving but as we headed closer to the Rockies the weather started to clear up a bit.

 

We were so ecstatic when we finally arrived at the park! We headed straight to our campsite to set up and rest for the next day.

 

The next day, June 3rd, we had a hike planned that would take the entire day. Unfortunately, there was still way too much snow so we had to change our route just a little bit. But we certainly couldn’t let that ruin our fun because now we would be hiking in the snow! (My favorite!!!) So, in order to get to the trailhead we took Bear Lake Road to the “Park & Ride” lot and we hopped on the park shuttle which took us the rest of the way up the road. Our hike started at Glacier Gorge Trailhead and the first stop was Alberta Falls.

I love, love, love hiking most at the beginning of summer because the water levels are so high and this river was wild!

 

We continued up the mountain in the snow for a couple of miles and I was loving the morning weather.

 

After hiking for about an hour & a half we made it to Mills Lake! We were hoping to be able to continue even further down this fork of the trail but with so much snow it was still impassable, However, Mills Lake was gorgeous enough….

This was a great place to stop, rest our legs, and have a snack but there was still plenty to see.

We headed back down the mountain and up the other fork of the trail until we came to “The Loch,” or Loch Vale.

 

 

The sun had finally come out by this time and I could not believe where I was sitting. I have always wanted to go to the Rocky Mountains and I was finally here! And it does not matter how many different places we visit, each view amazes me more & more. I don’t think that it will ever get old.

Most of the time I will just sit there and keep repeating to Gustavo how “I cannot believe that this is real.” I say it at every single stop we make simply because the views never cease to amaze me. Each view is unique in itself and these mountains were so spectacular that I did not want to leave.

After a great lunch break it was time to head back down the mountain because we had 1 more stop.

After 2 hours of making our way down, and a short connecting trail, we came to Bear Lake! A very popular lake in the park that is kid-friendly, wheelchair accessible, and a short leisurely hike away. We enjoyed Bear Lake very much as we took a very relaxing walk around the calm lake which was so peaceful.

 

 

 

 

This day hike was planned out perfectly as the park shuttle was right at the end of the Bear Lake trail and we were so pooped I don’t think we could have walked any further. Our first day in the Rockies was amazing and we could not wait for what was to come tomorrow!
Peace & Love,
Espe and Tavo

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